Central Okanagan Heritage Society

12/04/2023

Wow! Such great music & storytelling at Benvoulin today 🎄. ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

12/02/2023

Don't miss Anna Jacyszyn and her band at the Benvoulin Heritage Church on December 23rd! There will be two concerts!

Tickets are limited!

These fabulous concerts will sell out- so don't miss your chance.

Email [email protected] for more information or to purchase tickets.

12/02/2023

Christmas at Benvoulin this Sunday. What a great way to embrace the Christmas spirit🎄. ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

11/28/2023

Don't miss Christmas at Benvoulin this Sunday, December 3rd in the beautiful Benvoulin Heritage Church. The Okanagan vocal Harmony will be performing seasonal songs and Shelia Dyer will share a new story. The program starts at 2pm, with doors open at 1:30pm. Admission is by cash donation which will be used towards the maintenance of the Benvoulin Heritage Park.
Admission is by donation- which will help maintain this beautiful historic venue.

11/28/2023

Do you know of a person, building, or project that would be deserving of recognition through a COHS Heritage Award? If so, please send a nomination (including photos and a description of why the person, building or project is a good candidate for a heritage award). The deadline is this Thursday, November 30th!
Please email: [email protected]

11/24/2023

We are excited to share with the community this year's Christmas at Benvoulin on December 3rd in the beautiful Benvoulin Heritage Church. The Okanagan vocal Harmony will be performing seasonal songs and Shelia Dyer will share a new story.

The program starts at 2pm with seasonal goodies to follow in the Reid Hall. Seating is limited. Admission is by donation- which will help maintain this beautiful historic venue.

11/18/2023

The Central Okanagan Heritage Society is inviting nominations for our Annual Heritage Awards to be presented during Heritage Week, February 19 - 25, 2024.

We are interested in receiving nominations for buildings, people, and projects within the geographic boundaries of the Central Okanagan region in the following categories:
Distinguished Community Service
Conservation project on a heritage building currently in non-residential use
Conservation project on a heritage building currently in residential use
Continued conservation of a heritage building
Preservation or restoration of a neighborhood or area
Special Heritage Project

Please submit your nominations by November 30th, 2023
For more information or to submit a nomination, please email: [email protected]

11/17/2023

We are very excited that Anna Jacyszyn and her band will be at the Benvoulin Heritage Church on December 23rd for two concerts!

Tickets are limited!

These fabulous concerts will sell out- so don't miss your chance.

11/17/2023

Please take the time to take the city survey! Share your opinion on the guidelines for the Abbott and Marshall Streets Heritage Conservation Areas!

The City is in the process of completing a review of Kelowna's Heritage Conservation Areas (HCA and is looking for feedback.

11/17/2023

We are excited to share with the community this year's Christmas at Benvoulin on December 3rd in the beautiful Benvoulin Heritage Church. The Okanagan vocal Harmony will be performing seasonal songs and Shelia Dyer will share a new story.

11/01/2023

So excited that Jillian Harris used the beautiful Benvoulin Heritage Church for her family Halloween photo this year!

“I solemnly swear that [we are] up to no good.” 🧙‍♀️ 🪄

This is our 8th consecutive year of family-themed Halloween costumes (and it almost didn’t happen 😳🥵). A huge shoutout to for working with us again this year and helping with a super quick turnaround. If you’re looking for costumes or to get a head start on next years Halloween visit the link in bio for 15% off 🎃 👻 ☠️ Happy Halloween everyone!!

10/21/2023

Get your tickets for the Rick ‘Poppa Dawg’ Halisheff and Sherman ‘Tank’ Doucette concert on Friday October 27, 2023. This will be a great concert that you do not want to miss!

To purchase tickets, please email the COHS office at [email protected] or call the office at 250-861-7188. Tickets are $25 each. Tickets will not be available at the door.

For more information, check out the COHS website: https://okheritagesociety.com

10/17/2023

Two Okanagan blues musicians, Rick ‘Poppa Dawg’ Halisheff and Sherman ‘Tank’ Doucette, will be performing at the Benvoulin Church on Friday October 27, 2023. This is a fundraising concert for COHS.

To purchase tickets, please email the COHS office at [email protected] or call the office at 250-861-7188. Tickets will not be available at the door.

For more information, check out the COHS website: https://okheritagesociety.com

09/25/2023

Thank you Coralee for a fascinating tour of Sncewips Museum. We still have so much to learn ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

09/24/2023

A huge Thank You to the KCS students for helping us out at Benvoulin last week. Always so much fun working together 😃. ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

09/21/2023

Benvoulin Heritage Church about 1915, back when it was first known as the Bethel Presbyterian Church. To find out more about the history of this very special place, check out the Virtual Museums of Canada Community Stories: https://www.communitystories.ca/v1/pm_v2.php?id=exhibit_home&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000815

09/07/2023

‘Meta’ won’t let COHS share this ad for an Administrative Assistant 😳. Please go to Castanet to get all the info 👍. Great opportunity awaits. ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

09/05/2023

Had the wrong email on this mornings post 😳 should be. [email protected] 👍. ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

09/05/2023

Celebrate Fall by joining Sean Bray Sept 15th…. What a great way to start our Fall Concert Series 🎼 🎶 ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

08/21/2023

Join us on Sept. 15th for an evening with Sean Bray. What a wonderful way to begin our concert series at Benvoulin 🎼 🎶. ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

08/12/2023

Thank you Percy for this lovely photo… this Pinacle Hydrangea is huge 🤣👍.

