This weekend, Allumette Island turned into a party island during its annual community celebration – Island Fest.
The three-day event hosted sports tournaments of all kinds, including washers, volleyball, pickleball and this year, the community classic family ball tournament, all held at the Chapeau R.A. grounds.
The Chapeau Market was operating at full force with the addition of some new local vendors for the special occasion, and the Lions Club canteen kept people fed and hydrated throughout the weekend.
Saturday morning Merv Fleming, with the front end of a loader filled with 750 rubber ducks, temporarily stopped traffic on the Chapeau bridge to dump them into the river below for the Lions Club’s annual duck race fundraiser.
The colourful ducks then floated downriver to the boat launch, where Lions members had fashioned a rope spanning from one side of the river to the other as a finish line. Everlee Charlebois’ duck number 732 took first place. She and the lucky owners of the first four other ducks to reach the line won a total of $2,500, which was divided up between them.
The remaining money was donated to help cover the cost of a generator that will soon be installed at Harrington Community Center.
Island Fest comes together thanks to a collection of efforts from community organizations including Chapeau Recreation Association, the Chapeau Agricultural Society, the Harrington Community Center, the Upper Pontiac Sports Complex, Chapeau Young at Heart club, the Chapeau Lions Club, and the Allumette Island Tourism Committee led by the municipality. The profits from the weekend are then shared among these organizations.
“It’s everyone working together to throw a big party, and share the benefits,” said Chantal Lair, Municipality of Allumette Island community development officer.
The party continued late into the evening on both Friday and Saturday, with entertainment performed by Ryan Ziggs and the Zaggs on Friday and Cam Beaudry and the Reg Carkner Band on Saturday.
The weekend also acted as a sort-of grand opening for the new shade pavilion that was completed days before the weekend festivities at the Chapeau Recreation Association grounds, Lair said.
The structure is step one of a three-phase plan for improvements to be made to the Chapeau R.A. field that will focus on drainage of the soccer and ball fields.
