Penticton and South Okanagan

By Ragnar Haagen

Hundreds of people turned out this afternoon for the 16th annual Festival of the Grape at the Oliver Community Centre.
It was put on by the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce and included over 50 wineries, food vendors,  an art show and of course the legendary Grape Stomp.

Competitive teams of three raced to see who could stomp the most grapes and fill up their buckets with the liquid. The buckets were then weighed and the team with the most “wine” won. Prizes were handed out to each team, consisting of a bottle of wine and some gift certificates.

Music was provided throughout the day by Dehli 2 Dublin, a group from Vancouver that plays a mix of Bhangra and Celtic influenced tunes.

The day was truly for everyone as a Kid’s Zone dominated part of the festivities off to one side that featured climbing equipment, face painting and their own grape stomp area for the children to demonstrate their skills.

Festival organizers say the day was a huge success and they’re thrilled to be continuing the tradition into the future.

Watch for a complete story on the Grape Festival tomorrow.