By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
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The Osoyoos Cherry Fiesta/Canada Day annual fireworks event will take place this year, despite being clouded in an air of confusion.
Three things are crystal clear. Firstly, the annual fireworks event will take place on July 1, 2024; secondly, the event will take place at Gyro Beach; and thirdly, the event will not feature the firework finesse of Frank Zandvliet nor the fundraising might of Annette Star.
From here it gets more complicated. Take the name for instance. Previously the fireworks were organized by the Osoyoos Fireworks Committee (essentially Zandvliet and Star) for what was called Osoyoos Fireworks working with the Osoyoos Festival Society which is the primary organizer of the Cherry Fiesta/Canada Day event.
“Osoyoos Festival Society Fireworks is what we’re calling it,” says Osoyoos Festival Society President Ken Baker who says the society will now look after the fireworks going forward after the absence of any show last year after a very public fracas between the Osoyoos Fireworks Committee and the town.
The whys and wherefores involve a long and complicated quagmire but essentially revolve around issues relating to fireworks storage, insurance, fire regulations and issues between Zandvliet and the town where he had been employed, until last year.
Aside from missing out on Zandvliet’s undeniably spectacular pyrotechnic displays, the lack of fundraising prowess that Star brought to the table is also being deeply felt.
The Osoyoos Festival Society has highlighted that it is a volunteer organization that brings everyone all of the festivities for Cherry Fiesta/Canada Day on July 1st and now has the additional task of raising money to cover the cost of the fireworks.
In a recent post on Facebook Baker decried the lack of donations to the Festival Society Fireworks through a recently created GoFundMe page, which at the time of writing had reached only $820 of the $20,000 target.
“Not looking like Osoyoos wants the July 1st Fireworks,” Baker said in his post. He acknowledges that the GoFundMe “doesn’t look very promising,” but in reality, he says, “fundraising is going great.”
In fact he says $20,000 has been raised largely thanks to sponsorship, including Platinum Sponsor Watermark Beach Resort and Gold Sponsor Owl Pub along with nearly a dozen other company sponsors.
With this amount they have enough to mount a 15 minute display, “and the more money we raise maybe we can make it 20 minutes,” he said. Baker adds that studies have shown that 15 to 20 minutes is about the maximum length before people start losing interest in the pyrotechnic display. The fireworks are being presented by a pyrotechnic company called ‘Archangel Fireworks’ which has been in business for 35 years.
Baker acknowledges the hesitancy amongst some would-be donors due to the issues around Zandvliet and his relationship with the town. “That’s kind of a stickler with me because I had nothing to do with Frank and I had nothing to do with the taxes either,” he chuckles.
Baker notes that money raised by the Fireworks Committee but not used last year was used to put on fireworks at Christmas and “they will do it again during the May long weekend at the Spring Festival and if they have any money left over they’ll do it at Christmas again for us,” he said. “It’s just that Frank will not do them on Canada Day anymore,” he added.
“We did not get out and raise money last year,” Star said speaking to the Times Chronicle. “We had three donations given to us. Two individuals I phoned explaining the situation and they said just to keep the donation.” The committee also returned the grant that had been awarded by the town for the 2023 fireworks.
Star notes that because of money saved up over the pandemic and generous donations for the 25th anniversary fireworks held in 2022, there was money left over. “I still had money from the previous year when we did the 25th anniversary so that is going to be used for our fireworks and we’re going to have another one on the May long weekend.”
The music at Gyro that weekend – part of the Spring Festival – is being sponsored by the Osoyoos Elks Club while she and Zandvliet are putting on the fireworks.
“We’re using up the money that we had in excess from 2022,” she reiterates, adding that they will probably do Christmas fireworks again, “and then we’re done.”
A spectacular fireworks display over Osoyoos Lake caps the annual Canada Day and Cherry Fiesta. Richard McGuire photo.
When asked whether she would consider donating any of the leftover money that had been intended for the Cherry Fiesta/Canada Day event she said, “Absolutely not”. She said it was because of the perceived ill treatment they received from the town. She acknowledges that the Festival Society is separate from the town, something she knows well having been involved for years as the “fireworks committee” for the Cherry Fiesta event.
But she’s adamant that,“The money we raised was for our fireworks, not theirs,” she says in reference to the Festival Society taking over the fireworks organizing this year. As they were not a registered society, there is no accountability to any authority in terms of donations.
Star says she’s assisted Baker with contacts and the people to approach, “so I’ve been helping out Ken as much as I possibly can. But we are not turning over money that our committee raised for the Osoyoos Fireworks Festival.”
“We’re not going to give our money that we raised for Frank’s fireworks. Not to hire a company from out of town. I’m sorry, no.”
The other point of confusion stems from a presentation that Baker made to Osoyoos town council in March, suggesting an alternate venue across the lake on Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) land.
Despite the backing of the OIB council, a fenced-off sandy location and the loan of a firetruck from Area 27, Baker said the Osoyoos Festival Society team decided that the Gyro Park location was preferred in terms of fire safety.
“As time went on, due to the imminent drought predictions, it was decided that Gyro Park would be a much-preferred location to bring back the fireworks to the Town of Osoyoos,” the society said.
Fundraising is continuing and a bottle drive will be held on Saturday, May 25 at the Osoyoos Bottle Depot. Donations can also be made on the GoFundMe page or by e-transfer to [email protected] or call Ken Baker at 250-498-9236.
