The Year of the Water Dragon

Bell Park was alive with a sense of purpose on Saturday, July 14 for Sudbury’s annual Dragon Boat Festival, celebrating The Year of the Water Dragon.

One of our top summer tourist attractions, the Dragon Boat Festival has been taking place since 2000, when it was founded by the Heritage Association of Northern Ontario and the Sudbury Canoe Club.

Bell Park, on Ramsey Lake, is a beautiful sparkling gem in the middle of our city. It is a place I visit occasionally during all seasons when I feel the need to connect with nature, soak it in and practise photography.

I have enjoyed early morning solitude; watched ducks wade while canoeists and kayakers enjoyed the quiet stillness, and I have battled a snow storm on a winter’s day, to photograph fitness enthusiasts getting their daily walk in.

But nothing excites me more than when Bell Park is full of activity, people and their canine companions out in droves, enjoying beautiful weather and scenery as well as the camaraderie only befitting of the Dragon Boat Festival.

I think this is what William and Katherine Bell; the city’s great philanthropists who donated the land to Sudbury in 1926, would have wanted.

To get closer to the action, I positioned myself down by the docks in front of the Canoe Club, where excited paddlers were embarking and disembarking from the 41-foot-long dragon boats as they started and finished their races.

It was a very hot day, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees C; however, everyone still had a smile on their face as the day went on. There were plenty of vendors selling cold beverages, as well as a beer tent called the Dragon’s Den, where people could relax and enjoy the races. Many people enjoyed swimming and playing in the cool water.

In addition to the dragon boat race participants, their families and friends, the general public, the park was filled with vendors (food, gifts, henna), hardworking volunteers and tourists who came to watch or participate in the festival.

My favourite part of the day is the Pink Carnation Breast Cancer Ceremony, which took place at noon at the main beach.

Pink carnations were passed out to those in attendance, which were held high in the air as young people from YES Theatre sang. Afterwards, everyone proceeded to the beach, where the pink carnations were released into the water in memory of those who have lost their battle with cancer and in celebration of those still fighting.

Meals on Wheels, the Festival’s chosen charity this year, will receive more than $67,000; money which was raised by you, the people of Sudbury, to help provide better services to our citizens and to help our city not only grow, but flourish. When we all give, when we all participate, we all win. I believe each of us has the ability to contribute to the betterment of our city in some way.

If you want more information about the Sudbury Dragon Boat Festival, visit www.sudburydragonboats.org.

Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization which provides nutritious meals for people who are unable to prepare their own food. For more information about Meals on Wheels, to make a donation or to volunteer, visit www.sudburymeals.org.

Janet Young is an amateur photographer who likes to share community events with Sudburians.