The Sydenham River will be packed on Saturday as the 16th annual Sydenham Challenge Dragon Boat Festival will take place in downtown Wallaceburg.
Brian Armitage, organizer of the June 3 event, told the Sydenham Current they are sold out, as 34 teams are set to hit the water.
“We are excited about this year because this will be the largest festival we have ever had for the amount of teams that we have,” he said.
Armitage said they are expecting a good crowd on the shore as well.
“It’s going to be more because last year we only had 26 teams,” he said.
“We are adding 200 more paddlers, then their support and their families, so probably throughout the day we are more realistically looking at about 3,000 to 3,500 people coming and going.”
Armitage added: “On top of that, in conjunction with the BIA and the Canada Day fireworks committee, we will be a festival on the street with the kids activities again. Than just down the road, not far from us, is the first Farmer’s Market. So there is three things all working together here.”
Armitage said the annual Spirit Award has been re-dedicated as well.
“In memory of Ron Verhaeghe, who passed away several months ago,” Armitage said.
“Ron and the Verhaeghe family was very instrumental in support from day one of starting the Dragon Boat Festival and has always been behind us. They still are. So we have rededicated the Spirit Award, which will now be called the Ron Verhaeghe Memorial Spirit Memorial.”
All proceeds from the event are evenly distributed between the United Way of Chatham-Kent and Breast Buddies.
However, Armitage said other groups benefit as well.
“We let community groups in and get to raise their dollars,” he said.
“The Legion, they do a good take on it. The Canada Day fireworks committee, the Splash Pad group.”
For more details, visit: www.sydenhamchallenge.ca
– Photo credit: Jocelyn McLaughlin
