This May marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Kettle Valley Railway.
To commemorate this important historical event in the history of our community, the Summerland Art Gallery is calling for submissions to a juried show entitled Celebrating 100 Years of the KVR which will run from May 7 to June 20 at the Summerland Art Gallery, 9908 Main St.
Submissions to this community challenge may take any form, in any medium including, but not limited to: drawings, paintings, sculpture, and mixed media.
Deadline for submission is April 15 and submissions can be made in person at the Summerland Arts Centre at 9908 Main St or by email to admin@summerlandarts.com or by mail to Box 1217, Summerland, B.C., V0H 1Z0.
If you are curious about the history of the KVR why not attend Friday evening’s Summerland Museum AGM which is being held at the IOOF Hall.
They have invited historian Joe Smuin to be their guest speaker and he will be talking about the history of the railway.
You might also want to check out A Very Canadian Railroad: The Story of the Kettle Valley Railway at the Penticton Museum and Archives. You can find out more on their Facebook page. Facebook.com/pages/Penticton-Museum-and-Archives. And, of course there is a great model train layout at our own Summerland Museum.
However, nothing beats the real thing. And our very own Kettle Valley Steam Railway will be operating an Easter train on April 4. The regular season will open on May 16 and there will be a special centennial train ride on Sunday, May 31.
We are fortunate to have one of British Columbia’s few remaining fully operational steam railways. Although the line once stretched from Midway to Hope there is now just 16 kilometres of this historic rail line remaining — and that portion is here in Summerland.
The Kettle Valley Steam Railway has indeed proven that abandoned railways can indeed have a new life, and a very successful one too.
The Summerland Philosophers’ Cafe being held next Wednesday evening at the IOOF Hall will focus on life beyond our present existence. Why not join retired UBC professor Rene Goldman for Resurrection and Reincarnation: Is there life beyond our present existence?
David Finnis is the publicity chair and president of the Summerland Community Arts Council, P.O. Box 1217, 9908 Main St., Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0.
