2011 Natal Days Festival, Part 2: July 28-Aug 1, 2011

On Monday morning, I arose at 5:30 AM, to get ready to cycle to Dartmouth to compete in my first (running) road race in 3 years. After registering and gingerly warming up my IT Band Syndrome-plagued knee, I took my place with the 1200 other runners to wait for over 1 minute after the gun was fired to reach the starting line for the 6 mile event (10 km).

(And we're off! Well, sort of...)

The Dartmouth Natal Day Road Race is a 105 year-old tradition. Officially it is the third oldest running race in North America. As you can see from the above photo, it gathers quite a crowd, and with beautiful tree-lined streets like this, it's no wonder why.

The race even drew out local fans who pitched in to keep everyone cool on this blistering hot day.

After finishing the road race, and cleaning up, I walked about 20 meters back to the race course which had now been turned into a parade route. Stanley Cup winning hockey player, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, was the Honorary Parade Marshal. This position essentially involved nothing more than sitting in a car and waving at fans. However, this couldn't be done efficiently, as dozens of fans kept forcing the parade to stop by running up to try and get Brad's autograph.

Of course, what would a parade be without marching Mounties?

All of my favourite floats were back again, like the Crime Stoppers Jailbirds, the tiny fire engine, and the Shriners with their Paddy Wagon.

There were even some new favourites as well, like these Japanese drummers, or the pirates who shot bubbles from their cannon. To be fair, the pirates aren't really new, since they were at Sullivan's Pond last year for the Mayor's Dartmouth Tea Party, but this is the first time I've seen them in a float.

After the parade - because I obviously hadn't had enough exercise this day - I rode back to the Macdonald Bridge to participate in the 29th annual Bridgewalk. Just like at last year's Bridgewalk, the city shuts down the Macdonald Bridge for the day and pedestrians are encouraged to walk over and back as many times as they'd like. It's the best day of the year, in my opinion.

Additionally, it doesn't hurt that the organizers serve free cake either. If I'm honest, this fact had no small part in my decision to come participate.

If for some crazy reason you don't like cake, you could also look at the classic cars. This '54 Bel-Air was probably my favourite. I had forgotten about the "good ol' days" before computers (and fuel economy and safety and performance...) when a small Ea-pea could fit in the engine bay of an automobile.

Plenty of extra encouragement existed along the roughly mile-long bridge. If the oompa band didn't make you pick up your feet (or stroller wheels), then Mr. MACPASS could definitely brighten your day with his gargantuan smile.

By the time I had crossed over to Halifax and back though, I was truly exhausted and could barely stay awake. I decided to conclude yet another successful EP Natal Days weekend by cycling back over the bridge and back home to fall asleep.

HRM Bike Week 2011, Part 3: Pancake Breakfast and Bill 93 Proclamation

On the morning of Wednesday, June 1, I woke up and geared up early in the morning to cycle across the Macdonald Bridge for a free pancake breakfast. It won't take regular readers long to figure out that EP Dave loves free food, and will do just about anything to get it. However, if I can get free food at an event that promotes cycling I will ride my bicycle across the ocean to get it (literally in this case).

(Shivering in the cold since 6:30 am - it was about 8:40 am when this picture was taken - these three HRM heroes served pancakes, fruit salad, and juice to passing cyclists, and seconds of it to me.)

While a free pancake breakfast for cyclists is reason enough to get up early and leave the house, it wasn't the only cycling related event happening on this day. Teams of relays from different corners of Nova Scotia had been cycling for ten days across the province, and would be converging on the capital, Halifax, at 1:00 pm to deliver a copy of a historic bill to the Legislature that would become an official law on this day.

The bill in question, Bill 93 (the one meter law), requires all motor vehicles to give a one-metre birth to cyclists when passing (drivers can move into the oncoming traffic lane when it is safe to do so). The law also makes it punishable by law to drive or park in a bicycle lane too - that means you taxi cab drivers. Halifax still has a long way to go to reach the level of cities like Victoria, Bike Mecca of Canada, or even Ottawa, but this law is a good first step, and is the first of its kind in Canada.

