D.O. CELEBRATES OPENING OF ‘GUNLESS’
From left, Okanagan Film Commission Chair Bill Baird, Vice-Chair Gerri Logan and Commissioner Jon Summerland join with DO Executive Director Jo Knight and BC Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos Manager Millie Jarrett at the opening of Gunless in Oliver.
The first of the capacity crowd of 300 to arrive for the premiere showing of Gunless at the Oliver Theatre on April 30 received gift bags from Destination Osoyoos.
The line-up was steady for the first showing of Gunless in the South Okanagan.
DO representatives turning out for the premiere included, from left: Board Member Jason Parker, Executive Director Jo Knight, and Board Secretary-Treasurer Peter Bueschkens with his wife Gabrielle.
Ace Elkink, left, owner of the desert land near Osoyoos where Gunless was filmed, told Eastlink Community TV interviewer Lawrence McMahen at the premiere that he was excited to see the movie. Photo by Gerri Logan
----------------------------------------
Osoyoos celebrated its starring role on the big screen April 30th with a large turnout of dignitaries and moviegoers at a nearby theatre for the Canada-wide opening of Gunless – the comedy western feature film shot just outside of town last year.
Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells, along with some top officials of the Okanagan Film Commission and Destination Osoyoos, joined with about 300 enthusiastic others at the Oliver Theatre for the virtually sold-out South Okanagan premiere of Gunless. The theatre is showing Gunless for a special seven-day run to mark the debut of the locally filmed major Canadian movie.
The film, starring Paul Gross and Sienna Guillory, had its world premiere at a gala screening in Vancouver on April 19 attended by the film’s stars and writer/director William Phillips. In Gunless, Gross plays a notorious American gunslinger, the Montana Kid, who wanders into a Canadian hamlet and ends up challenging its blacksmith to a frontier showdown. But in a place totally unprepared for a gunfight and without a single pistol to be found, adhering to the code of the American Wild West proves difficult.
The 100-member Gunless cast and crew spent nearly five weeks in May and June of 2009 filming just west of Osoyoos on rugged desert land owned by Ace Elkink. A ‘western town’ with 12 authentic-looking 19th-century buildings was built on the land and is being kept available for future western films that may be shot in the area. Elkink, who attended the film’s premiere in Oliver, said hosting the filming on his land was a great experience.
Destination Osoyoos Executive Director Jo Knight notes the Gunless production injected hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy and demonstrated how the area’s unique desert landscape and many other features offer valuable locations for the filming of movies, TV shows and commercials. She says the Okanagan Film Commission deserves major credit for bringing Gunless and other film projects to the Osoyoos area. Film Commissioner Jon Summerland aggressively pursues these projects for the Okanagan, and his hard work secured the shooting of Gunless for Osoyoos – bringing major benefits to the South Okanagan. The Film Commission’s Vice-Chair, Gerri Logan, scouted locations for Gunless and other major film projects.
Summerland says, “I knew that Gunless would be a unique opportunity to showcase our region to the world, so the Okanagan Film Commission worked closely with Brightlight Pictures and Rhombus Media in the pre-production and production stages of Gunless to ensure their success in the South Okanagan.” Summerland, Logan, and Film Commission Chair Bill Baird all attended the Gunless premiere in Oliver. Summerland notes that arrangements are almost concluded for filming of another major film in the Osoyoos and South Okanagan areas.
During filming, the Gunless cast and crew often remarked how the hot, sunny Osoyoos desert scenery was perfectly suited for the comedy western. Its star, Paul Gross, has told media that his fondest memory of Osoyoos was the hospitable nature of the community and the staggering beauty of the landscape. He added he plans to return to Osoyoos with his family for a vacation. Knight says, “It was our pleasure to provide the Gunless cast and crew with Canada’s Warmest Welcome in Osoyoos.”
Knight attended the gala world premiere of Gunless in Vancouver, where “the excitement and energy was incredible” – and she says she’s thrilled with the big turnout for the movie’s premiere in Oliver, including by some people wearing western outfits. Other Destination Osoyoos representatives at the Oliver premiere included Board of Directors Secretary-Treasurer Peter Beuschkens, Board Members Gayle Cornish and Jason Parker, and BC Visitors Centre @ Osoyoos Manager Millie Jarrett.
BOAT TRAILER PARKING OPENS MAY 15
The free boat-trailer parking area is located in east Osoyoos, just off Main Street.
