City Park

The lakeshore in Kelowna’s City Park is remarkably quiet today, in comparison to earlier times. The north-facing beach was the first location of Lequime’s wharf and warehouse, and the location of the town’s earliest Regattas. With the construction of the first Okanagan Lake Bridge, water patterns changed and the sand from this beach was pushed northward to Manhattan Beach. The point of land farther along the waterfront was the location of the Aquatic Centre, the Ogopogo Stadium, the Athans Diving Tower and an open water swimming pool. Today, an old building, some pilings and a small wharf are all that remain of Kelowna’s once bustling and vibrant summer gathering place. The area is accessible via the walkway at the foot of Bernard Avenue. | Stuart Kernaghan, xyphotos.ca