As Kelowna becomes the centre of gravity, it‘s preparing for everything - and every one - that will be drawn in. During the busy August long weekend, Kelowna will play host to Center of Gravity, a sports and entertainment festival that features competitions in six sports, including wakeriding and beach volleyball. As basketball players warm up their slam dunks, the tourism machine is getting in gear for the new arrivals, and the Kelowna police are getting ready to handle the increase in traffic. "Whenever there are large groups of people gathered together in any venue that involves liquor, we anticipate that there will be issues requiring police presence," said Sgt Ann Morrison of the Kelowna RCMP. "This will be one of the busiest weekends (for us)." The RCMP will increase foot, boat, and motorized cart patrols, as well as road checks. They will also partner with bylaw officers, Citizens on Patrol, and auxiliary officers to help bolster resources. Morrison also said some officers will be working overtime. There have been issues with festivals such as Wakefest bringing with it increased activity, but Morrison noted that it‘s the same as many events that come to town. "Some people may take it too far and over celebrate," she said. "If that‘s the case, we will deal with it. We want everyone to enjoy their weekend while being wise and safe." The main issue for local residents on big-ticket weekends is traffic, said Debby Helf, chairperson of the Kelowna South-Central Association of Neighbourhoods. "With the new Water Street Connector, the cut-through traffic in the quiet little neighbourhood streets has gotten worse," she said, citing dangerous use of speed, and calling for what she referred to as "traffic calming" measures. There is an issue that surrounds partying, Helf said, especially in the streets closest to the downtown core. "When the bar flush happens, a lot of drunk people come into our neighbourhoods and there‘s a lot of vandalism." Helf said that they find ways to mitigate the effect, though, and support summer events anyways. "On the other hand, we are all in favour of these wonderful events for Kelowna because tourism is really really important, so there you go," she said. "We totally support these things, but at the same time, we pay a price." According to Stephen Joseph of Flipside Entertainment, a concert promoter organizing shows at the festival, Kelowna‘s party crowd dynamic is now positive, indicated by last year‘s edition of Center of Gravity and the recent Deadmau5 concert. "Wakefest was a promoter‘s nightmare, and a perfect example of what goes wrong when there‘s a lack of organization," he said. "We‘re proving to the community what safe but huge events that Canada‘s paradise is capable of." Top of Page
