Local small business, Calowna Costume at 538 Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna, is celebrating 45 years in business in our city. Originally started by Fran Ungaro (Grama), Fran’s daughter, Karyn Brandel and granddaughter, Kerri Brandel, joined Fran later, now being in the business for 35 years. Calowna Costume originally started the business on Pandosy Street, then relocated to Lawrence Avenue and has been on Bernard Avenue for the past 28 years. Calowna Costume is not a Halloween store. They are a year-round costume store for any occasion and for all personalities. If you would like to rent an outfit, instead of purchasing one, they are the only costume store in Kelowna that provides rentals, which is the shining star of their business, also renting for theatre, movie sets, schools, or any other businesses that need costumes. They have a huge variety of rentals from the 1920’s and on, including movie characters and mascots. Calowna Costume provides a wide selection of quality costumes with many options in sizes and themes. You can also try the outfits and see how they look, instead of seeing them on a mannequin or a picture on a package. They offer a good variety of accessories to enhance your costume, including masquerade masks, fishnets, professional makeup, wigs, color contacts and hats. Calowna Costume is very community-oriented, providing costumes for many of the organizations in the city free of charge. Along with Karyn and Kerri, Victoria (Tori) Phillips has been with the business for 18 years and Kendra Haskett for the past four years. It’s always an adventure visiting the shop, and you can certainly tell that they love what they do. www.calonacostume.com
Fraserway RV at 3732 Hwy. 97 has a new leadership team in Kelowna. The company helps turn travel dreams into unforgettable adventures, whether you are a seasoned RVer or just starting to explore the lifestyle. Fraserway RV started in 1969 as a family venture and, from humble beginnings, has grown into Canada’s only coast-to-coast RV dealership and the country’s largest RV rental company. They offer a wide selection of brands, including Thor, Jayco, Winnebago, Keystone, Forest River, and Pleasure-Way. They also offer service and camping stores, along with RV Rentals for over 34,000 adventurers annually from Halifax to Whitehorse. The Dealership, now under new management and a new leadership team, is led by General Manager Brian Letcher, who has 20-plus years in District and Regional Management roles prior to joining Fraserway RV. Other team members at Fraserway are Sales Manager, Chris Clyne, with 15 years of industry experience. Nadean Cuddeford is the Operations/Service Manager, who has over 10 years with the Fraserway team and has been in her present new role for one year. Nadean started her career as a service technician and has worked her way to the management team both in the dealership and in national roles. Justin Brucki, Finance Manager, has been with Fraserway for one year but has 20-plus years in the finance industry. Brennan Garrecht, VSA Certified, is a Sales Consultant at the dealership. Fraserway gave back to the community this holiday season, donating $5000 each to the Kelowna SPCA, Central Okanagan Food Bank and JoeAnna’s House. With spring hopefully just around the corner, it might just be the time to stop into Fraser RV. www.fraserway.com
It’s that time of year when you might want to attempt a New Year’s Resolution to get fit after the long holiday season, or before a major vacation. Have you ever wondered what happened to the in-person Weight Watchers meetings in Kelowna? Like so many other organizations that held in-person meetings, Weight Watchers closed its doors due to the pandemic. Now, the Weight Watchers in-person workshops are back in Kelowna, and they are working to rebuild their membership base. Kelowna now has the only in-person workshop for Weight Watchers in the entire Interior of B.C. If you would like to check out the new and improved Weight Watchers, join them for a free in-person workshop on Saturday mornings. Weight Watchers is happy to invite both women and men to the program. Check-in starts at 8:30 a.m. with the workshops beginning at 9:00 a.m. There is absolutely no pressure to join. Just go and check them out at the Ukrainian Church Hall, 1931 Barlee Road (just off Springfield Road).
