Falling for Canadian cheese - Thousands of cheese lovers fell for Canadian cheese at the seventh Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival in Whistler, British Columbia

WHISTLER, BC, Aug. 16, 2014 /CNW/ - Today in Whistler, British Columbia, 125 ambitious competitors and 12,000 cheese lovers gathered for the seventh edition of the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival, hosted by Dairy Farmers of Canada. The much anticipated festival featured cheese rolling races, a costume contest and other fun activities for the whole family.

Competitors spent a warm afternoon chasing an 11-pound wheel of Courtenay Cheddar, produced by British Columbia cheese maker Natural Pastures, down Blackcomb Mountain during the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. The two Grand Champions each went home with the wheel of Canadian cheese and a Whistler season's ski pass for two.

Jordan Lenham, from Cambridge, England, won the men's race in a time of 6.4 seconds and Ximena Abresch, from Trail, British Columbia, won the women's race in a time of 12.4 seconds. Eleven race heats - seven men's and four women's - were held before the final Grand Championship races. In addition to the men's and women's races, 104 children participated in uphill races.

"The Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival was a huge success!" said Sandra Da Silva, assistant director, external communications, Dairy Farmers of Canada. "Dairy Farmers of Canada was thrilled to showcase the wonderful cheese produced in this country and share the love of cheese with Canadians and visitors from all over the world again for the seventh year in a row."

To add to the fun, a costume contest was held again this year. After the Grand Championship races, all costumed event attendees were gathered at the base of the course, where a panel of judges selected their top five favourite costumes. The five finalists were then judged by the crowd and the winner was selected by acclamation.

The costume contest winners are Rebecca Sharar, Sylvia Stellmacher and Laura Chipman from Bainbridge Island, Washington. Dressed as a Canadian Cheese Rolling cheese wheel, a mouse and a bunny, they were the crowd favourite and they took home a $500 gift card from Marketplace IGA.

In addition to the races, cheese lovers took in a host of other fun activities including games, free cheese seminars and a Cheese Market full of delicious samples of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian milk.

Visit canadiancheeserolling.ca for race results from the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. High resolution photos and video footage from the event will be available for download in the website's newsroom (canadiancheeserolling.ca/newsroom/) as of noon EDT August 17^th.

About Canadian Cheese
Cheese is a staple food in the Canadian diet. The cheese making industry is one of Canada's oldest, dating back nearly as far as the fur trade. Canadian cheese is perfect for any occasion, from a quick snack to an elegant cheese and wine or beer tasting - and everything in between. In addition to being tasty and nutritious, cheese is the most versatile food in your fridge. There are always new Canadian cheeses to try and remember, that no matter how you slice it, any time is the right time for cheese made from 100% Canadian milk!

About Dairy Farmers of Canada
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) promotes the wholesome goodness of dairy products as part of a healthy, balanced diet and encourages good nutrition and physical activity for all Canadians. DFC is completely funded by dairy farmers.

SOURCE 100% Canadian Milk

Video with caption: "Video: Thousands of cheese lovers fell for Canadian cheese at the seventh Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival in Whistler, British Columbia on August 16th, 2014.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20140817_C7357_VIDEO_EN_42465.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20140817_C7357_PHOTO_EN_42465.jpg&clientName=100%25%20Canadian%20Milk&caption=Video%3A%20Thousands%20of%20cheese%20lovers%20fell%20for%20Canadian%20cheese%20at%20the%20seventh%20Canadian%20Cheese%20Rolling%20Festival%20in%20Whistler%2C%20British%20Columbia%20on%20August%2016th%2C%202014%2E&title=100%25%20CANADIAN%20MILK%20%2D%20Falling%20for%20Canadian%20cheese%20%2D%20Thousands%20of%20cheese%20lovers%20fell%20for%20Canadian%20cheese%20at%20the%20seventh%20Canadian%20Cheese%20Rolling%20Festival%20in%20Whistler%2C%20British%20Columbia&headline=Falling%20for%20Canadian%20cheese%20%2D%20Thousands%20of%20cheese%20lovers%20fell%20for%20Canadian%20cheese%20at%20the%20seventh%20Canadian%20Cheese%20Rolling%20Festival%20in%20Whistler%2C%20British%20Columbia

Image with caption: "Ambitious Canadian cheese lovers chase after the 11-pound Courtenay Cheddar cheese wheel at the seventh edition of the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. (CNW Group/100% Canadian Milk)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140816_C7357_PHOTO_EN_42459.jpg

Image with caption: "Ximena Abresch from Trail, British Columbia and Jordan Lenham from Cambridge, England fell for Canadian cheese and are crowned champions at the 2014 Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. (CNW Group/100% Canadian Milk)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140816_C7357_PHOTO_EN_42460.jpg