Top: A kayaker enjoying the North Shore Water Festival uses his hat to wave to the crowd. Above: This young lady waits for a chance to relax in a hammock set up on the shore. Right: Waving to his fans, Skipper the Seagull was a crowd favorite.
By any measure the third annual North Shore Water Festival sponsored by Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply was a complete success.
Located in the Grand Marais Harbor, the two-day Water Festival is a chance for Stone Harbor to demonstrate canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards (SUP) and display outdoor gear and clothing. It’s also a chance for the public to have some fun and get out on the water and test some of the equipment for free.
“Most participants were visitors but I was surprised with the local turn out,” said storeowner Jack Stone. “As you know, a lot of locals avoid town at all costs in the summer.
“As far as turnout, it has increased every year. Every year we bring in more equipment and every year we still have periods of time when almost every boat and paddleboard are in use. And the only thing that stops all of them from being used is that we run out of paddles and personal floatation devices.”
Stone estimated that more than 300 people participated in the water sports.
While Stone and his crew were on hand, so too were manufacturing representatives from Eddyline, Wilderness Systems and Hurricane kayaks.
“We showcased the new Langtex material on the Langford canoes,” Stone said, “And we had paddleboard representatives from Boardworks and Pau Hana. We also had equipment representatives from Level 6, Nemo, ENO, Outdoor Research, Woolrich, Seal Line, Astral, Swift and Cannon.
“Also back this year were crowd favorites Tara Gorman and her wonder dog Casey as our paddleboard yoga instructor. Ann Papenfuss was back as our paddleboard instructor. We had Stone Harbor guides helping with the kayaks, boards and canoes. Wilderness Systems got held up on bad roads from Hayward but made it on Sunday to show us their new electric motor made specifically for their fishing kayak. Amanda Weberg was there talking about Invasive Aquatic Species and Jodi Tervo of E3 Twin Ports Meditation was there to talk about wellness and exercise.”
Stone Harbor employees gave instructions to people who wanted to try kayaking in the harbor. About 300 people took part in the activities and demonstrations over the two-day festival.
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