Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
QUYON Oct. 21, 2017
The annual Quyon Lionettes’ car rally took over the town on Saturday, as participants raced through searching for the answers on all things Canadian.
Featuring 58 teams and over 200 participants, the rally tasked everyone with deciphering the organizer’s clues, before taking over Gavan’s Hotel for a night of celebrations.
“The theme was all Canada 150,” said Meghan Morris, one of the event organizers. “We start everyone in 1867 and from there, take them through the decades.”
This year’s rally theme and questions were all organized by the team that won last year. In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, teams were tasked with dressing up their vehicles, donning costumes, answering various questions, collecting scavenger hunt items, plus plenty more for bonus points.
Teams of anywhere from four to seven people participated and started the hunt in five-minute intervals. This dispersion of start times helps keep the teams from getting tangled up in bunches at harder stops and challenges.
The first task groups were met with was a one-minute song quiz, featuring solely Canadian artists. Spliced into three-second clips back-to-back, it was easy to become quickly overwhelmed as the likes of Drake, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber and The Tragically Hip quickly blared out.
Then teams were let loose on the town, following directions to answer questions like, “Unlucky number 13. In what year did this NHL team win their last to date Stanley cup?” and “His shot marked the end of legendary Canadian-Soviet battle in September of ’72, we remember his name, do you?”
Teams were tasked with a grand total of 68 official questions to answer, but plenty more to do than that.
A series of bonus challenges were included in the day’s activities, including taking a selfie with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (via pictures of the man posted around town) and returning with a can of Labatt 50. Bonus points were also awarded if a team could correctly remember who each of the organizing team’s members were dressed up as.
The organizing team took around six weeks to get everything coordinated and consisted of eight members: Ashley Baker, Holly Richardson, Katie Robinson, Leigh Dolan, Mandy Renaud, Mdghan Morris, Sara Dorrington and Stacey Tanguay.
At the end of the rally, teams were asked to return to Gavan’s by 6 p.m. so that the points could be tallied, the answers shared with everyone and more than a few drinks shared, too.
The event is put on each year by the Quyon Lionettes, who organize the meal, gather prizes for the winners and take care of the money. A 50/50 draw helped raise more cash, awarding one lucky winner nearly $500 to go home with.
Quyon Lionettes President Pat Lusk said she was proud and impressed by the organizing team’s thoroughness. She said their use of history and creativity made for a lot of fun this year.
“People are raving about this being one of the best Lionette rallies,” said Lusk.
