Buying or Selling in the Kelowna Area

Whether you are looking at Kelowna as a place for investments, a vacation spot or to make it your home, it will be a place you will want to come back to or live for the rest of your life. Not very many people who come to Kelowna or live in Kelowna ever want to go elsewhere. The people who live here say it is the "best city in the world". Everyone you talk to loves it here, they are so welcoming, friendly and helpful it is hard to believe that you can find that my friendly people in one place.

There are many great places to live in or around Kelowna. What you will have to decide is do you want prime real estate that is right on the water, or would you like a nice home nestled on a hill overlooking a vineyard, the Okanagan Lake or the city of Kelowna? Could it be a condo on one of the many golf courses here or would you like an acreage outside of Kelowna?

Whatever your decision may be, it is important that you find the best real estate suited for your needs. Hire a knowledgeable Kelowna Realtor. It will make the entire process so much smoother if you have a real estate agent that knows what they are doing and is willing to work for "you" to get "you" the best price.

Fund Raising Tournament is Back

Last year was to be the final tournament that has raised $500,000.00 for the Kelowna General Hospital over the past 10 years. But it is back this year by popular demand! The popular tennis and bocce ball tournament will be held again this year at the lakeside home of Walley and Marietta Lightbody on Abbott Street across from the hospital. 

Starting September 14th the Lightbody's home will become the headquarters for the weekend fund raising sports event. They will erect stands that will hold 200 spectators on their front lawn. Highlights include matches between local doctors and lawyers, and some of the province's best tennis players are expected to attend. The plans also call for a dinner, silent auction and raffle, with a performance by singer Anna Jacyszyn. 

Proceeds from this year's event will be used to purchase a cardiac and respiratory monitors for the pediatric ward at Kelowna General Hospital. The units each cost $22,000.00

Registration for the tournament's opening events, dinner and competition can be done online at kghfoundation.com or by calling 250.862.4438

Not even in Canada

Target stores haven't even opened in Canada but they are hold a beach party! Today, from 9 am - 6 pm the beach party will be held at Kin Beach in Vernon. Target will hold the Bullseye Beach Event in keeping with it's red bullseye logo and signage.

Head down to Kin Beach for some beach volleyball, ring toss, sandcastle building competitions. There will also be an ice cream and juice lounge and a Bullseye Beach Shop. Target is holding four other similar events in Alberta and Ontario before it's big time launch into Canada.

Harvest Time in the Okanagan

Okanagan is the place to be in late summer if you like fruit. The plums, peaches nectarines, apricots and what is left of the cherries are being picked and ready to eat! The apples and pears are coming. The hot dry July and August weather is producing bigger and better apples and late season cherries. 

Apples are the Okanagan's largest tree fruit crop coming in at around 200 million pounds, cherries come in with around eight million pounds, while peaches come in at around three million pounds and nectarines are around seven hundred thousand pounds. It is no surprise that apples are the biggest cash crop, they were  first planted here 153 years ago by the first white settler Father Pandosy and have been grown ever since. With the Okanagan's hot dry summers, mild winters the weather is perfect for growing apple trees. When you are out and about stop by one of the many fruit stands you will come across and pick up some fresh picked fruit!

Medieval Fair

What are you doing on Saturday? If you have nothing planned then why not head to Camelot Vineyards as they will be hosting their third annual medieval fair this Saturday August 25th from 11 am to 4 pm. All ages are welcome. There is a charge for teens of $5, adult admission is $10 but that includes a glass of wine! And kids under 12 get in for free.

Camelot promises there will be sword fights, artisans, archery and general revelry. You will be able to purchase a lunch if you get hungry and free bottled water will be provided. Camelot Vineyards is located on East Kelowna Road.

Scammers at it Again in Central Okanagan

If you have people coming to your door looking for donations, be careful as scammers are out there claiming to be canvassers for a children's charity. I guess they feel if they use children, everyone is more likely to give. But what they are really doing is trolling for your personal information, say police. 

These people are showing up on your doorstep and claiming to be canvassing on behalf of UNICEF. They will tell you that you can only donate via debit card or credit card as they are carrying a portable card machine. Police suspect the machine is then capturing your financial information, including your personal identity number (P.I.N.). They are then using that information to make fraudulent cards and withdrawing money or buy things with the fake cards.

In some cases, the scammers will give you a realistic receipt and a Starbucks coffee after the exchange. The scammers may use other charities as well. If you are suspicious, politely decline their request for a donation close your door and report it to the police.

