Local Dragon Boat Festival Generates $90,000 for three charities!
Pictou County Dragon Boat Festival, Race on the River 2003

New Glasgow- Organizers of the Race on the River Dragon Boat Festival reveled in yet another successful Festival during this past weekend. To help seize the spirit of the dragon, forty-two teams came together on Saturday morning to race and raise $90,000 toward three charities!

On hand to share their heartfelt thanks were: Primary Benefactor Women Alike Breast Cancer Support Group; Secondary Benefactors N.S. Special Olympic (Highland, Pictou & Colchester counties) and representatives from the N.S. Amateur Sport Fund.

From Saturday morning’s 8AM start to the final Breast Cancer Survivors Final race at 3:30PM, organizers worked efficiently to ensure race schedule delays were kept to a minimum. Tide and wind factors brought on by Mother Nature kept organizers, who worked flawlessly on land and water, on their toes. “With an increase in teams this year over last, and a tighter race schedule, our organizing crews rose to their own challenge of race day!” Roger Swarbrick, Chairperson of PCDBF.

By days end, team efforts to win were recognized with the presentation of six cups:

•   A.W. Leil Finance Cup – went to the CIBC Sand Dollars
•   Tim Horton’s Health Cup – win by Y Wave Riders (YM-YWCA)
•   Olympic Auto Sales Special Olympics Cup – winners, High Sea Highlanders (Highland Region)
•   CKEC Community Cup – recipients, P.C. Prostate Cancer Support Group “Reef Knots”
•   Sobeys Corporate Cup – won by, Atlantic Vikings (Atlantic Shopping Centers)
•   Advocate Printing & Publishing Breast Cancer Survivors Cup – Bosom Buddies from Halifax.

Top Team Pledge Raiser went to Scotia Bank Dragon Slayers, raising $12,000!

Last year’s local Dragon Boat Festival yielded almost $80,000; and won the organizing committee two awards: the Chamber of Commerce Alex MacKay Non-Profit Organization Award; and the P.C. Tourist Association’s Rising Star Award.


Media Contact:
Shawna Coleman, Chairperson Sponsorship/Communication
Race on the River (902.396.3054)

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