It was Cindy Lou approved.
The very first iteration of "Penticton Whoville," a brand new local event that temporarily transformed the venerable Penticton Safety Village into the town the Grinch terrorized in Dr. Suess's iconic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," ended Sunday.
It ran four days over two consecutive weekends. One of those days (last Saturday), it was virtually obliterated by a wicked windstorm. And on all the other days, the event had to endure the numerous pitfalls of a first-time affair.
Still, said co-organizer Katie Weitz, the seemingly inexhaustible president of the Penticton Kiwanis and VP of the Safety Village (and driving force behind the Village's hyper popular Halloween and Easter events), Penticton Whoville performed strongly enough to assure it of a Year 2 in December of 2024.
Indeed, she believes it'll become a permanent fixture on the local calendar.
"It's been steady and it's been good for a first year event," she said Sunday night as Whoville wound down. "People are coming out and some are coming back multiple times. There's never been a moment where we haven't had visitors.
"And we've learned a lot from this. Like the wind is not your friend. We'll make sure to weigh down the tents next year."
Penticton Whoville, like the Easter and Halloween events, took advantage of the "village" aspect of the facility. Santa photos, for example, took place in the miniature firehall.
"Folks came and they explored," said Weitz. "The place looks like Whoville and is lit up like Whoville. We had a lot of characters wondering around. We had artisan vendors. There were free activities for the kids and they could get their photos taken with the Grinch and Santa."
There were also people on site like the amazing Rene Johnson, someone PentictonNow knows from so many of the non-profit events we've covered since we've formed.
Johnson is nothing short of a jewel – a woman with a great heart and a ready smile who for three and a half decades has been one of the busiest, most loved volunteers in the city and one of its most awesome citizens.
Now declining health has forced Johnson to end her amazing volunteer career. And Sunday was her grand finale. We'll miss her. A lot.
"This was an amazing four days," she said. "It's uplifted me so much. And working with Natasha (Di Iuorio of BadGirl Branding, the other event co-organizer), has just been wonderful. This is a good way to leave."
According to Weitz, all the money raised at Penticton Whoville – admission was free, but there were charges for stuff like cotton candy, souvenirs, photos with Santa, sponsorship, vendorship, etc. – go straight back to the Village.
And it's needed. The facility is showing its age and losing some of its impact, and is set for several key renovations and a re-branding in the coming year.
"Next year will be its 40th anniversary," she said, "and this was the kick-off. There'll be lots of events and fundraisers here in 2024. It'll be an exciting year."
For more on the Penticton Safety Village, head here.
