Nimrod Boosters are taking advantage of the beautiful Crow Wing River by sponsoring a boat parade as part of Jubilee Days on Labor Day weekend.
The boat parade is open to all contestants who design, build and float their crafts down the Crow Wing at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. “Boats must be homemade and must float,” according to LynnRay Pickar, co-chair of the event. “Prizes will be awarded on the basis of creativity, both in design and construction. A decorated canoe will not sail off with first prize.” Boat materials may be wood, plastic, fiberglass, metal, duct tape and PVC, or others, or any combination of these.
“Boats must also accommodate a skipper and must float the distance from point of embarkation north of Nimrod to the bridge,” says co-chair Jerry Mevissen. “Because of the low water level of the river this time of year, we allow a first mate to walk along the craft to dislodge it in case of rocks.”
A sailing vessel may have a problem, what with prevailing summer winds from the south, the direction the river is flowing and the boats are floating. However, a replica of the Mayflower might win the judges’ favor. Nimrod royalty and the royalty staff will judge the contest. Their criteria will be creativity of design, creativity of materials, conformance with rules, and completion of the parade, which is the drop line from the north side of the bridge.
“Prizes make it worth the effort,” Pickar adds. “$100 for first, $75 for second, and $50 for third. There’s no entry fee.”
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“Contestants are encouraged to keep their designs under wraps until the day of the race,” Mevissen suggests. “There’s been one report of espionage by a local boat builder. I’m keeping my craft in a locked pole barn with security camera.” For ideas of boat designs, Google “milk carton design.”
Contestants will meet at the Lions Shelter at Stigmans Mound at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 1.
Nimrod Jubilee Days visitors are encouraged to join at Stigmans Mound and cheer the successful sailors. For further information, contact Jerry Mevissen at 218-472-3400.
Nimrod’s Jubilee Days runs Friday, Aug. 30 through Monday, Sept. 2.
Park Rapids Enterprise
