Times Advocate, 1995-07-19, Page 13£UMM1JN[TY
Times -Advocate, July 19, 1995 Page 13
• Five-year-old Sean Rutledge, of Ailsa Craig, shows off his turtle, 'Robo Cop' while his brother Haydn, 2, struggles with
'The Flash' just minutes before Ailsa Craig's first Turtle Races Saturday.
Craig and Andrew Windsor get ready for the annual Gala
Days Parade with their pony, T.J.
Children In the 15-19 months age group await judging as
their mothers sit with them in the baby contest.
Ailsa Craig's
turtles beat
the heat
Brenda Burke TA -staff
AILSA CRAIG - The turtles at
Ailsa Craig's 21st Annual Gala
Days Turtle Races didn't seem to
mind the 30 -plus temperatures last
weekend. In fact, the heat may have
given them a motive to compete
against each other - for water.
According to Turtle Master Steve
McDonnell, turtles tend to move
quicker on hot days because they're
looking for water. He says turtles
in past races tried to face the Au-
sauble river, which runs behind the
race area.
"That's where mine was head-
ing," said Pat McDonnell who not
only helped organize the races but
owned the Grand Championship
Turtle, Electrolux. "I'm sure it
must have been smelling water."
McDonnell said this year's turtle
contestants had "pretty fast times"
with the fastest, Jerri Baby, be-
longing to Sandy's Video in Ailsa
Craig, making 55.65 seconds.
While many turtles enjoyed the
heat and found purpose in it, most
Gala Days participants, clad in
shorts, shades and hats, sought the
sheltered picnic table area and the
air conditioning of the recreation
centre where the baby contest was
held indoors for the first time.
Twenty-four babies sat in air-
conditioned comfort with their
moms and charmed the audience.
First-time judge Bonnie Ross of
Ailsa Craig had difficulty picking
winners.
"I was just looking at them and
trying to figure out which one was
the cutest. It was tough. Every one
of them could have been a first
place winner," said Ross.
That's perhaps 'hat the pet show
judge Ron Walker was thinking as
he prepared his contestants.
"Now get those dogs psyched up
because I expect something won-
derful from them. Get these dogs
pumped up," he called. And then
to each contestant as they sat on an
outdoor stage with their panting
pooches at their feet he demanded,
"Tell me about your dog in 15
words or less."
In 15 words or more, the number
of turtle race contestants proved to
be fewer this time around.
"I find one year's high, the next
year's low," explained the Turtle
Master. Last weekend there were
28 races in comparison with last
year's 32. This year 114 kids, 10
teens and 166 adults registered tur-
tles for the races.
Three quarters of the adult par-
ticipants included business teams
that helped support the event's
Souvenir Program. Return payment
per business was a turtle in the rac-
es.
The contesting Midland Painted
Turtles caught in local ponds and
rivers posed no problem for the
Ministry of Natural Resources this
year. Last year the race was almost
cancelled after officials were pres-
sured to enforce the Fish and Game
Act which prohibits the taking of
turtles from the wild.
"(This year's race) was okayed
well ahead of time," explained the
Turtle Master. "It's a year by year
thing. We're way more than willing
to put up with the restrictions."
One of those restrictions includes
turtle race rule #9 - "All turtles
will be returned to their natural
habitat after the races by the race
committee."
Also, race turtles must be caught
no more than four weeks prior to
the races.
But the Turtle Master had more
than race rules on his mind.
"As soon as you move, boom!
(The turtles) stop," he said. "We
constantly have the problem be-
cause of the little kids."
At Ailsa Craig's Turtle Races
though, the only things willing to
move through the heat wave, al-
though asometimes in all direc-
tions, sometimes slowly and at oth-
er times almost not at all, appeared
to be the turtles.
Eager pooches perform one by one for the event's pet show which required owners to say, "in
15 words or less" something about their dog.
Ashton Nichol, 9, of A11sa Craig, poses with her 'loonle' turtle 'Googlebutton'.