Nearly a dozen boats made of cardboard will set sail this weekend to compete for 1st Place
MILWAUKEE -- Nearly a dozen boats will battle it out on the water this weekend -- but there's a catch. They're all made of cardboard. Kasey spent the morning at Harbor Lite Yacht Club in Racine -- where it's not too late to get in on the fun.
About the Cardboard Boat Race (website)
It was the winter of 2011 when a few club members were sitting around dreaming of the summer boating season and wondering how they could extend it with just one more exciting HLYC club event. Someone....somewhere had seen, or heard something about building boats out of cardboard and duct tape and.......racing them! Obviously, at least for us, this seemed like a brilliant idea. The group quickly formed a committee and organized the inaugural event for the Saturday following Labor Day. The first year started small, and had some hiccups including a one hour monsoon in the middle of the day. Fortunately, the crowd participation, excitement, and fun was evident and the event was a huge success!
Since that time the event has continued to evolve and grow to now include; sponsored boats, a regatta/parade class, live music throughout the day, and the item we are most proud of....a portion of the proceeds being donated to a charity each year!!!
This year, a portion of the event proceeds will benefit Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin. The non-profit helps homeless and at-risk veterans find normalcy in their everyday lives by providing food, clothing, shelter and other needs. On Saturday, Sept. 9 during the Racine Cardboard Boat Race, the organization will be accepting non-perishable food items for its pantry. Food donation barrels will be on-site at the Harbor Lite Yacht Club.
There's still time to sign up to compete in the Cardboard Boat Race. To get in on the action, CLICK HERE.