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In 1973, Charles Garrod and Douglas Williams came up with the idea of turtle racing. Charlie (as he was known in town) and his wife Ruth, went to Boissevain, Manitoba. While they were there, they saw the Great Turtle Derby. Their turtle derby, which is no longer running, was a much bigger event than that of our community. He came back and told a few other gentlemen of the Recreation Committee.
In 1974, Ailsa Craig's Centennial year, they decided to race four turtles on a wooden board. The legend is still out on whether the first race was on Main Street or in front of the school that used to be across from where the fire hall is now. Since that brought so much interest and joy to the community, they then decided to make it a bigger event.
So in 1975, they made a tower with a starting gate at the bottom and a 25' diameter circle with a line drawn on the local ball diamond surface and within a few years, the little town of Ailsa Craig would double in size.
Since then every third weekend in July, people from far and wide, and from all generations came to Ailsa Craig, to see Gala Days and the Turtle Races. In 2010, however, the Committee learned we would no longer be allowed to race turtles. The community pulled together and the Turtle Derby: featuring Kub Kars was born!
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