| When I was making my travel plans to Ottawa I | | | | |
| had a look at all the events that are part of | | | | The event was emceed by Max Keeping, a true |
| Winterlude, Ottawa's Winter Festival, and | | | | Ottawa celebrity and respected community |
| there was one event that caught my attention | | | | leader. Max is the evening anchor of the 6 pm |
| right away: the 26th Annual Bed Race at Dows | | | | Ottawa News on CTV and I had a chance to talk |
| lake.After a nourishing breakfast at the Lord | | | | to him a little. Max is originally from |
| Elgin Hotel, Theresa and I laced up our | | | | Newfoundland and has lived in the Ottawa area |
| skates and made our way on the longest | | | | for many years and is very proud to promote |
| skating rink in the world, the 7.8 km long | | | | his chosen home town. He welcomed the large |
| Rideau Canal Skateway, to Dows Lake, where | | | | group of onlookers to the Bedzz Races by |
| the Bed Race was going to be held.A stage and | | | | referring to Ottawa as "Every Canadian's |
| comfortable resting place for the judges of | | | | second home town".We also had a chat about |
| the 26th Annual Bed RaceI looked for the | | | | Winterlude and that it is an amazing |
| organizers to get a bit more information | | | | festival. Rather than allowing people to |
| about this event and I was able to connect | | | | gripe about the long tough winter, it gets |
| with Steve Georgopoulos, one of the main | | | | everybody out on the streets and on the canal |
| organizers from the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, | | | | to party to celebrate the great things that |
| the organization that has been organizing the | | | | winter has to offer.After the introductory |
| Bed Race for the last few years. Steve is | | | | remarks, the races got underway, with many |
| also the General Manager of the Les Suites | | | | rounds of elimination to narrow down the |
| Hotel in Ottawa and has been instrumental in | | | | field to the eventual winners. There is no |
| getting this special event off the ground.The | | | | doubt that some of the beds weren't |
| motto of the Kiwanis International is | | | | constructed for aerodynamics, as a matter of |
| "Serving the Children of the World", and they | | | | fact, some of the contraptions seemed to |
| do this in a number of ways, from providing | | | | somewhat disintegrate out on the |
| hands-on service to organizing fundraising | | | | racetrack.The teams made a valiant effort to |
| events. Steve talked about the great sense of | | | | push the beds down the icy raceway, and |
| camaraderie that develops when people come | | | | depending on the design of the wheels, some |
| together and donate their time to help | | | | teams just flew down to the finish line, |
| others.Steve explained that the race has been | | | | while others, particularly the ones with very |
| part of the Winterlude Festival for the past | | | | small wheels, took their sweet time to reach |
| 28 years. It was originally run by the Ottawa | | | | the finish.Steerability was another issue: |
| Hospital Foundation, and revived in 2003 by | | | | some of the beds had a hard time staying on |
| the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa after the Ice | | | | track and it was very prudent for the |
| Storm nixed the race in 2001, and a short | | | | photographers to get out of the way when |
| hiatus in 2002.This year the race will raise | | | | these out-of-control vehicles came careening |
| approximately $50,000 and the 2006 proceeds | | | | toward the finish area. Some of the racers |
| will go to the Kiwanis Read-A-Thon. The | | | | pushing the beds lost traction and were |
| Precious Minds Read-a-thon is an event that | | | | sliding all over the frozen lake on their |
| is designed to encourage children to become | | | | rear ends. At certain points I had a hard |
| better readers. And it does so by inspiring | | | | time taking pictures because I was actually |
| them to read more often, try out new books | | | | laughing so hard. This wasn't helped by the |
| and have fun while they are doing it. | | | | fact that I was the only reporter on skates |
| | | | documenting this event. But skating is part |
| The Read-A-Thon is in its third year and the | | | | of the true Winterlude experience and I was |
| Kiwanis Club provides new books for libraries | | | | definitely experiencing the real thing..... |
| in various schools. So far 47 schools have | | | | |
| been included with a total of 17,000 | | | | Well, a travel writer's job is never over: I |
| students. An estimated 100,000 books are to | | | | had another event on my schedule - the Fire |
| be read.40 teams entered this year, and they | | | | and Ice Culinary demonstrations at |
| came from a wide variety of organizations, | | | | Confederation Park. So much to my chagrin I |
| including the Ottawa Police, the Fire | | | | had to leave the bed race behind and make my |
| Fighters, 5 teams from the local Algonquin | | | | way back about 7 km on the Rideau Canal. I |
| College, a number of teams from local hotels | | | | found out later that the team from Apollo |
| such as the Lord Elgin Hotels, Les Suites and | | | | Property Management had won the fundraising |
| teams from other local companies. Steve | | | | competition, while the International Union of |
| mentioned that there even is a family that | | | | Elevator Constructors - Local 96 was the |
| has entered the bed racing competition, 5 | | | | fastest bed. The best decorated bed was won |
| cousins whose mothers are sisters with a | | | | by the Gordon Group, with Les Suites Hotel a |
| common grandfather. They entered for the | | | | close second.All in all the bed race was a |
| first time last year to celebrate a family | | | | great event, the teams had fun, the audience |
| member's 80th birthday, just something | | | | saw a great hilarious spectacle, and a good |
| special to do.... | | | | chunk of money was raised for a great |
| | | | cause.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| Of course there are very specific rules for | | | | website called Travel and Transitions ( |
| this event: the beds entered in the | | | | Travel and Transitions deals with |
| competition have to be no smaller than 1.8 m | | | | unconventional travel and is chock full of |
| by 0.9 m (6 by 3 feet), and they have to have | | | | advice, tips, real life travel experiences, |
| a frame, head board and foot board. The frame | | | | interviews with travellers and travel |
| must be made of metal for safety reasons. | | | | experts, insights and reflections, |
| Mattresses are not required, although the | | | | cross-cultural issues, contests and many |
| springs must be covered. And the bed must be | | | | other features. You will also find stories |
| on wheels, skis or skates are not | | | | about life and the transitions that we face |
| acceptable.The teams can win in one of three | | | | as we go through our own personal life-long |
| categories: speed, decor and fundraising. Of | | | | journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| course everybody wins since the proceeds of | | | | our first travel story contest ( and have a |
| this event go to a great cause. The title | | | | chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on |
| sponsor of the 2006 event is a company called | | | | the Amazon River."Life is a Journey Explore |
| Bedzzz, and the presenting sponsor is | | | | New Horizons". |
| Allstream, a network solutions provider. | | | | |