The bears came out of the woods, as well as dragons, dogs and more to Keremeos' Grist Mill on July 12.
The annual Teddy Bear Picnic brought fuzzy friends of all shapes and sizes out to enjoy an afternoon in the sun and shade.
"This has certainly grown into one of our favourite events," said Chris Mathieson, general manager of the heritage site. "It's so sweet and so pure and just so wonderful to watch families use the space and relax, and it's very different than the bustling activities that we do a lot of the rest of the time."
The picnic saw a solid turnout, however, with temperatures warming to 35 C, a number of families did pack up after lunch and the storytelling session under the chestnut tree.
Many of the families that came were locals, while some came down from as far away as Kelowna and Summerland for the afternoon.
The Grist Mill Foundation's volunteers had hand-made teddy bears available for anyone who didn't bring one, or for kids who wanted to add a few new friends, with the proceeds going back to support the site.
In addition to the story-telling, featuring a book all about the bear 香蕉视频直播� and bare 香蕉视频直播� behinds you can find at the zoo, there were plenty of other games and crafts for the kids to enjoy, as well as booths set up by groups like Wildsafe, and there was the always-popular clinic for the stuffed animals.
The teddy bear hospital's volunteers had a steady stream of customers through the afternoon, treating more minor boo-boos with a band-aid or little cloth sling as well as fielding more serious injuries, like reattaching the tail onto a 40-year-old puppy or doing emergency work to avoid having to amputate a teddy bear's leg.
That 40-year-old puppy wasn't even the oldest stuffed companion to attend this year's picnic. That instead went to a 73-year-old stuffed teddy bear that had been passed down multiple generations.
Although there aren't any summer camps planned at the Grist Mill this year, they are bringing back their Enchanted Garden Tea Party on Aug. 2.
"We've invested heavily in edible glitter this year," Mathieson said with a laugh. "It could be a little chaotic, but hopefully in the best way possible. We even have a unicorn showing up that evening."
Events like the tea party and the picnic are just a few of the ways that the Grist Mill is working to keep people coming to the site beyond just learning about its history.
"Places like this don't stay close to somebody's heart if you just cast them in amber and never do anything and don't make new memories," said Mathieson.
One of the ways the Grist Mill plans to keep people talking about it is with its growing summer concert series. The upcoming Barney Bentall show on July 19 is expected to be the biggest yet, with 400 people anticipated.
The Grist Mill had to reach out and get Osoyoos to loan their bus for the night, because the parking lot at the site won't have nearly enough capacity. There are still some tickets available online on the Grist Mill's website for people interested in going.
