Fredericton — In what’s quickly becoming a yearly tradition, every middle-aged man in Fredericton has taken to Carleton Park on the north side of the city, armed with their trusty drones, to capture footage and photos of the annual St. John River flooding.
“It’s like a scene out of a middle-aged dad’s dream come true,” said Fredericton resident Sarah Johnson. “They’re all out there with their fancy drones, wearing cargo shorts and flip-flops, just living their best lives.”
The flooding of the St. John River is a common occurrence in the region, but this year it seems to have attracted a niche crowd.
“I’ve never seen so many drones in one place,” said Dixie Lee employee Mike Williams. “It’s like they’re trying to one-up each other with their fancy technology. They’re like kids in a candy store.”
As the drones buzzed around overhead, the middle-aged men on the ground could be heard shouting out instructions to each other.
“Hey, Steve, get a shot of that floating debris over there!”
“Tom, can you fly your drone a bit higher? It’s blocking my shot of the river and my drone doesn’t have front obstacle avoidance sensors.”
“Can your drone do 4K? Mine does up to 120 frames per second, but only in HD.”
The scene has caused quite a stir among locals, with many wondering if this hobby for the middle-aged demographic is more interesting to watch than the flooding river itself.
“I mean, I get it,” said local resident, Jen Brown. “It’s cool to see the flooding from a bird’s-eye view. But do they all really need to be out here at once? They’re scaring away the birds and people who are just trying to go for a walk. And all that buzzing is giving me a headache!”
Despite the criticism, the middle-aged men of Fredericton seem to be enjoying themselves, with many planning to compile their drone footage and share it on social media.
“We’re just out here having some harmless fun,” said drone enthusiast Mark Smith. “Plus, the footage we get is pretty amazing. If I’m lucky, maybe a local radio station will re-share it without crediting me!”