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Boats line up at the paddle craft launch for the Blindfolded Boat Race. -
Jarvis Coffin shouts directions to paddler Ann Lammers as they race to the finish line representing team Ratty and Mole -
Community Division costume contest winners The Summer Street Witches. -
The Grapevine Girls prepare to race. -
Team Hazmat poses for a pre-race photo.
On Monday night, boaters from across the region gathered at Gregg Lake for Avenue A’s Blindfolded Boat Race—a canoe race with a twist.
Teams of two raised pledges to support Avenue A’s NH Gives fundraising campaign to enter the race. Each canoe had a navigator who sat in the back of the boat and yelled directions to the blindfolded paddler in the front of the canoe. Boaters raced from the Gregg Lake paddle craft launch, through channel markers, around the peninsula and to the beach.
Costumes were encouraged, and themes ranged from sheet-toga-wearing Argonauts, to a Hazmat team with biohazard suits, to the Summer Street Witches.
Onlookers watched from the boat launch, beach and picnic area, as the boaters navigated the course with varying degrees of success. Eve Pierce and Reo Sleeper provided commentary, noting as boats veered off course, missed channel markers and made it to the finish line.
The race was divided into a Community Division and an Organization/Group Division. In the Group Division, Renew Church 2 won first place with the fastest time. The Foecking Paddlers took first place in the Community Division. Team Hazmat came in second.
Best costume prizes went to The Grapevine Girls in the Group Division and The Summer Street Witches in the Community Division. The DiCiccos won the award for most pledges raised in the Community Division, while Renew Church 1 raised the most pledges in the Group Division. Fifteen canoe teams participated, raising more than $4,000 for Avenue A’s NH Gives fundraiser, which starts on June 6 and runs through June 7.
As a program of The Grapevine Family & Community Resource Center, Avenue A is a regional teen center based in Antrim. Avenue A partners with rural teens age 11 to 19 to build resilience, navigate challenging circumstances and develop young leaders. With the support of more than 60 volunteers, Avenue A runs year-round afternoon and evening enrichment programs for teens. Three hundred teens from 18 towns participate in Avenue A from across the ConVal School District and surrounding towns.