Thousands throng Yercaud summer festival on last day
Flower and dog shows are a huge draw in poor man’s Ooty.
SALEM: Tourists in unusually large numbers thronged various sites in Yercaud hills near here on Sunday on the concluding day of the three-day summer festival and flower show got up by the Salem district administration with help of line departments including horticulture, tourism and animal husbandry. The show had been inaugurated on Friday by collector Dr Rohini Bhajubhakare.
The flower show this year saw an amazing display of over 1.50 lakh flowers, attracting thousands of tourists from Tamil Nadu and other states, sources told DC. A boat race was organised in the famous Yercaud lake on Saturday, besides a host of other competitions including ‘kolam’. Winners were given prizes today.
The final day on Sunday had other attractions as well like a splendid ‘Dog Show’. A sprinkling of German Sheppard, Labrador, rare dog breeds from Belgium, besides native breeds like Raajapalayam and some extremely fine trained dogs of the State police department which performed acrobatics, were highlights of the show. They drew the crowd’s attention almost instantly.
Several spots of tourist attraction in Yercaud like the Boat House, Anna Park, Rose Garden, Deer Park, Lake Park, Ladies Seat and ‘Pakkoda point’, saw tens of hundreds of tourists in a relaxed mood on the last day of the festival today.
The Salem district police had made good arrangements, deploying over 500 policemen for security duty at Yercaud, who also ensured that traffic was orderly for the visiting tourists.