By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union
WINONA LAKE — Shop, eat and play at The Village at Winona during Canal Days Saturday.
From 10 to 11 a.m., registration will be held for the Cardboard Boat Regatta. Team categories are kids, youth, adult and corporate. A registration form can also be found on The Village’s website.
The public will be able to judge the boats for “Best of Show” from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. when the race begins.
While each person can get one free ticket to vote for their favorite boat, additional tickets are $1, and there is no limit to how many tickets a person can purchase.
Rules for the regatta include: boats must be fully constructed before check-in on race day, boats must be made of corrugated cardboard and duct tape only and can not be reinforced with cardboard tubes, wood, metal, rubber, vinyl, styrofoam or other materials that aid in flotation or make the hull rigid; hulls may not be wrapped or coated in tar-based substances, epoxy glues, vinyl, plastic, fiberglass resin or anything else; and boat dimensions are not to exceed 5 feet wide by 9 feet long; and must be enclosed enough to permit the crew to remain fully on top and inside the vessel. Paddles will be provided. There can be a maximum of two crew members on board each vessel during races.
Nick Hauck, managing director of The Village at Winona, said The Village always partners with Fellowship Missions during the event as a fundraiser to bring awareness to what Fellowship Missions does for the community. All proceeds from the event will go toward Fellowship Missions.
The three programs of Fellowship Missions are designed to meet the basic needs of those struggling with homelessness or addiction so they can focus on overcoming the challenges that contributed to their circumstances, according to the Fellowship Missions website.
The three programs are an addiction recovery hub, a catalyst program and an emergency shelter. For more information on Fellowship Missions, visit the website at fellowshipmissions.net.
Tuesday, Hauck said he believed there were at least 20 boats already signed up for the regatta race. Some students at Edgewood Middle School are making boats and there are several other community members registered.
For more information about Canal Days, or to register a cardboard boat for the race, click here.
