Community spirit was front and centre at the 21st annual Barrie Dragon Boat Festival at Heritage Park, where paddlers took to Kempenfelt Bay to raise money for local charities.
Hosted by the Barrie Public Library, the event featured 40 teams battling it out on a 300-metre course, with four boats racing at a time in two minutes of high-energy paddling.
Barrie Public Library CEO Lauren Jessop said the festival continues to grow because it connects residents with organizations that rely on community support.
“Our community supports the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival because it’s an exciting loca tradition that combines thrilling races with meaningful causes,” she said.
“Every paddler helps raise funds for the Barrie Public Library and many other community charities, keeping programs, services and connections strong for everyone.”
Jessop added the event reflects values at the heart of both the library and the city.
“It’s special and important for the Barrie Public Library because it serves as a community gathering place, a fundraiser and a cultural celebration all in one,” she said.
“It’s a true example of how the library helps people connect and discover new opportunities.”
Chris Streets, a library employee who paddled with Catulpa Community Support Services, has competed in the festival for nearly a decade. He said it’s the mix of camaraderie and competition that keeps him coming back.
“It’s just a great community event — it gets so many different organizations to come out,” he said.
“You see everyone here having a great time, working together and bonding over sweat and tears during a fun dragon boat competition.”
The festival also carried deeply personal meaning for some participants. Brothers Addison and Blake Murphy paddled for Team Faye, raising more than $25,000 in support of Blake’s wife, Faye, who is living with ALS.
Addison said seeing people rally for causes close to their hearts is what makes the event wonderful.
“It’s nice to come together and see that everybody is doing this,” he said
“This brings everybody together as a team, but everybody is racing for something personal to them.”
For Blake, the race was especially moving.
“This is something very close to us — it’s our family member, and she is a friend to everybody here,” he said.
It was the brothers’ first year competing, but they don’t plan on making it their last.
“We definitely want to make this into a yearly event — this is going to be an annual thing for us. We’re just getting started,” Addison said.
Since its launch in 2003, the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival has raised more than $2 million for local charities.
