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Apex celebrates 50th anniversary

Friday evening, two years of planning will come together at a gala celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apex community.
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The Apex community will celebrate its 50th anniversary this Friday at an event at the trade and convention centre.

Friday evening, two years of planning will come together at a gala celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apex community.

There will be displays, historical speakers, a banquet and dancing, but most especially there will be people. Organizers said yesterday that they have sold all 570 tickets available for the event, which takes place in the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.

“A committee of more than two dozen have worked for the past couple of years planning the event,” said Viv Lieskovsky, one of the organizers.

The event is also a fundraiser, with 100 per cent of the proceeds being split between the Apex Ski Patrol, and the two youth programs on the hill, the Apex Ski and Freestyle clubs.

This one-time event includes displays of vintage fashions, ski equipment, historical photos, film footage and promotional materials and posters. Inside, guests will be treated to a banquet and a long list of speakers telling stories about the events and colourful personalities that fill the community’s history.

Each of the five decades will be represented with long-time, local ski enthusiasts presenting stories and images, starting with a member of one of the founding families, Margaret Van Os, who remembers the Ford Model A that was used to power the first tow rope on the hill.

She will be followed by Al Kenyon and many more, all the way to one of Apex’s newest stars, Olympian Kristi Richards. As part of the fundraiser, commemorative DVDs of images through the decades and limited edition posters will be available for sale.