The Kamloops sky has been smoke-free so far this summer (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

NO SMOKE

Smoke-free summer has been a breath of fresh air for residents, some businesses

Aug 7, 2019 | 5:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — After back-to-back summers filled with smoke that made it difficult to even walk outside, this summer has been a breath of fresh air — literally.

The clear sky has people flocking to the beach at Riverside Park is packed. It’s a nice break for people without the smoke.

“It’s been fantastic, able to get out in our beautiful city,” said one resident. Another resident added, “It feels great to walk out into outside and not smell smoke.”

There was a haze in the distance on Wednesday, likely from the Eagle Bluff wildfire near Oliver, but the limited number of fires has helped keep the smoke at bay.

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With people rushing to the beach to enjoy the hot weather, business is up at Scoopz Ice Cream next door. Staff say it’s not only busy on hot days, but the smoke-free summer has more people out at Music in the Park and coming for ice cream.

“Without the smoke, we’ve definitely been way busier,” said Rebecca Walder from Scoopz. “It usually picks up around 7 p.m., as there’s Music in the Park across the street. So when the smoke was here, that really stopped people from coming downtown. But this summer, we’ve had no problem with having a line up out the door.”

Heffley Lake is also out of the smoke, but the waters have been a bit rocky for Paddle Surfit. An unpredictable summer with cooler, wetter weather has business down.

“Rentals are probably down 80 per cent,” said Paddle Surfit owner Bodie Shandro. “We are very fortunate for the travel tourism industry. We’re getting international visitors coming, stopping by. They’re travelling from Europe, so that’s really what we’ve survived on for these cooler months.

Shandro has had to find more creative ways to bring people to the lake.

“Doing lots of cool things like adding on a kayak seat kit now to our inflatable boards, which just makes the sport just far more accessible and inclusive for everybody,” he said.

Businesses and locals alike want the smoke to stay away fro the rest of the summer. They also want the hot Kamloops summer to remain as well.