The Hard Luck Hoax

The hard luck hoax is back in Kelowna. The Kelowna RCMP are warning the public about people who want your hard earned money. The RCMP have received at least half a dozen calls of the hard luck hoax. What it is basically is a man approaches the potential victim and asks for money as he is having car troubles and needs to have his car towed. All of which is not true, they are just trying to get money from you. In some cases the suspect has offered to exchange a $100 US bill for $40 Canadian. The exchange is never made, as the suspect snags the cash and runs.

Several descriptions have been provided to police and it seems that there are at least three people involved in the scam. The suspects have even dressed up in hard hats or high visibility vests and carried jumper cables. This is not the first time these scam has been in Kelowna this summer so please be aware.

Apple Triathlon is this Weekend

The apple triathlon is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this weekend here in Kelowna. Due to the London Olympics there will be no Simon Whitfield, Paula Findlay, Kyle Jones or Kathy Tremblay. But this event will have a new cast of hopeful Olympians. For the first time the 2012 Kelowna Apple Triathlon will host a new race specifically geared to assist the development of potential future Olympians. This is a U16 race and will be held Saturday morning. If you are looking for something to do why not head down and take in the race.


Voted Best Triathlon in Western Canada!
Over 1500 readers of Get Out There Magazine voted for their favorite events and selected the Pushor Mitchell Kelowna Apple Triathlon as the best triathlon in Western Canada. 

But before you head down you might want to check out the road closures and parking. Below is a listing of the Road Closures/Detours for the 2012 Kelowna Apple Triathlon. Alternatively, please download the Road Closure list at http://www.appletriathlon.com/2012roadclosures.pdf.

Bats and more Bats

In the warm water around Peachland, you can expect to swim with the bats, not baseball bats, but real live bats. Apparently at dusk the little creatures head down to the water and fly close to the surface to gobble up the mosquitoes. It is the first thing many of them do every evening after leaving their roost in the 6,600 square foot attic they call home. The attic is located in century old Peachland school house on Beach Avenue. There is a nightly departure of an estimated 3,000 bats, the bats don't all fly out at once but it is quite a spectacle for the locals and tourists. This ritual of nature is currently taking place between 8-9 pm. 

The visitors information centre says it has definitely become a tourist attraction. Every Tuesday at 3 pm for the rest of the summer they have a Bat Chat taking people on tours of the old school house, letting them have a look at the slumbering colony via closed circuit cameras. So if you are looking for something to do with the kids or just yourself head down to Peachland at dusk to watch the bats. Or Tuesday afternoon for Bat Chat!

Hardy Falls

Hardy Falls Regional Park is now open after having seven of it's eight bridge crossings completely rebuilt. The old bridges crossing Peachland/Deep Creek were originally installed in 1996. This six hectare regional park is just off Highway 97 south of Peachland. This park is great for picnics and hiking. The highlight of this park is the falls which is a relatively short walk in.
In the fall, you can watch the kokanee salmon swim up stream to spawn, but be on the lookout for bears as they are there fishing for dinner!

Need Something to do Today?

It is a beautiful day out today, are you looking for something to do? Why not pack a picnic basket and head to Vernon. Silver Star Mountain's is in full bloom with colorful wildflowers. With the two wetter than normal springs and early summer it has created a the lushest display ever. The slopes this year are full of tall white cow parsnips and blue lupines. There is also a great display of red Indian paintbrush, bi-colored columbines and mauve mountain daisies and the tall deep purple monks hood delphiniums are just starting to bloom. So head up to Silver Star Mountain and check it.

Home Maintenance

This month maintaining grout/caulking and sink drains:

Clean and Replace Grout and Caulk
Inspect the grout in tiled areas of your home, particularly in bathrooms and the kitchen. If grout is cracked or missing, remove and replace it in the affected areas. Grout should be cleaned regularly, particularly if it comes into contact with moisture, to keep it free from stains and mold. Use an old toothbrush and one of these cleaning products: TSP, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, bleach or grout cleaning solutions. Inspect the seal around sinks, showers and tubs and re-caulk any spots where caulk has cracked or separated.
Use a silicone tub and tile caulk.

Clean Sink Drains
If you’ve got a slow-draining sink, take action. First, try a homemade drain cleaner. Mix a solution of equal parts of salt, baking soda and vinegar. Pour it into the drain and chase it down with two quarts of boiling water. You can use this solution monthly. Try to avoid chemical drain cleaners; they can damage the pipes and create toxic exposure for you and your family.