The Osoyoos Festival Society is alive and well as more than a dozen new members joined the organization at its recent annual meeting. Longtime volunteers had come forward warning the society could fold unless new members came forward. The organization is busy planning this year’s Easter Eggstravaganza, which is set for Saturday, March 26. Above, local children search for Easter eggs during the popular annual event. (Richard McGuire file photo)
The Osoyoos Festival Society is alive and well … and that means three of this town’s most popular community events are going to continue in 2016 and for many years to come.
A month ago, two longtime volunteers with the society – current treasurer Shirley Baker and Jessie Smythe – made an urgent plea to the community stating that if new members didn’t join the organization, it would likely have to fold.
Those pleas for assistance were heard loud and clear as two dozen local residents attended the society’s annual general meeting on March 7 and more than a dozen signed up to join, said Baker.
“We had an unbelievable turnout and we ended up with 24 members … and we only had nine heading into the meeting,” she said. “We’ve had all kinds of trouble recruiting new members for the past several years and we were at the end of our rope, but the article (front page in the Osoyoos Times) appeared in the paper and we had so many people come forward to join us.
“We now have some new members in their 30s, many others who volunteer for other organizations in town and they wanted to help us out and even a few older ladies that wanted to make sure the festival society remained in town.”
The Osoyoos Festival Society was formed in 1949 and has been responsible for organizing the annual Cherry Fiesta as part of Canada Day celebrations ever since.
They also organize the Christmas Lite Up event and Easter Eggstravaganza.
Baker, who has been a member of the society for the past five years, said she’s overwhelmed with the response and is thrilled so many new people have stepped up to become members.
“We’ve had less than 10 members for a few years now and there were basically six of us who had to do most of the work,” she said. “Our pleas for help were obviously heard and it’s so encouraging to have so many new members on board so we can split up the work and really do a great job organizing these events.
“It will also allow all of us to have some fun again and not get down because we were overwhelmed with how much we all had to do. The Osoyoos Festival Society is alive and well and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
The influx of new members couldn’t have come at a better time as the 22nd annual Easter Eggstravaganza is scheduled for Saturday, March 26.
Once again, hundreds of children will gather at the school grounds at Osoyoos Elementary School and search the school grounds for hundreds of hidden Easter eggs.
The day will begin with a pancake breakfast between 8 and 11 a.m. in the town square beside town hall on Main Street.
There will be a full schedule of family fun events at town square between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. including a petting farm, bounce castle, fish pond, balloon modeling, face painting, carnival games and egg guessing contest.
Volunteers members with the Osoyoos Fire Department will also serve hot dogs between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in front of the fire hall. Several members will also have their heads shaved to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Mat Duffus will play live music throughout the day.
With so many new members joining, it will allow several of the longtime volunteers who have contributed so much to the festival society to step back and relax and even allow a few to retire, said Baker.
“The long-term future looks very bright and that’s great because this town just wouldn’t be the same without events like Cherry Fiesta, Christmas Lite-Up and the Easter Eggstravagana,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to working with the new members.”
Once Easter Eggstravagana is finished, the society will start planning immediately for the Cherry Fiesta on Canada Day, she said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