Bill 93 is largely the result of intense lobbying by the Halifax Cycling Coalition (HCC). The HCC was formed in 2007 after the death of 19 year old Michael Brooker. Brooker was cycling downtown in the morning, when he was struck by a transport truck and killed.

HRM Point of Interest #23: Tufts Cove

A few weeks ago I posted an image on my Flickr account of a building near my home. Just visible over the top of the building in that image were the tips of the three red and white smoke stacks you see here in this image.

My friend Sara, with whom I went on the Harbour Hopper Tour back in August, sent me a message informing that the smoke stacks were located in a neighbourhood known as Tufts Cove. As I was cycling across the Macdonald Bridge to work one morning I noticed these smoke stacks for the first time and took this picture.

The name Tufts Cove comes from a prominent Boston area family that came to Dartmouth in 1749. The land itself was also the location for a Mi'kmaq settlement known as Turtle Grove, until 1917 when it was destroyed in the Halifax Explosion.

To be honest though, this isn't so much a HRM Point of Interest, as it is an EP Dave's Point of Interest. The only reason I included this image is because I have seen these prominent stacks in various images of the Halifax Harbour since I came here. However, I could never figure out where they were located, and neither could I find anyone who could remember either.

For this reason alone they had become like an annoying itch in my mind of which I just could not rid myself. And so, like a deeply satisfying scratching of a peeling sunburn, I present you this post so that I can relieve myself of this itch, and perhaps even save you from my "pain" also. I really do aim to provide a public service here at EP Dave's Terra Nova.

Natal Day Festival: July 29 - August 2, 2010, Part 3 - August 2

The fifth and final day of the Natal Day Festival technically began with the 104th running of the Dartmouth Natal Day Road Races - one of the oldest, continually running foot races in Canada. The races started at 8:00 AM though, and after two hard days of festival going I just couldn't wake up at 5:30 AM a third day in a row (I would have had to cycle over the bridge all the way to Dartmouth, making my departure time even earlier than usual).

I did however make it down to Gottingen Street (apparently the most dangerous neighbourhood in Halifax according to people who don't live there) for the start of the annual Natal Day Parade.

(Town criers announce the start of the parade.)

(The Navy Marching Band leads the procession.)

(Mounties leading the Pipes and Drums "H Division" of the RCMP...)

(Leading yet more Mounties.)

(Pipe and drum bands are very popular in Halifax, as you can probably tell by now if you've read the blog regularly.)

(The Annual Halifax Comic Convention is coming in October, hence this guy's get up.)

(Upper Clements Parks, eh? Sounds like it needs to be added to add to my list of places to visit. Too bad the website URL doesn't work at the time of writing this.)

(This float was in the Pride Parade too, with the same prisoners... I wonder if they were allowed out between parades?)

(Tinkerbell sings on the Best Commercial Entry winning float for some fairytale birthday party company.)

(And here's my pick for Most Colourful Float. I haven't seen Champ in ages; this brings back memories of early morning television watching as a kid... "I can put my arm back on. You can't. So Play Safe." Great message and effective ad, since I've obviously never forgotten it.)

(Again, I never know what these things are supposed to be, but they're always fun to see.)

(Ditto for this thing.)

(The relatively rare Vietnamese parade dragon - often overshadowed by its more visible Chinese relative.)

(Air Cadets marching in time...)

(And the answer to the age old question, "How many boy scouts does it take to help a little old 'lady' across the street?")

(Of course no parade would be complete without Shriners on tiny motorcycles.)

(But apparently even driving a miniature bike or car was too hard for this Shriner.)

After the Parade had ended, it was time to head over the bridge to Sullivan's Pond and Park for the Mayor's Dartmouth Natal Day Tea Party, where I ate even more cookies and even more free cake.

