DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
AN OUTSTANDING SUCCESS
Perfect weather conditions, the enthusiasm of 1,400 paddlers, more than 100 volunteers and numerous visitors at Palmer Park in Port Perry resulted in another very successful Dragon Flies Dragon Boat Festival.
At the end of the Festival Day, pledge submissions totaled more than $142,000. Funds raised will go towards increasing breast cancer awareness, providing support programs for breast cancer survivors and assisting in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in four local hospitals including Lakeridge Health in Port Perry, Uxbridge Cottage Hospital, Ross Memorial Hospital in the City of Kawartha Lakes and the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre in Oshawa.
Dignitaries from the local municipalities paid tribute to The Dragon Flies for staging this community event and recognized the superb effort of The Dragon Flies to ‘slay the dragon’ in the fight against breast cancer. All funds raised stay in the local municipalities of Durham Region and City of Kawartha Lakes.
Part of the tent village set up for competitors
The Rotary Club of Port Perry provided a great barbeque
for participants and spectators.
Powering their way to the finish line.
Cottage Paddlers from Uxbridge Cottage Hospital won
their class in the Dragon Boat races.
One of the heat winners raise the paddles in victory.
Spectators line the dock along Port Perry's waterfront to watch the races. Downtown Port Perry is seen in the background.
Some of the hundreds of carnations thrown into Lake Scugog following the breast cancer survivor ceremony.
Cancer survivors power they way to the finish line.
And the winners are....!!!
Red carnations float in the water after the cancer survivor ceremony.
Cancer survivor team members make their way through the tunnel of paddles following the ceremony
One of the cancer survivor boats
Spectators line up for the cancer survivor ceremony
Pink Sensations from Pickering captured the Kawatha Breast Cancer Survivor Race Challenge for breast cancer survivor teams. The Pink Sensations also topped the All Female Division and the NRG Dragon Boat Team from Uxbridge and Port Perry claimed top honours in the Mixed Crew Division.
Paddlers with Purpose was the highest pledge donor team with the top individual pledge donor, Sheila Carron, from the Paddlers with Purpose team. Second and third pledge donor teams were Scugog Womens Hockey Sistoars and SITting Ducks respectively. Second and third place individual pledge donors were Laura Micklewright from Lumpster’s Legacy and Cecylia Barr from the Life Savers.
Best-dressed team honours went to Courthouse Pink Paddlers from Oshawa and the Tonsil Toss Team Chant winner was Canterbury Silver Dragons whose home base is Port Perry.
During the Breast Cancer Ceremony, breast cancer survivors from the rafted dragon boats, as well as paddlers and visitors from the shore, tossed carnations into Lake Scugog. This moving tribute was in memory of those who have lost their battle to breast cancer, to show support to persons undergoing treatment for breast cancer and to pay tribute to the survivors of this terrible disease.
More festival results will soon be available on the website http://www.thedragonflies.org
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