--------------------------------------------
The Town of Osoyoos has announced that the popular seasonal boat-trailer parking area it made available on the east side of town last year will be reopened on May 15 for the 2010 boating season. The large fenced parking area is located at 6901 Main Street (see the map). The Town notes that the fence will be locked between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
In addition, the area adjoining this fenced parking lot can also be used for parking trailers and vehicles. The Town will not charge for the use of the property for parking this year, although that issue may be reviewed in future years.
The purpose of the large parking area is to keep boat-trailers from being parked on local streets. The Town notes that local bylaw enforcement officers will ticket boat trailers and holiday trailers which are parked on town streets, including Main Street – and trailers that remain parked on the street 24 hours after receipt of a ticket could be towed.
D.O. PITCHES-IN FOR EARTH DAY CLEAN-UP
Destination Osoyoos Executive Director Jo Knight and long-time resident Rudi Richter load Richter’s truck for a trip to the dump. Pitch-In photos by Keith Calder
OSS students get ready to tackle the garbage.
DO displayed a Pitch-In Week banner in the BC Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos.
-----------------------------------------
Destination Osoyoos staff members marked the dual occasions of Pitch-In Canada Week (April 19-25) and Earth Day on April 22nd when they joined with local citizens and Osoyoos Secondary School students to clean up the Strawberry Creek area, on the western edge of town. The Strawberry Creek area clean-up was organized by local ‘Garbage Guzzler’ Isla Petreny MacKenzie.
Earlier in the week, Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells along with Town councillors and staff helped with a clean-up of the intersection of Highways 3 and 97, near the recently extended hiking trail leading past the airport to the Osoyoos Desert Centre. Destination Osoyoos is the local community project co-ordinator for Pitch-In Canada Week (April 19-25) and Earth Day falls in the week. 2010 marked the 44th annual Pitch-In Canada Week. The program is the largest environmental improvement campaign in the country, and it is a partnership between governments, the media, industry and the public. More than 3.5 million Canadians – members of thousands of local partner groups – take part in the program each year.
PASSA TEMPO WELCOMES NEW CHEF
Jeremy Luypen
--------------------
With culinary tourism on the rise, highly skilled chefs are important players in any destination’s efforts to attract visitors – and Osoyoos is no exception. Increasingly, local fine-dining establishments are bringing in top-notch chefs to provide first-class culinary fare to go with the wines of the Okanagan.
In preparation for what it expects will be a busy 2010 season, the elegant bistro-style Passa Tempo restaurant in Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort at the NK’MIP Resort in Osoyoos will be going forward under the energetic direction of a new culinary leader.
Owner Paul LaGrange recently announced that Jeremy Luypen has joined Passa Tempo as Executive Chef, bringing a passion for local fresh local foods which fits perfectly with the restaurant’s vision to create the finest wine country dining experience. With a focus on working with local suppliers, creating memorable dining experiences, and complementing the wonderful array of local wines, Chef Luypen will lead Passa Tempo’s kitchen as it delivers memorable dinners, relaxed lunches, and inspired breakfasts.
In the mid-1990s, as an Okanagan College student in Kelowna, Luypen developed his enthusiasm for food and wine. After graduating from Culinary Arts, his early work included Sous Chef at the Okanagan Golf Club and positions throughout western Canada gaining knowledge of Alberta beef and coastal seafood. More recently, Luypen was Executive Chef at Kelowna’s Hotel Eldorado and served as a substitute Culinary Arts instructor at Okanagan College.
Under the new Executive Chef’s direction, Passa Tempo is launching a “Chef’s Table” in May. Available for parties of four to eight people, the table will feature a seven-course dinner paired with the best local wines. Inspired by the daily availability of fresh local ingredients, the table will be a great option for celebrations, events or special evenings.
Passa Tempo is open daily 9 a.m. until late, with dinner 5:30-9:30 p.m. and tapas 3-5:30 p.m. The restaurant also operates the ‘Market at Spirit Ridge’ – adjacent to the Phase 2 outdoor pool and the NK’MIP Conference Centre – offering breakfast, coffees, bistro lunch and more from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days per week.
STEPHEN PAGE TO HEADLINE FESTIVAL
Stephen Page
--------------------
While this will just be the second year for the Osoyoos Celebrity Wine Festival, the star-studded, multi-venue event is already getting bigger and better. Just a few weeks ago, co-sponsors Black Hills Estate Winery and Destination Osoyoos announced the main events planned for the June 10-13 celebrity festival. Now a fun new activity has been added, and a major Canadian music star has been confirmed as the headline entertainment act.
