Campers might want to take a tarp, but the long weekend weather bodes well for events in and around the city.
While the outlook calls for a chance of showers Saturday and a risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon, Sunday’s forecast is for cloudy and warm.
That means Canada Day festivities should attract 10,000 people or more to the park for the combined celebration of Canada Day (at noon), Folkfest (11 a.m.-6 p.m.) and Art in the Park (9 a.m.-6 p.m.)
On top of those attractions, people can enjoy the third annual Kamloops Idol contest (5-7 p.m.), evening entertainment at the bandshell (7-10 p.m.) and the lumiere parade preceding fireworks at 10:30 p.m.
There’s more in store in the region. Sun Peaks Resort begins its summer calendar with a weekend full of fun outdoor activities, including Jo’s Road Race, the Mountain of Beer Chili Cook-Off, musical performances and its Sunday Farmers Market.
The road race, in its 10th year, is a festive three-kilometre walk and a five- or 10-km run through the resort today. A children’s fun run begins at 9:45 a.m. for early risers.
It’s the 20th annual Cowboy Action Shooting event at Palmer’s Gulch all through the weekend. Watch the black-powder gang recreating the look, sound and feel of the old West.
There are indoor events as well. Mainstage 2012 is in full swing with award-winning community theatre productions at Sagebrush Theatre and a host of other activities. For details, see tbc.mainstage.ca. The festival continues through the week.
Kamloops Art Gallery, meanwhile, opens its summer exhibitions, Re-story: Works from the Permanent Collection in the main gallery and Emily Hope’s The Wild Man Appreciation Society in The Cube. The gallery’s summer art camps for children get under way Monday.
Monday’s forecast is the brightest of the weekend, calling for clear skies and high of 28C. That’s an ideal entry for Music in the Park, which begins two months of free, nightly concerts at the Riverside Park Bandshell. Kamloops own Kate Morgan takes the stage Monday at 7 p.m.
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FORGET ABOUT PARKING NEAR THE PARK
You stand a better chance of winning the lottery than finding a parking space anywhere near Riverside Park on Canada Day.
Between flooding, which has closed some parking areas, road construction and groups setting up early in the morning, parking will be next to impossible to find near the park on July 1.
The City is offering free bus service for the day, along with a shuttle that will take passengers from the Lansdowne transit exchange to the park in a regular circuit.
Flood control measures mean the beach will be off limits and that will make some areas more crowded than usual. Art in the Park booths are being moved over toward the Interior Savings Centre plaza, as is the Kamloops Idol competition.
One thing that remains the same this year is that fireworks are being launched from the Tk’emlups Indian band property across the river.
