Kelowna from Knox Mountain park, by John Carney (www.flickr.com/photos/johncarney/)
Kelowna, British Columbia
Kelowna
is an urban oasis of 111,000 people, back dropped by a setting of rural
splendor. The area has an established fruit-growing industry and has become
well-known for its wineries (14 in or near the city). The community is the
largest in the interior of British
Columbia. It has moderate temperatures, with the
average daily high of about 23 Celsius in September and 14 Celsius in
October. The area has lots of sunshine (2000 hours per year). The sparkling
110 km-long Lake
Okanagan nurtures the
valley’s agriculture. The area has plenty of fine restaurants, a good
variety of accommodations, indoor and outdoor attractions and boasts 15 golf
courses. There are unending miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking,
trail riding and family walks. The downtown core, where services are held,
houses galleries, museums, theatres, studios, restaurants and a water-front
park and walkways.
The Kelowna
International Airport
serves the area with direct flights from some major cities. It is easily
accessible by vehicles from all directions being about 400 km from Vancouver and 600 km from Calgary,
featuring a lovely drive through the Canadian Rockies including Banff and Lake Louise.
Some local Web sites:
http://www.kelownabc.com/
http://www.castanet.net/
http://www.tourismkelowna.com/
http://www.kelowna.ca/cm/site3.aspx
Location of
Services: Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water St., Kelowna,
British Columbia.
First Service: Friday,
October 2, at 7:30 p.m. The following day’s service will be at 1 p.m.
Taxes: There is
a provincial sales tax of 7% (8% on hotels) as well as GST, which is 5%.
Rainer Salomaa
