Hmm…what to do on a fall Sunday evening in Penticton.
How about a party in a downtown alleyway?
That was the surprising scene two nights ago in the alley directly behind Slackwater Brewing in the 200 block of Martin Street, where a couple hundred-plus folks gathered to chat, play games, listen to music, dance and have a refreshment or two.
There were young adults, old adults, teens, kids and tykes. Any some of them stuck around for the duration -- from mid-afternoon to mid-evening. It was that lively.
So how is it that a downtown alleyway suddenly morphs from dirty and unloved to clean, colorful and magnetically charming?
Turns out it was a joint venture between the Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association and Slackwater. Dubbed "Slack Alley," it was brought to life, said a mid-September DPBIA press release, to "put forward the idea that downtown alleys can be used for much more than simply dumpsters and deliveries."
"In fact," continued the release, "they can be vibrant, energetic spaces which help bring people together."
Perhaps the coolest thing of all is that Slack Alley was merely a pilot project. If successful -- and it certainly seemed to be -- the DPBIA will commit to more alley "transformations" in the months ahead.
As local music maven DJ Spill spun his tunes, a happy Liam Peyton of Slackwater explained how the alley behind his brewery became the test case.
"I brought up the idea," said Peyton, "at one of the (DPBIA) board meetings where we were discussing laneway activation and how we can do some fun, meaningful stuff in public spaces like laneways and alleys that aren't appealing places.
"We wondered if we should test the waters here, and we did. It was three weeks of hustling to pull it off before the weather closes in. It was basically a collaboration between ourselves and the BIA and the Arts Council and the City."
Going forward, said Peyton, grants will be sought to help beautify other downtrodden downtown areas/alleys.
Sunday's transformation included a "deep clean" by the City, outdoor lighting and furniture installations, typical outdoor event paraphernalia such as games and kids' art stations, a beer garden and much more.
But what arguably put the ambience over the top -- and what will certainly stick around once the temporary stuff is back inside -- was the brand new paint job. The glorious, vivid brand new paint job.
Virtually everything in the alley -- walls, doorways, doors, random pipes, utility poles, and even the pavement underfoot -- was fair game. By the time it was done, Slack Alley was a pretty nice, pretty modernistic place to be.
"Yep, we started at 8 am on Saturday and finished around noon on Sunday," said designated alley painter and former Monday Night Dinner boss Kristine Shepherd. "We did about ten hours with a three-person crew."
According to Sheppard, it was Penticton Art Gallery boss Paul Crawford who reached out. "He gets me involved in so many things," laughed the full-time house painter and current PAG in-house painter.
"This was an event to bring the community together and remind people that spaces that aren’t so comfortable can be comfortable," she said.
"It's no different than the graffiti projects throughout town that have also made the alleys more beautiful. This is an addition to what we already have going on and I hope it continues. Our alleyways are our breezeways."
Later, the "unplugged" version of local party rock band Jack and Jill serenaded the crowd. And the whole thing -- this back alley-turned-living room thing -- just seemed so natural.
We hope it's a trend.
