Children and their Teddy bears kept blissfully busy on the weekend as the 21st annual Teddy Bear Picnic and Nanoose Days Parade took place.
The short parade had kids up and out of their lawn chairs waving at the giant mascots, horses and fire trucks as they made their way from the Nanoose Bay Fire Hall to Jack Bagley Field. Hundreds of families made their way down the winding path in the shining sunshine to the field where a number of Teddy bear booths were set up, along with bouncy castles, a dunk tank, educational stations, karaoke station and more.
Kids registered their Teddy bears and received a passport which collected stamps at each of the stations and gave them free food and cake. Teddy bears enjoyed a teddy bear chute ride, sick bear clinics, and safety clinics to name a few.
The Regional District of Nanaimo’s (RDN) Team Watersmart was one of the educational stations on site, teaching about water conservation and protection. Children read trivia questions and found answers on the bottom of rubber duckies to win stickers.
Twenty corporate mascots roaming around the field had some kids smiling and giving high fives, while others ran or hid behind their parents. Island Farms’ Farmer Vicky and Daisy the Cow were a big hit for toddlers as usual, while the newly walking seemed happy just to be toddling around the field.