While Osoyoos can be a sleepy little town in the middle of winter, it’s anything but sleepy once the beautiful warm spring weather starts arriving as it did this past weekend.
This past week provided a very good glimpse into why the people who live in Osoyoos love this community so much and why the quality of life is so outstanding for the majority who call it home.
It also showed how much community spirit exists and how generous people are when it comes to helping others who are less fortunate than themselves.
The five young teenage girls vying to capture the titles of Queen and Princess of the Osoyoos Royalty had the opportunity to showcase their public speaking skills and baking talents at the Osoyoos Seniors Centre this past Sunday evening as they prepare for the final pageant, which is scheduled for June 30 at Osoyoos Secondary School.
The five candidates – Kuljeet Wander, Sarah Singer, Isa Marie-Stone, Kaitlyn Anderson and Madison Silvers – all did a terrific job tackling very difficult subjects before a crowd of about 50.
To help raise money for the Osoyoos Royalty, who represent this community at numerous events throughout the year, the teenage girls all baked cakes and auctioned them off, which helped raise over $800. Vases of flowers used as centerpieces during dinner were also auctioned off and raised several hundred more dollars.
Over at Little Mountain Riding Stables, a group of 19 horse lovers and community-minded individuals gathered to take part in the annual Children’s Wish Foundation Trail Ride fundraiser, which has helped raise significant dollars to allow the wishes of sick children to come true for more than a decade.
A silent auction was also held, which helped raise several hundred dollars for this very worthwhile cause. Organizer Dawn Muller and her small group of volunteers deserve kudos for doing an outstanding job.
While those horse lovers were riding trails, music was playing as the popular Market on Main had its second successful weekend to kick off the 2012 season.
Market on Main board president Janis St. Louis has dreamed of bringing live entertainment to the market for a couple of years. The success of the market over the past few years has allowed St. Louis to book live musicians every Saturday from now until the end of the September, which promises to add a lot of flavour and character for vendors and consumers alike.
Meanwhile, over in Oliver, two dozen air cadets, including seven from Osoyoos, were standing proud as the 70th annual Oliver Royal Canadian Air Cadets, Bighorn Squadron 232, Ceremonial Review and Awards Parade took place inside the squadron hangar Sunday afternoon.
These fine young boys and girls did a tremendous job showcasing their skills and representing their community.
All in all, it was very refreshing to see so many people involved in so many different activities and proudly representing themselves and the residents of Osoyoos so proudly. This is a great place to call home and these past few days were a glowing example of everything that’s great about Osoyoos.