The Ottawa Rowing Club (ORC) is honoured to be the recipient of an Ontario150 grant through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the ORC, the Ottawa Rowing Club, with the generous support of Ontario150, will be hosting the Kitchissippi Flotilla on June 17, 2017. This free public event will showcase the Ottawa River and the rich history of rowing in Ottawa. 150 ORC rowers will take to the Ottawa River in eights, quads, fours, doubles, pairs and singles, and travel downriver past the Prime Minister’s residence, then back up to the ORC’s historic boathouses. The flotilla will be documented through photographs and video. “We are happy to celebrate the Ottawa Rowing Club’s long history on the Ottawa River, and look forward to sharing our sport with others for years to come,” said ORC President Peter Thompson.

Old-fashioned family activities, a pancake breakfast, live music and the dedication of a new racing shell and commemorative sign will mark the occasion, and a display of archival photographs and objects will tell the story of the ORC since 1867. The Ottawa Rowing Club, with Ontario150, will honour the deeper history of the River and its shores and the people who have used the site before the ORC was established in 1867. “I am proud that through the Ontario150 Community Celebration program, our government is supporting unique events like this that provide wonderful opportunities to celebrate Ontario’s 150th anniversary here in our nation’s capital and across our great province,” said Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

The Ottawa Rowing Club is excited to share in Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations and to host the public on June 17 for this free, family-friendly event! The event will begin at 9am and wrap up at 1pm. Visit www.ottawarowingclub.com for news, rowing program information and other free public events at the Ottawa Rowing Club.