Everyone has a favourite season in the Central Okanagan.
In Kelowna, hockey lovers may prefer winter and Rockets games at Prospera Place; summer is great for barbecues and afternoons on the patio; and fall brings spectacular colours.
Those are all well worth looking forward to, but I’ve always preferred the brief “between-season” when spring starts turning into summer.
First and foremost, the spring legislative session usually wraps up in late May.
Beautiful as Victoria may be, it’s always nice to come home, spend more time with my family, and get back into constituency work.
But April and May are also the start of a very busy calendar in Kelowna.
In towns around B.C., the end of spring marks the beginning of outdoor farmers’ market season.
In my opinion, Kelowna is lucky to have one of the very best as 2012 marks the 17th season for the Kelowna Farmers’ & Crafters’ Market.
From humble beginnings, they have grown to become B.C.’s largest farmers’ market.
As always, the outdoor market runs Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. through Oct. 31 on the corner of Springfield Road and Dilworth Drive.
Stop by early and often for great food, and the chance to meet and support local farmers.
And while I love the market in Kelowna, there’s a lot of farm fresh food available at farmers’ markets across the province.
If you happen to be travelling around B.C. this summer, the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets website has a handy Market Finder application, so you can find fresh produce wherever your travels take you. Look for it at www.bcfarmersmarket.org/.
May long weekend is full of events. This year, the 2012 Canadian Masters Swimming Championship will call the H2O Adventure & Fitness Centre home.
If you’re not familiar with the Masters Swimming Association, they’re a great national network of swimming clubs that promote swimming as fun, fitness and participation.
Each year, the best swimmers from clubs across Canada converge to compete.
The competition is incredibly tough—no shortage of Canadian records has been set by masters club swimmers—but they also have a lot of fun.
It will be great to have them in Kelowna, and I know they’re in for a good weekend.
Last but certainly not least, I think everyone in Kelowna and the Central Okanagan knows that May means Rutland May Days.
One of the highlights on everyone’s calendar, the festival kicks off its 53rd year with the May Days Parade on May 18.
May Days has something for everyone—even if you’re not up to “hair-raising and tummy-turning” rides, there are games, food, events, and entertainment for all tastes.
April and May aren’t technically a season.
But this “in-between” season has more than enough going for it to qualify for an asterisk.
Steve Thomson is the Liberal MLA for Kelowna-Mission.
www.stevethomsonmla.bc.ca
