The Okanagan International Children’s Festival has a new leader at the helm to help it regroup for 2014.
Taking over as executive director will be Vicky Jones, who has worked previously on the Whistler Children’s Art Festival, the Upper Similkameen Spirit Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival.
“I am excited to join the festival at this time. Our goal is to ensure that the 2014 festival will return well-positioned to face future challenges and opportunities and remain a vibrant part of the community’s life for many years to come,” Jones said in a press release.
“I look forward to meeting and working with everyone in taking the festival into the future.”
Jones will replace Conrad Burek, who resigned in November. The board didn’t have enough time to hire a replacement and properly plan the three-day festival scheduled for May, so it elected instead to cancel this year’s event.
The festival also announced it will receive some of the proceeds from the second annual Okanagan Falls Bike Rally raffle.
This year’s raffle prize is a 2013 FLSTC Heritage Softail Black Harley Davidson. Only 3,500 tickets will be sold. The bike is on display at the Okanagan Falls Hotel until the May 12 draw, though it will also appear at the Cherry Lane shopping centre in Penticton on April 13, 14 and 21.
The Okanagan Falls Bike Rally goes May 10-12 and will include a poker run, bike show, tattoo competition and beverage garden at Centennial Park and the hotel, plus kids’ activities.