Mike Valliere, president of the Desert Park Exhibition Society, was guest speaker recently at the Rotary Club of Osoyoos. He spoke about improvements being made to the facility and the kinds of events and users the society hopes to attract to Desert Park. (Richard McGuire photo)
Desert Park will become a medieval village with horseback jousting next May long weekend.
That’s just one of the activities planned to make better use of the equestrian and general purpose facility that saw a major restoration this year.
Mike Valliere, president of the Desert Park Exhibition Society, recently gave an overview of developments in a lunch meeting talk to the Rotary Club of Osoyoos.
In addition to the jousting matches, the society is also in talks that could lead to such activities as barrel racing, team roping and other events.
Meanwhile, the society is looking into the possibility of adding a third horse racing day this summer to make up for the one that was cancelled in August due to the wildfire situation, said Valliere.
This involves working around the schedule of the Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver.
He hopes that people, businesses and organizations with ideas for the facility will get in touch and provide names and contact information for people who might run various events at Desert Park.
“What we’re looking for is people to come in and organize barrel racing or do their clinics,” he said. “We have the facility, but we don’t really want to start setting up a bunch of things. The race days we do, but that’s a lot of work.”
The jousting event, however, is being organized by Desert Park board member Paddy Head, who is bringing in members of the Society of Tilt and Lance Cavalry (STALC) to compete on May 21 and 22, 2016.
STALC is based near Calgary, but members have done events in the Fraser Valley and elsewhere and a few members appeared on an episode of the television show Heartland that aired on Nov. 15.
Jousting is a medieval sport in which horseback contestants compete with lances, trying to knock their opponents off their horses.
Head, a retired jockey, said she has ridden with members of the group, but she doesn’t joust herself.
“That armour weighs more than I do,” she said.
She expects the event next May to draw a large audience, as it has done in the Fraser Valley where some people plan their vacations around it.
“I think we’ll get people from quite a distance,” she said. “It’s not every day you get to see a joust. We think we will get as many people, or possibly even more, than we did for the races.”
Although Head said the jousting is confirmed, other events such as team roping and barrel racing are still at the discussion stage.
Barrel racing, she expects, could take place monthly or at least more than once a year.
“I’m going to start talking to the local people, the pony club, different things so that they can come and hold their clinics there,” said Head. “I myself will be giving galloping lessons to people. I have the unique opportunity because of my background and the fact that we have a racetrack.”
Valliere said some of these events would require an upgrade to the arena at Desert Park, which will involve putting in new ground.
There is no fixed seating at the arena, but portable bleachers can be used, he said.
This past summer, a major upgrade was done to the aging grandstand at the racetrack to make the seating safe and useable again. Improvements have also been made to the main building.
Valliere said work is now underway to rebuild stalls at the barns and put down new clay floors.
One source of revenue is the training of racehorses that starts in February. Because of the milder climate in Osoyoos, many horses are brought in from Alberta and elsewhere to train here early in the year. Close to 200 horses are expected.
Valliere said the society is looking at extending this season earlier into February or possibly into January by maintaining the track and salting it when it is frozen.
Desert Park is located on 42 acres, of which some is protected because it is sensitive antelope brush habitat, said Valliere.
The society has a lease that comes up for renewal in November 2016, when they have a further five-year option on it.
“Desert Park is an amazing facility,” said Valliere. “It needs a lot of work because it was kind of left behind, but it still has a lot going for it. We are working hard at getting it back up. We’ve got a fantastic, very energetic board right now.”
The Desert Park Exhibition Society will be holding its annual general meeting early in the new year, probably at the beginning of February, Valliere said.
“We want people to come out and give us their input as to what they would like to see there,” he said. “And give us their contacts.”
For more information about the Desert Park Exhibition Society, visit www.desertpark.net.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
