Ice boats on the beach
Third annual Ice Boat Festival to take place in Cape Traverse this weekend
The third annual Ice Boat Festival will take place today in Cape Traverse.
The festival is not only for Cape Traverse residents as all members of the public are welcomed to attend, said Robyn McKay, a member of Ice Boat Heritage Inc, the group hosting the event.
“It’s a free event, and we’d love (it) if people brought photos or postcard (of any ice boating heritage in their families.) We’d love to get copies or take picture of those kinds of things.”
Ice Boat Heritage Inc., known as the Ice Boat crew, began in 2017 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the last ice boat crossing in April 1917.
“We wanted to recognize the anniversary. We are a group of nine Cape Traverse residents and we are committed to bringing the event on each year and preserve the history of ice boating in P.E.I.,” said McKay.
This year’s event is a beach party, beginning at 4:30 p.m., where attendees can see the historic ice boat display and artifacts The day will continue with children games, rely races and a community barbecue.
A new attraction is sandcastle building with Island artist and sculptor Maurice Bernard. P.E.I. musician David Woodside will be at the bonfire this evening to play some songs from his newly released album, “The Long and The Short".
Along with the festivities, the Ice Boat crew is in the midst of its “Fill the Boat” project, a backto-school fundraiser accepting donations of backpack, lunch bags and other school supplies to the South Shore Food Share.
The significance of ice boating is deep in the Cape Traverse community, said McKay.
“It’s important to everyone who lives here. Many of the families can trace back in their ancestry to ice boating. Even a lady from Tampa, Florida, told us about how her family lineage was directly linked. There’s still so much that’s coming forward in families.”
McKay said the committee has a few other projects in the works.
Last year, the group worked with Parks Canada and Holland College to rejuvenate the ice boat monument, including an ice boat replica.
“Now we have a beautiful, new replica at our monument. We’ll be revealing the plans of a new roof to go over the monument and a gazebo picnic area that Holland College will also work on with us. It’ll be finished by next summer,” said McKay.
A more long-term project in also underway for the organization.
“One of the major projects we hope to accomplish is building an interpretive centre in Cape Traverse to house all our artifacts, the ice boat displays and show ice boating history. It’s a community project.”
McKay said the centre is a work in progress.
“We don’t have a set schedule, but we hope to have it together in the next five years. One thing we had to do was become incorporated, which we did this year. So, step one is check-marked, and we’ll go from there. We have a lot of community support, which is really nice.”
For more information about the Cape Traverse Ice Boat Heritage Inc. And the Ice Boat Festival, visit: https://www.facebook.com/capetraverseiceboatco mmitee/?epa=SEARCH_BOX.