Flow North has been involved in Paddle the Peace from its beginnings, and we’re really pleased to report that Paddle the Peace has won an award! It was nominated for the Growing Rural Tourism Award, along with some very stiff competition. The finalists for the award were the Edmonton Regional Tourism Group, Alberta Southwest and Paddle the Peace.
Big congratulations are in order for everyone involved in Paddle the Peace!
For those who aren’t familiar with Paddle the Peace, it’s a paddling festival that was started in 2010 as a partnership between GeoTourism Canada and several municipalities and counties along the river. The current partners are (in no particular order):
– Town of Peace River
– County of Northern Lights
– Northern Sunrise County
– M.D. of Peace
– Mighty Peace Country.
Corporate sponsors:
– Shell Canada Peace River
– Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd.
Grant funders:
– Travel Alberta
– Peace Regional Economic Development Alliance (PREDA).
The events of Paddle the Peace include an instruction day where I teach canoeing basics, a “junior” component to give some kids a chance to learn to canoe, and of course, the big paddling day on the Peace River, which includes:
– shuttle service to the river
– safety briefing on the way to the river
– volunteers at the start and end points to help people get in, get out and carry their boats (if needed)
– paramedics on board the Peace River Fire Department’s boat
– a grab bag of goodies, plus draws and other prizes
– a full brunch put on at Strong Creek Park (see photo below)!
The event organizers have been amazing at fundraising to keep costs down so that as many people as possible can join in. Last year, registration was a mere $10 per person or $25 for both days (instruction and paddling). What a deal!
The organizers of the event are so wonderful to work with! Their hard work and dedication are legendary — they even posted their cell phone numbers on the Facebook page so people with questions would be able to reach them. In 2013, the event was completely full — although the river had room for more boats, 🙂 the brunch and shuttles were full to capacity. So, I have to say a huge congratulations to the organizers for winning the Growing Rural Tourism Award! 🙂
Next year, Paddle the Peace will take place on Aug 16-17, 2014 in and around the town of Peace River. You should come! 🙂
I was so busy, I didn’t have time to take many pics, but I did snap this one of the brunch!