It takes a village to make a street: How collaboration brings Bernard to life each summer

Meet me on Bernard only stretches four city blocks, from The Sails to St. Paul Street. Squint, and you can see clear from one end to the other. But bringing that space to life is no small feat. It takes a whole team of dedicated volunteers, staff and community partners working collaboratively toward a common vision of Bernard not just as a street, but as a platform for community connection. 

First initiated in 2020 to support resilience of downtown businesses through some of the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Meet me on Bernard was a shared project right from the jump. Back in 2020, our downtown businesses were hurting in the absence of the usual summer tourist traffic that helps them weather the rest of the year. There was an urgent need to create opportunities for locals to gather safely and support the restaurants, bars and retailers that give Bernard and the rest of Downtown Kelowna its distinct identity.

To meet this need, City Council approved a plan to close Bernard Avenue, Kelowna’s ‘main street,’ to vehicle traffic. This allowed restaurants and bars to extend their patio seating into the roadway and serve more customers while still following public health and safety guidelines. What became clear right away, though, was that closing Bernard to vehicles actually opened it up as a new community space. At a time when the pandemic was forcing us all apart, the patio program gave people a much-needed chance to reconnect while supporting local businesses. 

Seeing the potential in the initiative, Council approved staff’s recommendation that it be turned into an annual affair. But actually realizing that potential would mean thinking quite a bit bigger than just patios. Turning Bernard into a vibrant community space would take creativity, commitment, and most of all collaboration. 

The first step was to pull together a team of partners that, together, could realize a shared vision for the Bernard project. The natural choice was to reach out to those whose work is all about making Downtown Kelowna an exciting destination for locals and tourists alike: the Downtown Kelowna Association and Tourism Kelowna. 

“The partnership was a no-brainer,” recalls Chris Lewis of Tourism Kelowna. “The idea of turning Bernard into a pedestrian mall involves so many moving parts: it’s infrastructure, it’s business engagement, it’s events and attractions, it’s traffic and safety, it’s outreach and communications. To cover all those bases, you need different organizations working together toward a common goal.” 

That spirit of collaboration runs through every level of the initiative. From conception and planning through the nuts and bolts of set-up, teardown and ongoing management, Meet me on Bernard runs on teamwork, bringing together a small army of staff, volunteers and crew members from the City of Kelowna, Tourism Kelowna and the Downtown Kelowna Association.

Crews from Urban Systems work together to assemble the parklet "Upcycle" on the 500 block of Bernard Avenue

And that’s all to say nothing of the dozens of businesses, community organizations and residents who’ve stepped up to enliven the street with all kinds of exciting programs and events. 

Among them is Lorraine Richmond of Jewels of HOPE, who will be running a pop-up on Bernard this summer. Jewels of HOPE is the social purpose enterprise of HOPE Outreach Okanagan, which resources and supports vulnerable women in Downtown Kelowna and Vernon so they can realize their own dreams for a safe and healthy life. “Jewels of HOPE meets with the ladies at a monthly gathering and teaches them to make bracelets in exchange for Dignity Wages,” says Richmond. These bracelets will be available for purchase at the Jewels of HOPE pop-up this summer on Bernard.

“We hope that by meeting all the great people who will be on Bernard this summer, we will have the chance to enjoy our Okanagan summer while making a difference in someone’s life forever,” says Richmond. “We hope that locals and tourists will connect with the values of Jewels of HOPE—safety, belonging, equity and human dignity for all.” 

And that’s just one example of how Meet me on Bernard connects our community. A quick glance at what’s on offer this summer reveals the amazing degree of collaboration that goes into making Meet me on Bernard what it is. Take a stroll along Bernard this summer and you’ll find… 

• Live music from Parks Alive! and the buskers program coordinated by Festivals Kelowna
• Eight creative parklets designed by ten local landscape architecture, landscaping and outdoor furnishing firms
• A seven-piece augmented reality art exhibition curated by the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, featuring the contributions from more than twenty local artists, animators and musicians.
• A second art installation, Totally Tubular, created by a team of grade twelve students at Kelowna Secondary School
• Free art and recreation programs to sample as part of Try-it-Tuesdays throughout the summer
• Weekly farmer’s, crafters and artisans markets featuring dozens of local growers, food vendors and artisans
• More than a dozen pop-ups hosted by local businesses and non-profit organizations
• 21 beautiful, sun-drenched patios where you can enjoy delicious local cuisine and exciting retail with stunning views of Okanagan Lake.   

With so many involved from so many sectors of our community, one thing is clear: when it comes to creating a summer destination, even if it only spans a few blocks, it truly takes a village. 

Visit meetmeonbernard.com to learn more. 

Sarah Semeniuk is a coordinator with the City’s Event Services team, helping to bring vibrancy and social connection to Kelowna’s parks and public spaces each year. Sarah and the Event Services team are the core team supporting major and community events in Kelowna, assisting with film, drone and movie permitting, and planning major events like Meet me on Bernard and Kelowna Made, coming to City Park and Meet me on Bernard on August 27.