Esquimalt’s annual Buccaneer Days are barely over, and organizers are already looking to make next year’s festivities bigger and better to help the township celebrate 100 years as an incorporated municipality.
“Hopefully, we can make it more than just a couple of days,” said Bob McKie, Buccaneer Days committee co-chair. The fun could begin Thursday instead of Friday, he said.
Organizers were pleased this year with the weather, the number of spectators who turned out for rugby and lacrosse as well as the size of the Buccaneer Days parade.
From babies to seniors, dogs and even a boa constrictor, spectators from beyond the Esquimalt border watched 68 parade entries navigate Esquimalt Road.
“It was good,” said Saanich resident Ryan Bouma, who stood watching on the sidelines with his wife Annie and their two young children. “(Our children) like the drums.”
Bouma was impressed by the motorcycles showcased in the event, while Annie was delighted to be able to hunt for bargains along the route.
“I liked the yard sales along the way,” she said with a smile.
Esquimalt residents Ed Wheeler and Joyce Beattie were also among the hundreds of spectators.
“I enjoyed it very much,” said Wheeler, a fan of Spectrum Community School’s marching band.
“For a small community, (the parade) was excellent,” Beattie said.
Other weekend highlights included the always-popular free children’s pony rides and the success of a skydiving fundraiser on Sunday, which raised $800 for 1st Arbutus and Francophone Scouts.
McKie said he was also impressed by the volunteers who made the fair a success.
“If it wasn’t for the volunteers, there wouldn’t be Buccaneer Days,” McKie said. “You just couldn’t afford to pay for the hours they put into it.”
emccracken@vicnews.com