Bell Park was pounding with life on the weekend as the 10th annual Dragon Boat Festival made waves in Lake Ramsey.
Fifty teams participated, raising $60,000 for the Independent Living Centre — the recipient charity for the second year in a row. The Chinese Cultural Association of Toronto performed a number of cultural dances at the opening ceremonies and throughout the festival.
Jim Smith, festival chair, said it has grown each year, starting with 60 boats in the first year and reaching as many as 150. Over the 10 years, paddlers have brought in more than $1 million for local charities through pledges.
Each year the festival has selected a different recipient charity, including the Sudbury Regional Hospital's Heart and Soul campaign, the Alzheimer Society, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“Now we're working on the capital campaign with the Independent Living Centre,” he said. “They hope to move from downtown on Elm Street to a much better facility on Larch Street.”
The chair explained that the festival committee had tried to add a little more fun into the festival, in addition to the races.
“This is our 10th anniversary, so we've tried to build in more fun and activities off the lake just to give people something to do after they've watched a few races,” Smith said. “The emphasis has been on children. We wanted some activities to keep them busy.”
Fear.Less, a dragon boat team made up of members of the Breast Action Coalition of Sudbury, held a special Standup for Breast Cancer ceremony at noon on Saturday. Each of the members threw a pink carnation into the water, which could be seen floating in the waters around Bell Park for the remainder of the day.
