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VIDEO: Western News joins SkyHawks parachute team high above Penticton

SkyHawks will put on a Peach Fest display in the sky above Lakeside Resort tonight at 6:20 p.m.

“The free falling was the best part. It was about 40 seconds long,” said Penticton Western News’ very own Tracey Anderson who got to take a tandem skydive with the Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks parachute team ahead of their big jump into Peach Fest on Wednesday.

Anderson was one of a few lucky people from the media who the Skyhawks took 12,000 feet up above Penticton on a skydiving adventure of a lifetime.

“It is one of the best experiences of my life,” said Anderson. Floating down to the ground, the tandem team landed in the fields at Penticton Airport. The video will be posted on Thursday morning.

Anderson is no stranger to adrenaline-pumping action.

She’s recently become a race car driver at the Penticton Speedway, and you can catch her in action burning some rubber or drifting past her competitors. The Speedway is hosting a Women’s Day event on Aug. 20.

The SkyHawks have been practicing jumps in Penticton in the lead-up to the big day when they perform a display in the sky above Okanagan Lake Park, with coloured smokes, putting on a show from 6,000 feet in their signature Candian flag parachutes. The show starts around 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9.

After the performance, the demonstration team will set up activities inside the park and answers questions from the public.

“It’s been awesome here so far,” said Tyler Owen, a Skyhawks demonstrator from Alberta. “A nice community feel, everyone’s got a smile on their face, and there’s this nice, uplifting vibe.”

“It’s amazing to represent the Skyhawks,” Owen said. “To be part of what we’re doing is definitely an honour.”

The SkyHawks are also the proud winners of the annual Peach Fest bin races earlier on Wednesday.

PHOTOS: SkyHawks win annual bin race to kick off Penticton Peach Festival

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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