Paddlers together to sing O Canada

Paddles dipped, flags flew and O Canada rang out over Peterborough’s iconic Lift Lock Saturday as Lock ’n’ Paddle aimed for a record.

The goal was 150 canoes or kayaks in each of the Lift Lock’s rising “tubs.” That’s 150 for Canada’s 150th birthday, times two, on National Canoe Day

The final tally was 328, crammed bow to stern under the tidy direction of lockmaster Ed Donald, who paced the upper levels of the lock to make sure everyone could fit.

This all happened under clear, sunny skies – but not too hot, either.

The event was organized by the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada in partnership with The Canadian Canoe Museum and The Land Canadian Adventures.

The paddlers came from two directions, some from Little Lake via Lock 21 between Rogers Cove and Beavermead, while others came down the canal from further north.

They came in kayaks and canoes, some in pairs, some solo. There were umbrellas to ward off the sun, the occasional guitar, and plenty of Canadiana – shirts, hats, sunglasses, flags and more.

After the tubs were filled, they were brought level together halfway up at about 1 p.m., just in time for the paddlers to sing O Canada and Happy Birthday together.

The celebration dominated local social media Saturday, with Twitter and Instagram users dominating their adventures both on and off the water, including many paddlerseyes-views from inside the tubsm with the hashtag #LockNPaddle

Meanwhile, down at ground level, landlubbers could check out exhibits and demonstrations of bushcraft and wilderness survival with The Land Canadian Adventures, a local tourism outfitter, run by Bretton Clark and Briagh Hoskins-Hasbury, focused on backwoods camping. The startup won the Bears’ Lair competition in 2014.

Also on hand: Artists, portraits and more.