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The Penticton Peach had some company this morning. Some vehicular company.
Jeff Leonard of Penticton was first, driving his '58 Corvette onto the sidewalk and parking just a few feet from the iconic ice cream shop. Then came Okanagan Falls' Bob Coombs in his similarly coloured '67 Mustang. Directing traffic was a fellow by the name of Wayne Wood.
As far as we know, none of them has an ice cream fetish. But they do love their cars. And all three of them set up shop outside the Peach this morning to publicize an event that's taken Penticton by storm for 18 straight years - the Peach City Beach Cruise.
This year's edition is number 19, and it begins this Friday at 9 a.m. as cars begin to arrive and assemble along Lakeshore Drive.
Wood is the Beach Cruise prez, and he was pumped. "We're again going to have a full house of 850 cars," he said. "They'll come from all over the place - from 16 US states, as far away as Indiana, and from all across Canada and BC."
We asked Wood what makes Penticton such a huge draw, and he had a whole bunch of reasons.
"We've had that sort of turnout for many, many years. We bill ourselves as Western Canada's premier three-day car show. We have the backdrop of the lake, we have top of the line entertainment, and for registrants we have wine cruises, the Ladies Walk and Shop, and a 'Winding Road Cruise,' where registrants get to drive their cars on the twisty roads you normally see only in advertisements."
"There's a tour circuit of people who take their cars to a lot of shows. We are on that circuit. We are one of the places to come at one point in your car show life."
Wood said that one of the slickest new attractions for 2019 is the "Harley Softail Experience," located at Lakawanna Park.
"Harley Davidson contacted us and asked if we'd like them to come. They have a large platform display - 65 feet by 45 feet. It's a huge structure that'll take them six hours to erect, where they'll have simulators, arcade games, and more. If you're licensed, you can even take Harleys for test drives."
And he said the beverage garden in Gyro Park will be expanded. "It'll be the place to be in the evenings especially. The entertainment this year is really great. This isn't a sideline - this is their job, they do it for a living. It'll be a rocking place."
Director Leonard added that this year, for the very first time, all the beer in the beverage garden will be of the craft variety. "So we have the Ale Trail, and we'll have all five breweries in town, including the new one, Slackwater. And we'll have Naramata Cider on tap."
The beverage garden, which seats 300, will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Three dollars will get you in, and, according to Leonard, "You can come and go as much as you want, all weekend long."
But arguably the biggest draw for spectators will be the "Beach to Peach Parade," where the vast majority of registered cars take a slow ride down Main Street from the Skaha to Okanagan Lake waterfronts. It begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Attendees, registrants, and residents should note that Lakeshore Drive, from the SS Sicamous to Winnipeg, will be closed for the event to all but registered vehicles, lodging guests, and locals.
For more information on the 19th annual Peach City Beach Cruise, check out the official website.
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