In 2018, the Great Canadian Kayak Challenge and Festival will celebrate their 10 year anniversary.

And just a month removed from the last festival, they’re already getting started by adding three new partners that will help add additional programming for the weekend in August 2018.

The Timmins Fur Council, Ontario Fur Managers Federation (OFMF) and the True North Voyageur Brigade are coming aboard.

For one thing, the local Fur Council will celebrate a milestone of their own, their 50th Anniversary. In conjunction with the OFMF, they will welcome a rendezvous and Annual General Meeting.

The meeting will run the Friday and Saturday of the festival, with a number of things happening at both Participark and the Ramada Inn.

Participark will host a slew of activities, vendors, council booths, seminars, demonstrations and more. The Ramada will be home to some special meals and the formal Annual General Meeting.

True North, meantime, will be canoeing through parts of Northeastern Ontario that week, culminating with their arrival at the festival grounds on the weekend.

With several hundreds more anticipated at the event, Manager of Tourism Timmins Guy Lamarche says they are well-prepared for the influx, noting there will be camping sites—including at Participark itself.

In addition, Lamarche says a number of kayak races will be re-named after locals that have made an impact in some way over the last 10 years.

The Elite Challenge will be the “Marcel Pelchat Ontario Power Generators Elite Challenge,” the Masters/Seniors Recreational Challenge will be the “Dr. John Shaw Masters/Seniors Recreational Challenge” and the Celebrity Challenge will be called the “Jack Watson Celebrity Challenge.”

Filed under: Local News