08/03/2023

We Have Moved! 😅 Our office is now located at….
#403-1630 Pandosy St (in the offices of Ferguson Surveying & Geomatics) ☎️ # (250)861-7188. okheritagesociety.com. ,,,,,,.ubco,.ubco,,,,,,

07/27/2023

Courtesy of Westbank Museum & Visitor Centre

Throwback Thursday:

This week we are going back to this undated photo of when somebody let the sheep out somewhere in Westbank!

07/27/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

The Kill Kare Kottage was a tea house located on Manhattan Beach (Manhattan Point) that was run by Mrs. F. R. E. DeHart. Here is a mention of of the tea house from a 1910 copy of the Orchard City Record - "The members of the Young Ladies' Auxiliary in connection with the Knox church have arranged a pleasant little outing for this afternoon (Thursday). Afternoon tea is to be served in Kill Kare Kottage on Manhattan beach, kindly placed at their disposal by Mrs. F. R. E. DeHart. Several launches have been chartered to carry visitors to the beach, and a charge of fifteen cents will cover the trip." Image from item for sale on ebay.ca

07/26/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

Westbank postcard from 1998. Image from item for sale on ebay.ca

07/22/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

Thanks to Dale Celeste Bazzana for sharing this great old Kelowna family photo with our group! Dale commented "1940s, my grandpa, John Schneider, with one of his logging trucks in front of the Ford dealership."

07/20/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

1912 photo of the British North American To***co Company building in Kelowna. The historic place is the three-story brick Old Cannery building, built in 1912 in Edwardian Commercial style at 1280-1298 Ellis Street in Kelowna's Inner City adjacent to the Downtown area. The central three-story brick portion was later extended with a one-story wood wing to the south and a two-story brick wing to the north.
The three-story central brick portion was built in 1912 as the handsome premises of the ambitious British North American To***co Company. This company had been started in 1910, with a capitalization of $500,000, mostly British investment. It had the intention of making ci**rs from Kelowna-grown to***co in a large way. The building was handy to the CPR yards. It was constructed for heavy use, the floors made of 2-by-6 planks laid on edge and spiked together (called "mill-work" construction). The cigar factory was located on the second floor, while the first and third floors were used for storage. The factory had the capacity to turn out 25 million ci**rs a year. However, it never achieved more than 800,000 at peak production, and by the end of 1913 unwise land contracts coupled with embezzlement by an officer of the company combined to bring BNATCO (and the local farmers who had planted five hundred acres of to***co for the company) crashing down. By May 1914 the company was in liquidation.
The buildings were sold to the Cannery Group in 1971, which remodeled the old cigar factory and north extension as a nightclub. This has gone through numerous name changes: Bernie's Supper Club, the North Forty, Changes (noted for live music and a "biker" image), the Casbah, Flashbacks and it is now the location of BNA Brewing Co. - Eatery. The south building was refurbished as a row of small shops, though its original function is still easily seen in the raised front loading level of the old cannery.

07/16/2023

Kelowna's Orchard Park Shopping Centre as it readied for its opening. Orchard Park opened September 28, 1971 on a former orchard. The original mall layout included anchors Sears and The Bay (although The Bay was not completed until 1972) and a corridor of 35 smaller stores. Image from the first edition of the 1975 book Kelowna - A Pictorial History, published by the Kelowna Centennial Museum.

07/16/2023

The Okanagan Game Farm in Kaleden was a popular family destination for many Kelowna residents over the years. It was open from 1967-1999. Postcard image from delcampe.net. Any favourite memories or stories of visits to see the the animals?

07/14/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

The foot of Bernard Ave showing the Paramount Theatre, Seven Seas Restaurant, Fields Department Store, Hollywood on Top and the Sails in downtown Kelowna. Early 1990's postcard for sale on delcampe.net.

07/12/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

Barbara Schmidt shared a large number of wonderful old Kelowna photos and postcards with our group a while back. The first image is this shot of the old Post Office at 478 Bernard Avenue, taken from the service station across the street. Thank you Barbara for taking the time and effort to scan and send along all these great memories!

07/12/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

A Kelowna landmark since the 1940's the Shady Rest British Fish & Chip Shop.

07/09/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

Fred Fleck shared this postcard view from the late 1950s - early 1960s showing the Kelowna Aquatic buildings and Ogopogo Stadium as seen from the Park side. Thanks for sharing Fred!

07/09/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

This is what lining up for the ferry (on the Kelowna side of the lake) looked liked in the 1940s.

07/05/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

Thanks to Kelly Weninger Reynolds for sharing this post of Bernard Avenue with our group. Hand tinted postcard image is from the early 1950s.

07/03/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

Thanks as always to Steven James for sharing this 1955 old Kelowna postcard showing City Hall and the Court House with us! Photo taken from the end of the ferry dock.

07/02/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

Thanks to Kathleen Sproule Carlow for her recent share of this great aerial photo with our group. Wood Lake to right and Kalamalka Lake on the left.

07/02/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

1915 photo of the Okanagan Fruit Union Ltd. company building and the packinghouse located at the Peachland wharf. According to the Peachland Museum " The derelict packinghouse burned to the ground in 1979. Peachland called for assistance from the fire departments in Kelowna, Summerland and Westbank. The whole town cheered the next day upon hearing that the old eyesore had gone up in smoke. Arson was strongly suspected but never proven. Many Peachlanders wanted to take credit for burning the old eyesore down but no one was ever charged. "

06/30/2023

Courtesy of Old Kelowna

The channel between Kalamalka Lake and Wood Lake at Oyama. vintage 1960's postcard image on delcampe.net.