For more than 20 years, Pentictonites have been treated to a fireworks show above Okanagan Lake on New Yearās Eve and Canada Day.
And for most of the 20 plus years, the Penticton Lakeside Resort has sponsored the show and footed the bill.
āI think there was one year we didnāt do it because of the weather, but most years we have managed to do it,ā said David Prystay, the Lakesideās general manager, who instituted the tradition when he took over 23 years ago.
But the cost of the keeping the show going has increased over the years, and Prystay said the Lakeside needs help to keep the Canada Day show spectacular.
āWhatās happened over the years is the cost of doing it has grown exponentially. It just got to the point where we couldnāt get much of a show for $10,000,ā said Prystay.
āSo we reached out to the community for the last few years asking for help for the Canada Day fireworks. We havenāt asked for help for New Yearās Eve.ā
The City of Penticton has chipped in a couple of times over the years, according to Prystay, though not regularly.
āItās not in their budget. But I know the city appreciates it and it does help tourism, and it does help the community and it does help the community feel a little bonding on that day,ā he said.
Prystay said that Pentictonās Canada Day fireworks may not be as large as shows in other communities, like Osoyoos, but āitās a very pleasant show for the kids and families of Penticton.ā
āMike Thompson, the owner of Skyline Fireworks, has been very generous over the years,ā said Prystay. āThere have been several years where we havenāt quite had enough to do a $10,000 show and he has come up to the plate and augmented the show and helped us out, because we have been with him for so many years.ā
Along with the cost of the fireworks show itself, there are additional costs like permits, liability insurance, extra staffing and security to keep onlookers at a safe distance, both during the show and during the fireworks setup, which can take the day.
Prystay explained that he had a simple reason for starting the Pentictonās annual Canada Day fireworks and keeping it going through the years.
āBecause I am a patriotic Canadian and I always thought that fireworks were a good way of expressing ourselves on Canada Day,ā he said, adding that while growing up, he liked to watch the fireworks shows put on by the fire department in his hometown.
āThey would always do fireworks as a community event. That sort of fell by the wayside over the years,ā said Prystay. āI just took that under my wing and did it here.ā
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