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Canoe race, barbecue planned for Voyageurs stop in N.B.

Jul 10, 2017 | 11:58 AM

Finlayson Island will see some excitement Tuesday when dozens of canoeists descend on the popular destination, as part of the 2017 Voyageurs Rendezvous Canoe Race event that is taking place this month across Western Canada. 

Indigenous canoeists from across Canada are currently traveling roughly 1,600 km over 23 days in July, as part of Canada 150th anniversary-event projects. 

They will be visiting North Battleford on Tuesday, where a number of activities are planned for Finlayson Island.

Kathy Schwengler is the event coordinator for the 2017 Voyageurs Rendezvous Canoe Race. 

“This is a tribute to the 1967 Centennial Canoe Pageant,” Schwengler said. Some of participants in the 2017 race were actually in the original 1967 race also. 

Schwengler said the canoeists were on the river Monday paddling to the Battlefords from the Turtleford area. 

Tuesday’s festivities on Finlayson Island take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and are free for the public to attend.

The event includes a sprint canoe race from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m., supper from 6 to 7 p.m., a dream-catcher making session and wagon rides from 6 to 8 p.m., and an Indigenous dance performance from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The event is a partnership between Battlefords River Valley Outdoor Adventures and 2017 Voyageurs Rendezvous Canoe Race, with support from the City of North Battleford, among others. The City of North Battleford is hosting the Finlayson Island event. 

In case of rain the event will move to the Don Ross Centre gym.

The canoeists will be staying overnight Monday at the Fort Battleford National Historic Site when they first arrive in the area, before taking part in the Finlayson Island festivities on Tuesday.

Schwengler said the Voyageurs race project, which launched in Rocky Mountain House, Alta., on July 1 and finishes in The Pas, MB., on July 23, is going well, although there have been challenges with the heat for the participants.

There are a total of 72 canoeists taking part in the Voyageur event. About 150 people in total are involved in the anniversary project, including support staff.

The Voyageur paddlers range in age from 18 to 65 years old and come from across Canada, including Prince Albert and Saskatoon.

“I think this event is important to the Indigenous people as a way to inspire their youth towards a healthy lifestyle and for embracing their roots,” Schwengler said. “It’s really beautiful.

“It’s a Canada 150 signature project – the only one in Alberta, and one of only four in Western Canada. This is a great way to celebrate Canada 150, by mixing our history with our modern era,” she added. 

With the City of North Battleford, Candace Dustan is involved in planning Tuesday’s event.

She said she is looking forward to seeing the sprint canoe races take place on the river by Finlayson Island and added this will be “a good opportunity to showcase” the Voyageurs’ project. 

All canoe teams must have at least two women participants as well.  

“We’ll be able to watch from the pedestrian bridge on Finlayson Island,” she added. “It will be a great event, something we haven’t seen around here before. I hope everybody comes out.”

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

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