As seen above, canoe racers of all abilities take part in the Gunflint Trail Canoe Races held each July as a fundraiser for the volunteer Gunflint Trail fire department. While there are some serious racers who take part, most participants are there for the pure fun of it.
Since 1976 neighbors, friends and businesses along the Gunflint Trail have planned and executed a celebration of summer life along the Trail at the annual Gunflint Trail Canoe Races. The Gunflint Trail Canoe Races only missed one year since 1976 — the summer of 1999 when the Great Blowdown Storm hit the area just a few days before the scheduled races.
The event raises funds to support the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department and again will be held at Gunflint Lodge on the south shore of Gunflint Lake, 45 miles up the Gunflint Trail on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, beginning at 4 p.m.
This year’s event will feature exciting auction items including a handmade quilt created from T-shirts donated from businesses along the Trail. Additional silent and live auction items will be available as fundraisers. Also on sale will be a collectible T-shirt and delicious supper choices with new items added this year to please every taste.
There will be a single raffle this year—for a chance to win a Current Designs Solara 120 kayak valued at $2,100. Raffle tickets are $5 and available at resorts and from volunteers along the Trail as well as at the Canoe Races.
In addition to raising funds for the Volunteer Fire Department this year’s races will embrace and highlight the community that lives in the woods and works together to improve life along the Trail for residents and visitors alike.
More details will follow as we get closer to the event.
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