Tourism Kamloops is preparing to launch its summer recreational pilot project at Riverside Park at this Friday.

Dubbed ‘The Concession at Riverside Park,’ Monica Dickinson, the Director of Industry Relations and Communications at Tourism Kamloops, says to start there will be two businesses where people can rent things like kayaks and canoes.

“We have agreements with Kamloops Water Sports and with Sea Legs Water Bikes out of Penticton, and they will be activating the concession space at Riverside Park to launch on Friday this week,” she said, on the NL Morning News.

“We’re really excited to be working with them to bring some new activity and energy into the park, especially now that temperatures are climbing and summer seems to be in full force.”

Dickinson adds there will also be three food trucks to start at Riverside Park, though she notes that selection could change during the year.

“We’re working with Gyldi’s Pizza, Veggie Bomb, and Eats Amore. It will be a fluid agreement throughout the summer to bring in a variety of food trucks,” she added. “I guess the call out is, if there’s food trucks that are interested in working with us throughout the summer, please reach out as we would love to work with everyone.”

Last month, Kamloops city council tasked Tourism Kamloops with a one year pilot project to increase commercial activity at Riverside Park. Residents who were concerned by the proposal spoke for almost a half hour at a council meeting. Ultimately, though councillors voted 7-2 in favour of the pilot project.

The idea, Dickinson says, is to make Riverside Park more of a destination for both locals and tourists by trying to promote more activity within the park

“We’re activating outside of the old concession building so space is limited in there, not tight, but we storing equipment on site like the kayaks and the water bikes,” Dickinson added. “And then too with Sea Legs, they are offering some lawn and beach games so we’re not super limited, but mindful of the space that we do have.”

In an earlier interview with NL News, Tourism Kamloops CEO Bev DeSantis says from a tourism perspective, people are more likely to stay close to home this year because of COVID-19.

“So this way. we could hop down to the park, grab a kayak or a paddle board and hop in our beautiful river and head down and enjoy the day,” she added.

The Concession in downtown Kamloops will be open everyday from 12:00 p.m. to 8 p.m., until September 7. For more information, go here.