Party for KVR's 100th

Photo: Contributed - Penticton Museum & Archives

Almost a century to the day, Penticton residents will gather to celebrate the first official trains arriving in the city.

The city's Museum & Archives is hosting a free centennial birthday event in Gyro Park on May 30, a few steps from where that May 31, 1915 arrival took place.

“We are inviting all of Penticton to come and celebrate," said museum manager/curator Dennis Oomen. “We’ll feature local entertainers such as Anne and Dave Ramey, Aiden Mayes and Mandy Cole, Sax Among Friends and the Kettle Valley Brakemen. In between, there will be storytellers, birthday cake and more surprises. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy the event.”

According to Oomen, those first Kettle Valley Railway passenger trains operated over the line to Penticton. One was from Merritt and one was from Midway. At the time, more than half of the city's 3,000 citizens were on hand to greet them.

Following that afternoon arrival, there was an evening banquet at the Incola Hotel.

On Saturday, Peach City Community Radio will be recording a podcast of the celebration as a heritage legacy.

The non-profit station has recently been awarded an FM broadcast license and expects to be on the air this winter.

This celebration is very meaningful,” said Peach City Radio’s Craig Henderson, host of the Steamfest in the Park event. “The railway linked our city with the rest of Canada and coastal B.C. Over the decades, the KVR played an influential role in the development of key industries, such as fruit farming and forestry. The railway provided passenger service for half-a-century, connecting families in rural centres, sending young adults to higher education and bringing soldiers home from distant conflict."

Henderson added that Chief engineer Andrew McCulloch worked against all odds — deep canyons, weather deadlines, politics — to construct a railway through some of the continent’s toughest terrain.

The music and party begins at 1 p.m. at Gyro Park’s bandshell and the Kettle Valley Brakemen headline the show beginning at 4 p.m. 

On May 31, the Kettle Valley Steam Railway in Summerland will host special celebratory train trips to mark the Centennial.

Tickets will be available during the Gyro Park event. 

Steamfest in the Park is presented by the museum, Peach City Community Radio and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

For a schedule of performers and more information on the May 30 event, go to www.peachcityradio.org/events/steamfest/.