The organizers announced in late April that Steven Page, the co-founder and former frontman of the award-winning Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, will headline the festival. His performance will be the highlight of the Celebrity Wine Auction on Saturday, June 12 – a fundraiser for children’s charities which raised $55,000 last year.
“I always enjoy performing in the Okanagan, and I’m really looking forward to being part of a fun evening of wine, food and music for a good cause,” said Page. Jason Priestley, one of the celebrities involved with the festival, says, “This is an exceptional addition to the Osoyoos Celebrity Wine Festival. His great music, incredible energy and wicked sense of humour are going to make this a weekend that no one will want to miss.”
The organizers also announced a new event to kick off the festival – the ‘Vinos’, the world’s first amateur wine commercial film festival which will let wine enthusiasts compete for cash prizes and wine by producing a 60-second video about their favourite B.C. winery.
Festival spokesman Glenn Fawcett says the Vinos competition will be “a lively, laugh-filled evening that will feel like a spoof of an Oscar’s party right in the middle of Osoyoos.” Jason Priestley adds, “We know there are a lot of people out there who love B.C. wine, so why not grab your friends and a camcorder and make a 60-second video commercial about your favorite B.C. wine or winery? We encourage creative types to have some fun, create some laughs and maybe win a prize.” Twenty-four finalists will be chosen and screened at the June 10 Vinos party – with first prize of $1,500 and three cases of B.C. wine, second prize of $750 and two cases of B.C. wine, and third prize of $250 and one case of B.C. wine. All 24 finalists receive two free tickets to the Vinos party plus one night’s accommodation in Osoyoos during the festival.
The Osoyoos Celebrity Wine Festival is a three-day celebration of food and wine pairing events showcasing regional chefs and winemakers. It lets participants rub shoulders with film and television A-listers while enjoying the region’s best cuisine and wine. So far, the following celebrities have confirmed their attendance: actor Jason Priestley (Beverley Hills 9020, Hollywood & Vines), actor Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek, National Treasure), celebrity chef Ned Bell (Food Network), and Emmy award-winning producer Chad Oakes. Other Hollywood celebrities have been invited along with numerous athletes, chefs and winemakers.
• June 10, 8:00 p.m. at the Watermark Resort – The Vinos, the world’s first wine commercial film festival and contest.
• June 11, 9 a.m.-2:00 p.m. – Ride with a Winemaker (join local winemakers on a bike tour through South Okanagan wine country, with a vineyard picnic lunch and B.C. wine).
• June 11, 6-10 p.m. at Walnut Beach Resort – Osoyoos VIP Reception & Beach Party (includes a silent auction of B.C. wines, musical performances, and a beach party/barbecue).
• June 12, 12 noon-3 p.m. at Black Hills Estate Winery – Nota Bene Release Party (a lunch visiting food and wine pairing stations in a vineyard/winery setting; featuring the cuisine of celebrity chef Ned Bell and the music of Double Magnum).
• June 12, 3:30-5 p.m. at Watermark Beach Resort – ‘Judgment in Osoyoos: the International Wine Showdown’ (a panel will conduct a blind tasting of top B.C. wines head-to-head with the best wines from around the world).
• June 12, 7-11 p.m. at Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort – Osoyoos Celebrity Wine Auction, with proceeds to children’s charities (tasting of South Okanagan wines with appetizers from local restaurants, and bidding on rare wine from Canadian wineries in silent and live auctions; featuring a live performance by Stephen Page).
CONFERENCE PLANNERS TOUR OSOYOOS
Some of the approximately 40 conference planners who visited Osoyoos pose around the sculpture at the BC Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos and take a close look at artifacts like animal pelts and rattlesnake skins. Joining them are Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells (third from right), Osoyoos Desert Society representative Joanne Muirhead (second from right), and DO Executive Director Jo Knight (fourth from right). Photo by Keith Calder
----------------------------------------------
About 40 key meeting, wedding and conference planners from B.C.’s Lower Mainland spent April 26-28 checking out Osoyoos resorts, conference facilities, and other sights and attractions – to get a better sense of what kind of meetings and events they might book into this scenic South Okanagan resort town.
The conference planners, representing a number of companies and organizations that serve clients from Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia, were hosted by the Watermark Beach Resort – with other groups helping out, including Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort, Walnut Beach Resort, and Destination Osoyoos.
