1962, Cherry Festival parade, Osoyoos, BC

1962, Cherry Festival parade, Osoyoos, BC

4 min 10 secs, 16mm 2k digital scan


After world war two, rationing was slowly phased out in Canada, by 1948 life was pretty much back to normal and people were wanting to celebrate and put behind them the austerity of the war years, the Okanagan Valley began with small summer festivals. The many small towns took the initiative with local volunteers creating and organizing festivals to celebrate what they were good at - mainly orchards and recreation on the lakes. Kelowna had the regatta, Pentiction had their peach festival, Oliver had their Apricot Fundae held on a Sunday, Grand Forks had their Fall Fair, and not to be outdone, little Osoyoos with a population of just 700 people held their first Cherry Festival that year.

By 1962, the Okanagan valley became an increasingly important tourist destination after the completion of the floating bridge in Kelowna in 1958 and the completion of the Rogers Pass section of the Trans Canada Highway in July 1962. This marked the beginning of the golden era of tourism in the valley. The valley was now far more accessible from Calgary and Vancouver. In the years following WWII, personal vehicle ownership had increased dramatically, roadside motels and campgrounds sprouted up all along the Okanagan valley encouraging tourists. The details and names of the 1962 Cherry festival organized by volunteers are lost to time, perhaps some of the faces in the parade and audience may be recognized by you. Cross promotion of each others’ festivals was common practice and filled many of the spots of each other’s parades, a good reminder for tourists and locals to visit.

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episode 371


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