iN VIDEO: Iconic Penticton sign gets fresh paint job

The giant letters on a mountainside in Penticton that spell out the city’s name got a fresh coat of paint at the end of May.

“So far people love it, they love the refresh and everybody is remembering when they used to come here as children with their families,” said Anna Melmick with the communications department for the City of Penticton. 

“It’s an iconic landmark, imprinted in everyone’s mind now.”

It took nearly 200 gallons of paint to make the sign bright white again.

Located on Munson Mountain, the sign was constructed out of pebbles in 1937 as a symbol of civic pride which has been maintained by volunteer groups since, according to Canada’s Historic Places.

Between 1972 and 1983, volunteers hauled 44,000 pounds of silica rock to the site. In 1998, concrete was laid down and silica imbedded in it.

The letters are taller than those in the famous Hollywood sign measuring 16.5 metres high and 94 metres wide, and can be seen from Highway 97, and from the Kettle Valley Railway right-of-way on the West Bench.

Munson Mountain is a prominent hill located on the North Bench and a hiking destination offering panoramic views of the city and Okanagan Lake. Famous for the sign, in 2016, Munson Mountain was recognized as being one of Canada’s Historic Places. 

“We see it when we’re out boat floating or cruising on the water,” longtime Penticton resident Wendy Anderson Woods said. “Generally, every start of a new summer, we get a Penticton sign picture and send it off to some of our family just to be sure to remind them of how great it is here.”