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Big Night & Shoots 'n Blooms!

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While the doors to the fruit stand don’t open until the May long weekend, the GO Event Crew has already been out in full force in Lake Country.

Saturday night we took part in the Lake Country Rotary Club spring fling fundraiser, BIG NIGHT. With proceeds going to the Lake Country food bank, the community came out in numbers and enjoyed an evening of great wine and food.

Gatzke Orchard teamed up with Okanagan’s Finest Foods chef, Travis Hackl. Guests raved about his “Drunken Pigsicles” delicious pork balls on a stick with Gatzke Late Harvest Apple Juice and Jack Daniels reduction! Once they chased it with a glass of our apple juice they were in orchard heaven!

The next day it was our turn to play host as the Food Action Society of North Okanagan had their 3rd Annual Food Festival – Shoots ‘n Blooms, on our orchard.

Over 500 people came through in support of this year’s theme “Family Farming.” Great food from local farmers, cheesemakers, informative presentations in aquaponics, beekeeping and invasive species. Al Gatzke entertained folks in his jam packed farm tours while children were kept busy face painting and petting the rabbits. Chef Cornel Fisher and Ingrid Gatzke had our clay oven “GAIA” pumping out gourmet pizza’s for the hungry crowds and everyone enjoyed the great soundtrack to the day by some fantastic local musicians.

It was a great ‘unofficial’ start to #summer2014 which we are all very excited about. The weekend was a perfect soft launch to announce our GO FOODISM! dinner series which people were eagerly looking forward to here more about….soon! Stay tuned!

Oyama goes Boom Boom!

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What a night! What a show!

The Boom Booms eventually arrived in Oyama via the new Highway 97 that just opened, around and back again through on to the Pelmewash Parkway after being pulled over by the police regarding the new speed limit. While there are some issues still to iron out with the new highway fans of the Boom Booms made no mistake to arrive and fill the venue!  Once they hit the Big Blue Stage – fire!!!

The close to 200 music fans who arrived in Oyama to hear the Boom Booms were treated to a great musical evening. The band played fan favourites like “Lonely” and “You Know” from their ‘Hot Rum’ album plus new songs from their upcoming album with producer Chin Injeti like “Real Love” that already sounds like a classic.

“The Boom Booms concert goes down as one of the classic top concerts we’ve ever had in the orchard,” Big Al Gatzke.

A classic indeed. It was a perfect night and the sky was midnight bright while the dance floor bounced and swayed to the bands infectious beats. The songs felt like we all knew them for years and their rhythm kept us dancing all night long. We’re still listening to the album around the orchard!

They warmed us up as the sun was slowly starting to set and then when they hit the stage for their second set you knew it was going to be a special night. The band was tight, entertaining, funky, rocking and they had a great set of songs to perform. The vocals and melodies were golden and the audience were prevy to a classic Boom Boom performance, as it was their last show before heading south of the border for some more shows.

It was a unforgettable show and we hope to have the Boom Booms back next summer!
Thanks Geordie, Aaron, Theo, Richard, Sean & Tom.

Champion Sound!!!

Happy Canada Day Weekend!!

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What a couple of weeks we’ve had here on the orchard! The whole gang here at Gatzke Orchards have been busy little bees as the taste of summer is finally in the air. With over 50 varieties of fruit on the orchard, we’ll soon be tantalizing your tastebuds with our famous cherries!

Life. The Okanagan Way!

We’ve had a steady flow of international visitors coming to visit us the last couple of weeks leading up to Canada Day 2013. This past month we hosted the Oyama Traditional School 7th Grade graduation party and Louise & Mike launched our 2013 wedding season with a fun-filled celebration!

We are also excited to announce that we opened the doors to the new LAKE COUNTRY VISITOR CENTRE, now located at the Gatzke Orchard entrance.

The Lake Country Visitor Centre staff has been hard at work preparing for the summer season. For the first time in Lake Country history, the centre hosted a Familiarization Tour on June 25th. Staff and volunteers of both the Lake Country and Kelowna offices participated in this exciting and informative day.  The FAM Tour trained our staff about the various tourist attractions around the community. Visiting the sites and experiencing what they have to offer really provides the staff with their own personal connection and understanding of the variety of activities there are to do in this region. 

All of the sites visited on the FAM tour were very welcoming and ecstatic about the opportunity to showcase their business. They recognize the value of these tours and really provided our staff with some unforgettable memories.

OYAMA ZIPLINE
COUNTRY RIDGE B&B
KANGAROO CREEK FARM
GRAY MONK WINERY
EX NIHILO VINEYARDS
ARROWLEAF CELLARS
GABLE BEACH B&B
ROUTES GRILL
GATZKE ORCHARD

This coming weekend our 2nd Woodstock Revival returns to kick off our summer music series with a 3-day festival. Doors open July 5th at 4:00 p.m. Fun for the whole family, the Woodstock Revival will be jammed packed with classic music, great food and drinks, contests and all the peace, love and happiness you can handle! Don’t miss it!

Here are some more of our summer concerts this summer.

WOODSTOCK ~ REVIVAL

MATT MASTERS

SHANNON LYON

THE BOOM BOOMS

SHANE PHILIP

Keep up to date on our summer events, farm market specials, restaurant happenings and all the summertime fun on our ‘orchard by the lake.’ GO EVENTS

Thanks again for stopping by our website. Get ready to GO for it this summer!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!