A fireworks finale closes Cherry Fiesta

A spectacular fireworks display capped off Canada Day and the 70th annual Cherry Fiesta. (Richard McGuire photo)

It was a perfect day for Cherry Fiesta – sunny and warm, but not excessively hot as with some Cherry Fiestas past.

The clear weather held into the evening when stars were visible between bursts of fireworks.

As always, pyrotechnical wizard Frank Zandvliet and his team of volunteers put on a great show over the lake.

It was well paced with little bursts and big bursts eliciting ooohs and aaahs from the thousands who packed the shorelines of the lake, or looked down from mountains and buildings.

The show was made possible by the fundraising efforts of Annette Star, Karen Hardy and Ron Bordeleau and the generous contributions of many local businesses and individuals.

This is the 23rd year that Osoyoos has held its Canada Day fireworks display. Organizers boast that the display is the second largest in Canada after Ottawa in terms of cost and volunteer time.

The event draws thousands of people from throughout the Okanagan Valley, the United States and from communities to the east and west.

It always takes a while for traffic to clear and after the fireworks end, the Osoyoos traffic jams more closely resemble rush-hour traffic in a major city.

(Richard McGuire photos)