The large group received an official welcome to Osoyoos from Mayor Stu Wells and they were greeted at the BC Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos by DO Executive Director Jo Knight. They also heard talks from Joanne Muirhead, of the Osoyoos Desert Society, and Ellen Walker-Matthews, the Consumer Marketing Specialist with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA). The group went on site tours of the three hosting resorts, played a round at the Osoyoos Golf & Country Club, went through the aboriginal displays at the NK’MIP Desert Cultural Centre, and toured five area wineries hosted by Patti Ogden, of Okanagan Wine Country Tours. Destination Osoyoos also provided extensive background information and images of Osoyoos to a member of the group who produces a blog.
“Business-meetings, weddings and conventions is an important target market for Osoyoos, and these key people got an excellent look at each part of our tourism sector,” Knight says.
EDABC CONFERENCE COMES TO TOWN
With its growing number of luxury resorts and first-class conference facilities, Osoyoos is promoting and attracting more and more large business meetings, weddings, conferences, and other events. The latest example of this success is the fact that the Economic Development Association of B.C. (EDABC) will hold its 2010 Annual Conference in the South Okanagan resort community on June 6-8.
The meeting – in the new NK’MIP Conference Centre at Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort, part of the NK’MIP Resort in east Osoyoos – is expected to attract up to 150 delegates and partners from across the province. Scheduled speakers include B.C. Minister of Small Business, Technology & Economic Development Ian Black, federal Trade Commissioner Harvey Rebalkin, and Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie.
Destination Osoyoos Executive Director Jo Knight says the community is “pleased and honoured” to have won a selection process to host the EDABC conference.
This event, along with the hosting of other major conferences last year held by the B.C. Museums Society, the Southern Interior Local Government Association, and other groups, shows that meeting organizers are discovering that Osoyoos is an excellent place to host major events – with its meeting and resort facilities, along with tourism attractions such as wineries, golf courses, First Nations culture, Canada’s only true desert, and its warmest lake. “Osoyoos has world-class conference facilities and looks forward to giving EDABC delegates Canada’s Warmest Welcome,” Knight adds.
JONVIEW FAM TOUR STOPS IN OSOYOOS
Destination Osoyoos recently helped out its larger colleague – the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) – with the local hosting of a familiarization tour for 16 representatives of Jonview, the leading wholesale company for tourism products in Canada. TOTA was co-ordinating the FAM tour to destinations throughout the Thompson Okanagan region.
“It was an excellent FAM tour through our area on April 16th,” DO Executive Director Jo Knight says. Destination Osoyoos hosted at a dinner held at Campo Marina restaurant. “Hosting influential decision-makers like these people is an important part of our overall tourism marketing activities,” she adds.
“We host a number of FAMs each year, ensuring that travel-trade and travel-media representatives get a good look at the many attractive features that make up Canada’s Warmest Welcome in Osoyoos.”
OSOYOOS A&W NAMED BEST IN CANADA
Kim and Byron Gliege operate Canada’s top A&W, in Osoyoos. A&W photo
------------------------------------------
Osoyoos boasts many attractions that are Canadian records – the country’s only true desert, the warmest weather, the warmest lake – and now it also has the Number 1 A&W restaurant in all of Canada.
On April 27, A&W Canada announced that Byron and Kim Gliege are the winners of the 2009 A&W President’s Award for their outstanding Osoyoos restaurant, located just off Main Street not far from the junction of Highways 3 and 97. The award is the highest honour given by the company to any of the 700 A&Ws across Canada.
In a news release, the company says the Glieges have a long history of excellence as A&W franchisees. More than 15 years ago they opened their Osoyoos A&W, and they now co-own six A&Ws in the Okanagan. This is the second time the Glieges have been recognized at this level, having won the same award in 2004 for their A&W in Oliver, just 20 km north of Osoyoos. They are among the few operators who have won the President’s Award more than once.
“We are excited to receive this honour, and would like to thank our staff and loyal customers for helping us to achieve this award and for their commitment to excellence,” Byron Gliege says.
A&W CEO Paul Hollands says, “Byron, Kim and the entire team in Osoyoos show the highest commitment to food quality, customer service and operations excellence.” A vigorous process, including visits to finalists by a review panel including Hollands, determines the award winner on a number of criteria, including customer service and business success.
Send to a friend
