Happy April Fools!
CARMEN WELDS - at Apr 1st, 2017 6:50am
With little notice, the City of Penticton took the area’s iconic Peach on Okanagan Lake and made it a Grape.
City crews were on site Friday, taking the day to transform the peach concession into a grape to better represent the current vision of the region.
The city claims that after extensive research and community engagement, Penticton is no longer ‘Peaches and beaches but rather wine and dine.’
“We are ‘Penticton and wine country’ and to embrace that we feel our iconic fruit should be a grape — not a peach. The wine industry is the largest contributor to Penticton’s tourism,” said mayor Andrew Jakubeit.
“Up until now, we’ve basically been thumbing our nose at them. 2017 is about becoming one – working together – and this is a great start. How better can we show visitors that we’re all about wine than by having a giant grape on our beach?”
City crews began work yesterday, painting a purple base coat on it. Once finished, there will be three shades of purple much like the shading currently on the peach.
The leaves on top will be removed but the stem will remain, although it will be narrowed slightly.
While the City of Penticton is ecstatic about the new colour, the peach’s lease owner is fuming mad at the news – she only found it was happening as the first layer of paint was being applied.
“I am frustrated, I’m completely shocked,” says owner Diana Stirling. “I was only just informed the city was painting the peach.
“It is so frustrating because the peach in Penticton has been an icon for us. Everybody loves the peach. I mean, turning it into a grape may make sense on paper, but it is our peach.”
Despite the angry reaction, the city’s paint job is supported by Travel Penticton.
“I think it is time to change it,” says Travel Penticton’s new executive director, Thom Tischik. “It has been a peach for so many years and now that Penticton is evolving it is time to change and turning it into a grape is the best way to go, I really do think so.
“Icons are icons, let’s leave that to the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. This icon has really been a peach for long enough.”
Read on at the Penticton Western News