There is no better time of year than now to clean out your unused home décor and refresh your indoor space. The Home Décor Closet Cleanout is Sunday, January 25th, 2026, at the Laurel Packinghouse from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It’s a great time for individuals, decorators and small businesses to sell gently used home decor, small furniture, artwork, textiles and accessories. Vendors clean out their collections and make room for something new. Vendor registration is now open with limited spaces available. I have already secured a vendor table for myself and started cleaning out my home décor for the sale. This is the second year that I have done this. For vendor applications or general inquiries, contact producer Rosanne Ting-Mak Brown at redscopemedia@gmail.com. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Bridge Youth and Family Services. Visit www.greatclosetcleanout.com
Waterplay is celebrating another major international win down under as the Gipps Street Recreation Precinct has been named Community Facility of the Year at the 2025 Parks and Leisure Australia National Awards of Excellence, marking another global achievement for the Kelowna-based aquatic play manufacturer. The Water-play designed splash pad, now one of the precinct’s most popular attractions and a favourite destination for families across the region, played a key role in the project’s success. The award recognizes facilities that deliver exceptional community impact, high-quality design, sustainability and excellence in project delivery. Waterplay is part of the MAKR Play Group, which includes three working brands dedicated to making the world more livable, playful and socially just – Waterplay. www.waterplay.com
The City of Kelowna has earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) every year since 2001, and in 2025, it has received special recognition in two areas. Kelowna received Outstanding Achievement in Long-Range Financial Planning and Understandability and Usability. By participating, the City gains the benefit of an independent review of its financial plan and receives valuable feedback to strengthen future documents. Joe Sass is the Finance Director for the City of Kelowna. cityofkelowna.ca
The volunteers of The Forget Me Not Café at Christ Lutheran Church, 2091 Gordon Drive, are getting ready for their next Café on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at $5 per person. They will offer chair yoga, a healthy lunch, love songs, and arts and crafts activities. This is a friendly café welcoming those with dementia and their family and caregivers. The theme will be Valentine’s in advance of Valentine’s Day. Pre-register at 250-860-2447 or celc@telus.net
January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. One of many activities taking place is the start of planning for the 2026 IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s in Kelowna, which will be held on Sunday, May 31st, 2026. Lindsay Kellosalmi has assumed the role of Walk Chair, taking over from Guy Bir,d who has been involved with the event every year since 2018. The Walk is a cause close to his heart as it affects so many people and families, including many families in the Okanagan. Lindsay’s father passed away in 2024 after living with the disease. Although stepping down as the Walk Chair, Guy will still be involved. For more information, contact Lindsay at 778-214-4600 or Guy at 250-317-4446.
Naked Café Jazz Nights Jam starts Friday, January 9th, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at 571 Lawrence Avenue. Join host Trevor Salloum for a night of improvisation, connection and incredible vibes. The Jazz Jam welcomes musicians and music lovers of all levels to celebrate the Okanagan’s vibrant jazz scene. This month will feature Francisco Rubio Bocangel (Sax), Spencer Dean (piano), Darko Cuk (Bass), and Trevor Salloum (Drums). No cover charge.
Birthdays of the week – Barb Douglas (Jan. 6); Vern Tompkins (Jan. 6); Cam McIntosh (Jan. 7); Xenia Stanford (Jan. 7); Angela Nagy (Jan. 7); Jeff Winskell (Jan. 7); Don Drummond (Jan. 7); Regan Bartel (Jan. 8); Chris Boyle (Jan. 8); Brian Winter (Jan. 8); Kevin Bennett (Jan. 8); Brent Marshall (Jan. 8); Lynda Gibbs (Jan. 9); Stu Seymour (Jan. 9); Tom Budd (Jan. 9); Larry Tuovila (Jan. 9); Jen Zielinski (Jan. 10); Karen Abramsen ( (Jan. 10); Lenn Tonn (Jan. 10); Anne Stack (Jan. 11); Irma Lux (Jan. 11); Linda Aldous (Jan. 11); Marj Hatanaka (Jan. 11); Troy Wielgosz (Jan. 11); Shawn Wylie (Jan. 12); Glen Penner (Jan. 12); Ronny Mercado (Jan. 12); Annie Kwong (Jan. 13); Avi Gill (Jan. 13); Paul Larsen (Jan. 13); Gina Lang (Jan. 13); Mark Johnson (Jan. 13); Shandelle Derkatch-Stobbe (Jan. 13).
The Specialty Bakery Birthday Cake Winner of the Week is Gina Lange. Gina, please pick up your Birthday Cake from any one of the four Specialty Bakery locations by Tuesday, January 13/2026.
Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna City Councillor and Director of Sales at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Centre. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662. max@maxinedehart.ca
