Photo: David Wylie

Residents in the Lake Avenue Beach area are hoping to help the picturesque slice of sand make a clean break from its more infamous past.

About 100 people gathered Saturday to beautify the park.

They planted more than 100 native plants and painted trees funky neon colours. The group also tidied up the area.

Julie Cancela, one of the organizers with the Lake Avenue Residents Group, said they want people to come and use the park — but in a respectful way. 

She said people are openly drinking, using drugs and smoking, which is stopping others from enjoying the area.

“If you just let it happen, if you accept it, it will continue,” she said. “We don’t accept it.”

Lake Avenue Beach is located near downtown Kelowna. The group said thousands of people walk through it on many summer days, and it’s important that the park puts its best foot forward.

Dayna Margetts, another member of the residents group, was covered in paint from the family friendly event.

“This is the first time we’ve seen kids on this beach,” she said. “Often people just go through as fast as they can because of the stuff that’s going on.”

The group got some help from the City of Kelowna through two grants, the Partners in Parks grant and Strong Neighbourhoods grant — worth a total of $11,000.

They’ve also installed pay parking so people don’t park at the beach all day and sell drugs or drink. There’s now a dog walking trail nearby and they’ve also added a Porta Potty.

“Our neighbourhood has invested in making this a place that all of Kelowna can use.”

Recently, a group that refers to the beach instead as Mushroom Beach staged its own cleanup.

A Castanet poll asking whether the beach is called Lake Avenue Beach or Mushroom Beach found the majority referred to it as Lake Avenue Beach.