Penticton winery expands summer finale into Summerland wildfire benefit

Crescent Hill Winery in Penticton will host Together for Summerland on Sept. 5, with ticket proceeds supporting the SOS Wildfire Response Fund.

Photo: Crescent Hill Winery

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Crescent Hill Winery has expanded the final concert in its summer music series into a four-and-a-half-hour benefit supporting people and communities affected by the Bald Range wildfire. Together for Summerland: A Community Benefit Concert will run from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Penticton winery.

The benefit follows Crescent Hill’s efforts to assist displaced residents during the wildfire response. The winery said it opened its doors to evacuees and offered people a place to get away from the smoke, charge phones or other gear and rest.

Ashley Pearce of The Out Seer will open the concert at 5 p.m., followed by Moving Lines at 6 p.m. Headliner ØSTELLA will take the stage at 7 p.m., while Deanna Kouris of 97.1 GO FM will serve as guest MC.

Advance admission is $25, while tickets at the gate will cost $30. Summerland residents can enter for $15 at the gate with proof of residency, and admission is free for people under 19.

Advance tickets are available online or in person at Grooveyard Records in Penticton. The Ween Wag will sell food, while Crescent Hill wine and beer will also be available for purchase. The winery says additional community partners and local vendors will participate during the evening.

Proceeds from ticket sales will support the SOS Wildfire Response Fund, which the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen established within a day of the wildfire’s outbreak. The foundation says all donations to the fund will remain in the region and support affected residents and community recovery.

The foundation is consulting with the District of Summerland, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, charities and community organizations as it identifies needs and develops funding priorities. As of Aug. 31, the foundation had not posted a fundraising total or distribution plan on its website.

The Bald Range wildfire was listed by the BC Wildfire Service as under control at approximately 25,163 hectares as of Monday evening, Aug. 31. The fire was discovered Aug. 7 about 15 kilometres west of Summerland.

Rapid damage assessments released by the RDOS classified 42 properties in Summerland and 105 in Electoral Area F as destroyed, based on information available through Aug. 19. The RDOS reported Sunday that no properties in Electoral Area F remained under evacuation order, although restricted-access measures continue in Faulder, South Meadow Valley and Callan Road while recovery work proceeds.

The winery is located at 205 Spruce Rd. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and guests may bring lawn chairs.

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