This year’s Penticton Peach Festival is officially underway and that means another fast-paced, family-fun bin race is in the books.
After a series of heats on Main Street, it was the Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks who claimed victory at the Jennifer Casey Memorial Peach Bin Race on Wednesday, Aug. 9.
The race — named after the Snowbirds pilot who lost her life in 2020 while flying above Kamloops — was one of the several events that kicked off the 76th annual edition of the festival.
“It’s been awesome here so far,” said Tyler Owen, a Skyhawks demonstrator from Alberta and among those to race on the winning team Wednesday. “A nice community feel, everyone’s got a smile on their face, and there’s this nice, uplifting vibe.”
The Skyhawks defeated competitors representing the City of Penticton and Penticton Kia, en route to winning both of the event’s final races in front of hundreds of spectators.
Other teams in attendance included the South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society, Nature’s Fare Market and Okanagan Falls’ Unit Electrical Engineering.
One person from each of the participating squads was responsible for sitting in a custom-made, team-themed bin during the race.
Members pushed their bins down Main Street and past Gyro Park, before avoiding set cones at Lakeshore Drive and turning around back to the start line.
The Skyhawks’ bin-race win marked the start of a busy day for the team in Penticton.
READ ALSO: SkyHawks swoop in for Penticton meet-and-greet ahead of Peach Fest
Members of the parachute team later on Wednesday will perform 6,000 feet skydives and touch down into Okanagan Lake Park.
After the 6 p.m. demonstration, members of the team will set up activities inside the park and answers questions from the public.
“It’s amazing to represent the Skyhawks,” Owen said. “To be part of what we’re doing is definitely an honour.”
READ ALSO: Make memories at Penticton’s Peach Festival
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