Shuswap Witches on Shuswap Lake, October 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Sasha Pellow
October 29, 2022 - 3:29 PM
A coven of witches are expected to stir up Kalamalka Lake in Coldstream on Halloween eve, but instead of broomsticks they will be using paddles.
Vernon resident Larissa Haccou is the organizer of Off Season Ladies Paddle Group that are gathering for their second annual Witches Paddle.
“Last year we had pretty much the whole of Coldstream watching and taking pictures of us,” she said.
Witches paddles are for fun and often include a fundraising element. They originated in California in 2013 and continue to expand into more cities and countries as more witches hop on their boards.
READ MORE: Shuswap witches trade brooms for paddles in the name of food security
The social gatherings are held at various dates on various lakes throughout the month of October and includes all types of floatation devices, mostly paddle boards.
Shuswap Witches on Shuswap Lake, October 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Sasha Pellow
Twenty-three witches went for a paddle on Wood Lake last week in the first annual Wood Lake Witches Paddleboard Ride organized by the Lake Country Coffee House. They are planning to do it again next year.
The Shuswap Witches near Salmon Arm set sail on Oct. 16 for the fourth annual Shuswap SUP Witches Paddle on a beautiful blue-sky day. They used the event to raise funds for the North Shuswap First Responders this year.
Every year they dress as witches and cruise onto Indigo Bay in the North Shuswap to raise funds for important issues in the Shuswap.
Witches Paddle on Wood Lake, Oyama on Oct. 19, 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lake Country Coffee House
Haccou is planning to add a fundraising element to the Kalamalka Lake Witches Paddle next year.
She's encouraging everyone and their friends, families and pets to dress up and join the spooky fun at Kalamalka beach in Coldstream from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30.
“Weather permitting is my top line,” she said. “We’ll go out rain or shine but the lake has to be calm.”
Witches Paddle on Wood Lake, Oyama on Oct. 19, 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lake Country Coffee House
Off Season Ladies Paddle Group at first Witches Paddle on Kalamalka Lake, 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Off Season Ladies Paddle Group
Shuswap Witches at annual Witches Paddle on Shuswap Lake Oct. 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Sasha Pellow
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