Miller Lake dragon has some company this summer

An iconic landmark floating in a Nova Scotia lake has a new friend.

Dillon the dragon was lowered into Miller Lake, which runs along Highway 102 on the way to the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, on Saturday morning.

The new head joins Emily the dragon. Emily has been floating there every summer for decades.

"It feels so good today having Dillon in the water," said John Robidoux, one of the artists who worked on the dragon.

Several boats full of people were on the lake for the moment Dillon was dropped in the water. Several cars stopped along the highway to watch, too.

"The co-operation and the help that we got from the people of Miller Lake is just astonishing," Robidoux said.

He and artist Junior Gosse spent roughly 65 hours carving Dillon out of a piece of cedar, he said. He sayshis wife, Judy, painted the dragon.

All three are members of the Nova Scotia Wildlife Carvers and Artists Association.

"We named it Dillon after one of the four dragons in Chinese mythology," he said. "There's four dragons and the one responsible for rivers, lakes and waterways is called Dillon."

Dillon also has two GPS trackers embedded inside in case someone steals the new dragon, Robidoux says.

Emily has been floating in Miller Lake for more than 40 years.Its first incarnation was just some wood, untouched by people, that looked like a dragon.

"We wanted something nice to carry on a tradition and to make the kids happy," Robidoux said. "Let's face it, we're all kids and seeing that out there right now is a wonderful thing."