A Sunday afternoon dousing didn芒鈧劉t keep Debbie Girard, her mom Dorothy Johnston, and several hundred others away from the 91原创 Walk.
The 52nd annual community event, which offered both a five-and a 10-kilometre route, started and finished from the Fort 91原创 National Historic Site.
It was organized jointly by the Township and City of 91原创.
Despite the steady drizzle, this year芒鈧劉s walk had 520 people registered, including the mom and daughter who have made the walk a family tradition.
Girard said she and her mom are 芒鈧揳ddicted to getting out to it every year.芒鈧�
芒鈧揝he got my two sisters and I started in 1977, when I was 13 years old,芒鈧� Girard recalled. 芒鈧揥e make our spring plans around the walk.芒鈧�
Last year Girard was in New Brunswick, and she flew home for the walk, then back again to New Brunswick a few days afterwards.
芒鈧揑n a previous year we had plans to go to Turks and Caicos, and we flew out the day after the walk, as I couldn芒鈧劉t miss it,芒鈧� Girard added.
Since 1977, Girard only missed two walks, in 1985 and 芒鈧劉86.
芒鈧揑 am pretty sure my mom made it to them without me, but quite a tradition we have gotten ourselves in,芒鈧� she said.
This Girard attended with her partner, Norm Richard, her mom, and her dad, Doug Johnston, who participated in the very first 91原创 Walk,
芒鈧揑n fact he ran it,芒鈧� Girard said.
That was quite an undertaking, especially considering that the very first walk, held in 1963, was an 18-mile (29-kilometre) route through the countryside from Aldergrove to Fort 91原创.
In its formative years, the walk exploded in popularity. By 1970, the annual event was drawing 5,000 participants, although the routes had shrunk to more modest proportions of 20 km or less.
Winners from the 2014 walk were:
Most Walkers from an Elementary School 芒鈧�� Belmont Elementary;
Most Walkers from a Secondary School 芒鈧�� Aldergrove Community Secondary;
Most Walkers from an Organization 芒鈧�� Stepping Stones;
Most Walkers from a Family 芒鈧�� Humberstone Family; and
Oldest Walkers 芒鈧�� A. Myers (87 years old).
