The Salty Dog Street Festival returns to downtown Salmon Arm on Saturday, May 13.
This year there will be more activities, displays and entertainment to enjoy on the streets of downtown.
鈥淲e鈥檙e expanding the Salty Street Fest to be more of a spring celebration for the community,鈥� says Tom Peasgood, co-owner of Skookum Cycle and festival chair, 鈥淲e鈥檒l still have lots of bike activities, but we鈥檙e adding more entertainment, art activities, street performers and buskers. We want to welcome everyone downtown for the festival, not just bike lovers. It鈥檚 a good chance for locals to get out and re-experience the awesome businesses we have in downtown Salmon Arm.鈥�
The cornerstone of Salty Dog Street Festival is still the bicycle activities built around the Salty Dog Enduro Race held on May 14 at South Canoe trails.
鈥淭he Salty Dog Enduro Race is part of the mainstream bike culture in our province,鈥� says Peasgood. 鈥淭he Salty Street Fest on Saturday makes it even more attractive for people to come from out of town to our community and make a weekend of the race.鈥�
Sun Peaks and Silverstar will be on location to promote their summer bike resorts, and bike reps from across the province will be on location showing off their new season wares. And for people looking to upgrade their bike this year, why not bring your old ride down to the Bike Swap?
Live entertainment, tasting food treats, wandering through displays of the latest bike gear, getting faces painted, petting a bunny, test riding a bicycle, or admiring a newly restored dragon boat are all activities people can expect on the street. Visitors might pick up trail maps for the coming season, try their hand at an art project, learn sustainable gardening techniques, or listen to Chicken-Like Birds, an up-and-coming band from the Shuswap.
鈥淭he Salty Fest is a great event for downtown Salmon Arm. Hudson (Street) is closed for a couple blocks so everyone feels safe walking around. I think it鈥檚 positive for our community to have a spring festival like this, to bring people out on the street, especially into the downtown,鈥� says Shawn Rogers, owner of Candy Vault on Hudson.
The 4H Amazing Race will take people from one end of downtown Salmon Arm to the other, with the promise of tasty treats and fun fact finding.
鈥淭he Salty Dog Street Festival is great for our community. It gives the Salty Dog Enduro racers and their families something to enjoy along with the locals,鈥� says Robyn Cyr, manager of Shuswap Tourism.
The Salty Dog Street Festival is on Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Check out SaltyStreetFest.com for more information and for a detailed itinerary of the day.
