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Riverside Drive was packed with people this morning looking to inject a little colour into their weekend. And they did just that. In a big way.
It was the 2019 Wildstone Colours4Kids Run for the OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre, and it was, as usual, a wild and crazy affair where participants run back and forth along Riverside while volunteers at several stations along the way spray them in coloured cornstarch.
The event's not about setting a personal best. It's about accumulating as much colour as possible.
That's why, as the time ticked down, kids, and even some adults, were seen rolling on the pavement at one of the many colour stations — to soak up as much pink, red, yellow or blue as possible.
It also benefits a great cause, and OSNS executive director Manisha Willms figured today's event was potentially the biggest yet.
"We can't tally totals yet because we have a lot of people register on the day. But we know we had about 700 people register online prior to today," she said. "Last year we had 800 register in total, and we had at least a couple hundred register today, so it looks like a record-breaking total. Looking out at that crowd at the start line was just fantastic."
This is the fourth year OSNS had been involved, and Willms couldn't be happier — particularly with chief sponsor Wildstone Construction and all the day's associate sponsors. Indeed, the sponsors were the ones lobbing and spraying all that colourful cornstarch.
"We're a building filled with therapists really, so getting the time to organize something like this takes away from services. So what's fantastic about events like this is that companies take it on, and do all the legwork. We volunteer on the day and it's just fabulous."
This year's event featured two-waves of participants at its LocoLanding Adventure Park start line, which alleviated some of the crowding of previous years. And Megan Rutledge was a big fan.
Rutledge sat on the curb post-event, with her family, chomping down on well deserved ice cream cones, and she explained why they were there today.
"We're strongly integrated with OSNS. Our two older children have gone to the daycare or are currently in it, and also the preschool. We're looking forward to our little guy going too. So obviously when money is being raised to help children, that's a huge reason for us to come out and spend the day with them."
"OSNS is amazing. They're willing to try new and different things. Every child is different and how they learn is different, and they're super supportive of the way they look at each child to make sure they're doing the right things for them."
Apart from all those colours, OSNS had another weapon today - Scott Niedermayer.
One of the finest defensemen ever to play in the National Hockey League, Niedermayer, born in B.C. and a soon-to-be resident of Penticton, signed autographs for a ton of folks today and posed for an endless stream of photos.
"I have two kids into hockey here," he said between visitors. "And I wanted to get back close to home. It's a little nicer vibe up here than in California."
"I connected with OSNS through Mark Melissen at Wildstone. He was friends with my ten-year-old's head coach. And he asked if I'd do this and it worked out. I had a tour with Manisha and it's just amazing what they're doing. I couldn't say anything but yes."
While we chatted, we couldn't help ask the well-spoken Cranbrook native about that rumoured deal from the middle of the 00 decade that would have seen him become a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
"When I was a free agent, I was speaking with the management of the Canucks. They had some interest, we had some interest. But it never quite happened. It would have been fun."
Yes, it would have.
When it was all over, we thought back to the words of Manisha Willms earlier in the day. "One of the things we want to do at the Child Development Centre is to have events that are accessible to everyone. To celebrate kids, to celebrate families."
The 2019 Wildstone Colours4Kids Run did just that.