Water Smart Day on June 25 at Couchiching Beach

Learn about water safety at the sixth annual Orillia Water Smart Day on Saturday, June 25, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Couchiching Beach Park.

Water Smart Day is a free public event aimed at educating the community about drowning prevention and strategies to keep you and your family safe in and around the water. Enjoy playing water smart games, face painting, water balloon challenges, lifeguard demonstrations and free Swim to Survive lessons from 2 to 4 p.m.

“As Orillians, we are lucky to live on two beautiful lakes, but it makes drowning prevention education even more important. Water Smart Day is a great event that provides families with fun, interactive ways to learn about water safety for free,” said Mayor Steve Clarke. “If that’s not enough to get you to the beach, you can also catch me competing against our lifeguards to see if I have what it takes to join the team!”

As a part of the City of Orillia’s Lifeguard recruitment campaign, which aims to hire 75 lifeguards for the new recreation facility opening in 2018, Orillia lifeguards have challenged Mayor Clarke to a lifeguard competition. At 1 p.m., Mayor Clarke will participate in a Swim to Survive challenge, a paddle board rescue, and take part in a rescue demonstration. Watch the challenge videos on the City of Orillia’s You Tube Channel youtube.com/thecityoforillia.

“Our end goal with the challenge against the Mayor is to generate interest in the community to enroll in the appropriate courses to become a lifeguard. We hope a big crowd comes out to Water Smart Day to cheer on the lifeguards and the Mayor as we compete,” said Sarah Leatherdale, Waterfront Director for the City of Orillia.

For more information, or to pre-register for the free Swim to Survive lesson, contact the Parks, Recreation and Culture Department at 705-329-7250 or visit our website at orillia.ca.

The City of Orillia is a city of 31,000 people in the heart of Ontario’s Lake Country on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe.

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Sarah Leatherdale
Waterfront Director
705-325-1106
PRS2@orillia.ca

Jennifer Ruff
Manager of Communications
705-325-8929
705-238-9209 (cell)
jruff@orillia.ca