Spring has finally arrived and while people are starting to think about getting out into nature the annual Meadowlark Festival is too.
The festival, which provides guided tours featuring the unique geology and wild places in the South Okanagan-Similkameen, is in its 17th year. Running from May 15 to 19, the Meadowlark Festival will consist of over 80 hikes, bike rides, canoe trips, horseback rides and other fun events. Tickets go on sale as of Saturday, April 5.
“Many of our most popular events and tours sell out quickly, so we encourage people to register early to make sure they get their first choice of hikes and fun events,” said OSCA-Meadowlark festival chair Sally Kilburg.
One of the festival’s greatest appeals is that it offers something for fitness buffs, the more sedentary and programs for children.
“We have a number of new activities this year that are worth checking out, as well as many favourites that have defined our festival over the years. With more than 80 events, there is truly something for everyone,” said Kilburg.
Each year, the festival chooses a featured artist to create a piece of work that will be auctioned off to raise funds to go back into the festival. This year Summer Song, an acrylic painting by Julia Hargreaves, was chosen.
Hargreaves immigrated from England to Kelowna in 2001 and began selling her artwork through several galleries. She won the Ducks Unlimited National Art Portfolio competition twice, has illustrated Birdscapes, a pop-up birding guide and her work has been included in prestigious exhibitions in art museums in New York and at the Smithsonian in 2015.
Tickets for the festival are available between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Shatford Centre. Doors open at 10 a.m. and each person will receive a number.
After the launch, tickets can still be purchased in person at the festival office in the Shatford Centre on Wednesdays and Saturdays only between noon and 2 p.m. starting on April 9. The 2014 online ticket sales begin as of 2 p.m. on April 5. To register visit www.meadowlarkfestival.bc.ca. Tickets can also be ordered over the phone with a credit card by calling 250-492-5275 on Wednesdays and Saturdays between noon and 2 p.m. starting on April 9.