What Was The Strangest Summer Festival You Ever Attended?

Hands down for me it's the Turtle Derby in Boissevain Manitoba. For no reason I could find (like an over populations of turtles in the area) they held turtle races in this small prairie town. It's strange to watch a race where people start cheering, then go off for a beer, then come back to cheer for the end of the race. I swear there were times I wanted to boot the turtles in the ass. Trust me, they don't race any faster than they move at any other ordinary time in their lives. I half expected/hoped they had rocket packs attached to their shells while they race along fishing line. WHAT? It would be safe - those shells are indestructable.

Tommy the Turtle, Boissevain’s 28 foot tall, 10,000 lb statue stands proud watching over Boissevain. The turtle was erected in 1974, a symbolic icon for the community and the historic summer Canadian Turtle Derby.

In 1987 Boissevain held its first annual Turtle Derby, and spectators enjoyed the excitement generated by the festivities surrounding the turtle racing competitions. The growing enthusiasm of turtle racing became a major tourism attraction for Boissevain. However, in 2001 the community ended the Turtle Derby, but “Tommy Turtle” still warmly greets visitors to the community.

The monument was erected in 1974 as a symbol of the community and it's proximity to Turtle Mountain (which incidentally does have turtles). They only held the Turtle Derby from 1987 to 2001. What kind of sad spectacle was this festival that they had to stop holding the event. Everyone had just had enough with all the stupid turtles and related turtle merchandise. However, they still have the stupid turtle statue to deal with. How much does this town wish they could go back in time and NOT name the only mountain in Manitoba, Turtle Mountain, which now makes sense to me because against the prairie backdrop, it DOES look like a turtle.

Rising up 245 metres/804 feet from the prairie, this rolling terrain is a must for mountain biking enthusiasts. The first dry terrain in Manitoba after the glaciers receded, Turtle Mountain is home to an abundance of wildlife. Moose, white-tailed deer, beaver, and raccoon are joined by the chorus of birds like loons and grebes.