Lots to do in the South Okanagan this long weekend

PENTICTON – The arts are taking centre stage in Summerland with the Ryga Arts Festival over the Labour Day weekend.

Start the weekend with a visit to Gyro Park and this week’s instalment of the Rock the Sun concert series tonight, Aug. 31. This evening’s entertainment will be provided by folk, roots and soul singer/songwriter Brent Tyler from Calgary. The free, family-friendly event begins at 7 p.m.

The 1967 George Ryga drama, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe was written in Summerland and returns to Centre Stage Theatre in Summerland with a concert version tonight, Aug. 31. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door.

The Drift Union Matsuri Weekend takes place at the Penticton Speedway Saturday and Sunday. Races start at 3 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday.

The Penticton Farmers' Market happens again on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the 100 block of Main Street. The Penticton Downtown Community Market is also on Saturday on Main Street from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat at the Summerland Arts Centre on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to hear about the history of traditional songs of British Columbia. Jon and Rika have spent 40 years gathering, recording and writing about B.C. ballads, sea shanties, logging and mining songs. The two are also founders of the annual traditional music festival in Princeton. The event is part of Summerland's Ryga Arts Festival, which runs until Sept 2.

Theatre Trails Guided Tours is an event inspired by Summerland’s Bead Trails and Bottleneck Drive’s Wine Trail. The Ryga Festival’s Theatre Trail is a guided tour to five performances taking place at pop-up venues in Summerland. The tour gets underway Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and you are asked to meet at 9533 Main St. in downtown Summerland.

The Dream Cafe presents Tiger Moon at Friday, followed by the Steve Kozak Band on Saturday. The doors open at 6 p.m. and showtime is 8 p.m. both nights.

The Barley Mill Pub presents Karaoke on the Patio today from 9 p.m. until midnight.

The National Geographic Photo Ark is on display at Liquidity Wines, 4720 Allendale Rd. in Okanagan Falls today through Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The photo ark is a project that attempts to document every species in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. For more information see the Liquidity Wines website here.

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