Fish festival celebrates Wheatley in fine fashion

By Mark Ribble

In spite of the looming forecast, the Wheatley Fish Festival only had to dodge a few raindrops this past weekend as Mother Nature cooperated and the event went off without a hitch.

Fish Festival Committee spokesperson Hilary Hodgson said Sunday afternoon that they felt really good about dodging the ‘weather bullet’.

“Fish Fest 2023 was a success all weekend long,” said Hodgson. “We could not have done it without the support from our local businesses, clubs, volunteers and most importantly, our community.”

Hodgson went on to say that she’s proud of her “Fish Crew” for their hard work, dedication and committment.

“Thank you Wheatley for an amazing weekend full of family fun,” she added. “We are proud to be from this community.”

Friday night, a large crowd gathered at Two Creeks Conservation Area to be entertained by the live performances of Wheatley’s Ryan Bradley and Leamington’s Jody Raffoul, along with lots of kids’ activities that kept the younger set busy.

On Saturday, the hot humid weather played into the hands of participants who plied their skills at the water-based events like the tug of war, tote races and kids trout pond at Wheatley Harbour, as well as children’s activities and vendors.

Emcee Lager kept folks abreast on what was happening around the harbour and provided worthy commentary on the tote box races and tug of war.

Saturday wrapped up with the always popular fish and chicken dinner at the arena, followed by live entertainment by the Mojo Wailers Band.

Sunday morning started with the Ladies Auxiliary Fish Fest breakfast at Lil Hil’s Coffee Shop, followed by the parade which attracted about 25 floats and a few hundred spectators.

The weekend finished off with the boat parade out of Wheatley Harbour Sunday night and the fireworks on Lake Erie, both going off despite a few sprinkles.

The tote box races at Wheatley Harbour produced lots of laughs and entertainment for those in attendance as well as the participants. Here, Jessica Imeson, left, and Rachel Lamb take a short break while paddling across the harbour. The pair did not win their heat but they had lots of fun making the trek from one side to the other. SUN photo

Riley Sisco of the Crazy Eights tug of war team strains to hold on during the Fish Festival tug of war final. His team won the event.

Three-year-old Harper gets help from her mom Sarah trying out the Archery Windsor activities at Two Creeks Conservation Area on Friday evening.

The kids trout pond was a popular feature at the Wheatley Harbour on Saturday morning.

Teams compete in the always popular fish tote races at Wheatley Harbour on Saturday morning.

Young Debbie was getting anxious to get going on her modified tricycle as the Fish Festival Parade got started in Wheatley.

Chatham-Kent Leamington MP Dave Epp was busy along the Fish Festival Parade route handing out Canadian flags.

Lila Ribble of Wheatley was chasing balloons inside the bubble balloon structure at the Wheatley Harbour on Saturday.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 324 Wheatley was well represented at the Fish Festival Parade on Sunday.