Saturday in downtown Vernon saw the likes of Pac-Man and Mario mingle with stunning visualizations of games new and old, from Scrabble and Monopoly to Minecraft and Guitar Hero.
The theme for the 64th Vernon Winter Carnival is games, and you couldn’t miss it if you took in the annual parade that drew thousands out to the sidewalks starting at noon Feb. 3.
This year’s parade began with the One-Miler Race, which saw participants take off from the start of the parade route and race one mile along the route, signalling to onlookers that the decked-out floats and costumes were just around the corner.
A number of dignitaries took part in the parade, most notably B.C. Premier David Eby, who is the first premier in nearly 50 years to attend the Winter Carnival, his staff said on Friday. Eby took part on the parade by foot, walking alongside Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu handing out candy to the kids.
The kids seemed more excited about the candy than meeting the premier, but to be fair to Eby, it’s a high bar to clear to be sweeter than candy in the eyes of kids at a parade.
Vernon enjoyed a beautiful above-zero day for the parade with no precipitation, and the many groups that took part in the parade wowed the crowd with their game-inspired float designs.
Ginny and Lyle Enns took in the parade as it came down 30th Avenue. The two have lived in Vernon “forever” and make it out to the parade most years, and they were very impressed by this year’s parade.
“It was great, some of the floats were excellent, especially the (Vernon Elks Lodge # 45) beer pong one,” said Ginny. “The pipers were excellent, the little kids were so good, and the runners at the beginning, they were really good.”
The parade may be over, but the Winter Carnival is playing on until Feb. 11. Don’t miss any of the fun; head to vernonwintercarnival.com/events/ for the full slate of events to come.
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