It was an action-packed party 10 years in the making.
Thousands of locals and tourists alike took in the Penticton Scottish Festival on Saturday (July 5), marking one decade of the annual event inside King's Park.
This year's fun included Highland games, medieval fighting demonstrations, pipe band performances, a kids' zone, and even a dog agility competition.
"It's beautiful to see people of different cultures coming here to celebrate the Scottish and Celtic culture," Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield said ahead of the festival's opening ceremony, led by the Summerland Pipe Band. "That's what this community is all about...the blending of cultures and recognizing that we come from different places."
Bloomfield was joined at the event by Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee, Penticton Indian Band Chief Greg Gabriel and Penticton City Coun. Campbell Watt, who was born in Scotland.
Saturday's action was spread out across the King's Park sports fields. Caber and sheaf tossing, Highland dancing, and haggis hurling were among the returning events.
Tim Gladish, president of the Penticton Scottish Festival Society, said he was thrilled to also welcome back groups to the festival that hadn't appeared in multiple years.
Among them included the South Okanagan-based Desert Dog Agility Club 香蕉视频直播� which hosted an agility challenge for its four-legged friends 香蕉视频直播� and the Shire of Danescombe, a group of Penticton and Kelowna residents who performed live demonstrations of armoured fighting.
Gladish also gave thanks to the more than 100 volunteers who helped make the event a reality for the 10th time. He estimated Saturday's attendance will be more than 2,000 people when the final count is made.
"For a festival like this to go on we need many hands year-round," Gladish added. "We need more people to step up and help in a small way so we can continue to do this."
The event was set to wrap up with closing ceremonies and band awards, starting at 4:30 p.m.
