Vernon

The First Annual Vernon Community Expo was held Saturday at the Wesbild Center. While crowds trickled in throughout the day, it wasn’t entirely the few thousand organizers were expecting.

Photo: Amy Jackson-Shelling

Organizers hoped for bigger crowds at Vernon's 1st Annual Community Expo.

"It’s been a little slower than we expected,” says Patricia Szeliga from Nature’s Fare Markets.

“I think the initial issue might’ve been the fact they weren’t sure where the locale was going to be. In the advertising it wasn’t stipulated where it was going to be. We had bag stuffers advertising the event but it didn’t say the location. So that might be something for next year that can be added to the marketing.”

“But other than that, people seem to be enthusiastic about it and it’s been fun for us,” says Laurie Yakelashek, from Nature’s Fare Markets.

“There are businesses here we didn’t know existed so for us it’s enlightening as well.”

Over 100 community businesses and organizations participated in the event, including Dr. Shelby Etner from Okanagan Natural Medicine gave a talk on the recently publicized ‘wheat belly’.

One big drawing card that drew families to the event was the entertainment stage where Juno award winning children's entertainers from Tree house television show Bobs and Lolo performed.

Other local entertainers such as Some Other Time – A Cappella Quartet serenaded the crowds as they made their way through the doors.