WINNIPEG SUN (Manitoba) 18 August 04 Turtle Race Back By Popular Demand
After a slow and steady two-year hiatus, turtle races have returned to Boissevain.
Originally discontinued in 2001, the races were held last weekend during the community's second annual Turtle Island Festival.
The competition, a 30-year tradition at the now-defunct Canadian Turtle Derby, was brought back because of their popularity, event organizer George Dyck said.
"I was amazed at how many people wanted the turtles back, there was a great deal of interest," he said yesterday.
Western painted turtles -- commonly found in the Turtle Mountains south of Boissevain -- went head-to-head in past races but they're now considered an endangered species and can't be held in captivity, Dyck said.
That means organizers had to buy a dozen red-eared slider turtles from pet shops to use during the competition.
About 500 people attended the event, where they are encouraged to buy numbered tickets that correspond with numbers on the outside of a circular ring.
The first shelled reptile to reach a number outside the ring wins that ticket-holder a cash prize.
The festival's committee hopes to organize an even larger turtle race next summer, Dyck said.
Boissevain is about 75 kilometres south of Brandon.
Turtle Race Back By Popular Demand