(The excellent Shirley Jackson & The Good Rockin' Daddies entertain the large crowd enjoying the excellent weather and the excellent Natal Day Festival.)

(These guys travelled over to Dartmouth too, to pipe in the mayor again; tax payer dollars well spent, twice.)

Sullivan's Park was also the site of the Pirates of Sullivan's Pond Family Fun Day, featuring bouncy castles galore!

After stuffing myself full of cake and cookies at Sullivan's Pond, I headed back to the Macdonald Bridge for the 28th Annual Bridge Walk over the Macdonald Bridge. Every year during the Natal Day Festival, the Macdonald Bridge (a toll bridge over the Halifax Harbour that sees 40 000 vehicle crossings a day) is closed and a giant celebration is held with even more cake and refreshments, even more bouncy castles and music, and the greatest sight I've ever seen on a bridge - no cars!

(I estimate at least 5 000 people walked over this bridge today. I'll update the real number when I find it.)

(Mr. MACPASS hands out high fives.)

(These ladies were so happy the bridge was closed they started dancing in the street! Either that, or it was because there was a live band playing behind me. Regardless, pay attention Canada, this is what happens when you get cars and drivers off the road.)

Natal Day Festival: July 29 - August 2, 2010, Part 2 - August 1

Day 4 of the 2010 Natal Day Festival started at 9:00 AM, with the Maritime Heart Centre's 17th Annual MACPASS Miles run, over the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge. The race started on the Halifax side of the bridge and continued for one mile up one side of the arched Halifax Harbour suspension bridge, and down the other to the finish line by the toll booths in Dartmouth.

Not only was the race free to enter, but New Balance was on hand giving out free sneakers for anyone to try during the race. Since my old running trainers were over a year old, had crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and travelled across Canada three times, not to mention having spent considerable time walking, hiking and running on three separate continents, they were a little worse for wear (my toes had blown a hole through the sides of both shoes). Therefore I jumped at the chance to wear a new pair for free, even though my personal view is that expensive cushioning-heavy running shoes are the major cause of running related injuries, not their solution.

(My perfectly fitting racing false feet.)

Not having ran any race even close to only a mile since high school, or even having trained for running in over a year, I had no idea what to expect from the race. I just tried to pick a decently fast pace that I thought I could maintain, and see if I could finish the race looking strong and not so close to the back that I embarrassed myself.

In the end I felt that I finished a pretty good race. I estimated that I finished somewhere in the top 25 to 30 racers, and that my time was around 5:35. I even ran the second half-mile a little faster than the first, so that was a good sign too. As my new friend from the YMCA (a retired guy who has to be at least 80 years old) tells me though, "don't you worry about going fast, just meet some people and have fun." It's a great motto for running, and my new motto for life.

(Waiting around at the "start line" on North Street.)

(Heading on to the bridge. I apologize for the off angle picture here, but I didn't have time to stop and focus my shot during the race.)

(The winner of the Open Women's category "breaking the tape" in about 5:20.)

Speaking of the YMCA; after the race I went back there again to get in even more exercise. After lifting some weights and relaxing in the whirl pool and steam room, I went out for coffee with my aforementioned friend. We talked for so long though, that I missed the gospel choirs concert at the Waterfront. It was little worry though, as I was then more easily able to make it to the Mayor's Halifax Natal Day Tea Party in the Public Gardens, where I filled up on the free cake, cookies, and iced tea.

(A pipes and drums band plays for the crowd before the mayor took to the podium to address everyone. His speech was mercifully short and sweet, so that we could get to the cake sooner.)

(The very popular, very busy refreshments tent. The mayor was out carrying around a tray of cookies when I took this picture, so he is not in the shot.)

(Haligonians enjoying the sun and the fun in the Public Gardens. A live band was providing entertainment at the bandstand this afternoon too.)