Conestogo Lake Car Rally honours those who lost their lives on the water

DRAYTON – Area residents drove an assortment of vehicles to the PMD Arena on July 31 to participate in the inaugural Conestogo Lake Car Rally.

Local cottage owners Jeff and Penny Reitzel organized the event, which honoured Tania Yonan, Matt Ottens and others who have lost their lives on Conestogo Lake.

Jeff Reitzel noted the spirit of the event is really to “honour them and honour their families.”

Participants were encouraged to make a donation to the Safe Boating Council at www.csbc.ca.

“It’s to bring awareness to boating safety,” said Reitzel on the selected recipient.

He noted, “There’s been some tragedies on the lake the past couple of years.”

Yonan, 13, died after being hit by a boat on the lake on July 26, 2020.  Ottens, 33, died on June 13, 2021 while attempting to assist a child who had gone overboard from a boat.

An annual boat parade for cottagers was cancelled this year, leaving Reitzel and his wife wondering what else they could do.

“I wanted to do something to bring this community of Mapleton Township and Conestogo Lake together,” said Reitzel.

With only a few weeks to plan the rally, Reitzel wasn’t sure what to expect, but local participation was much higher than he anticipated.

“I was expecting maybe 10 cars - it’s just beginning - and I think we have 30 or so right now,” Reitzel  told the Community News at the rally.

He added the event will be held annually, “so people can watch out for it next year.”