Pictured here, a large group of eager canoe racers gathered on the shore of Gunflint Lake awaiting instructions. This year the Gunflint Trail Canoe Races will be held July 19. If you are interested in volunteering to help, call Arden Byers at (218) 388-9475.
Neighbors and friends on the upper Gunflint Trail plan and execute all aspects of the Gunflint Trail Canoe Races each year to raise money for worthy causes. This year’s event at Gunflint Lodge on the south shore of Gunflint Lake will be held Wednesday, July 19 beginning at 4:30 p.m. The goal is to raise more than $20,000 to support the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department.
Since initiated in 1976, the Gunflint Trail Canoe Races event has only missed one year—the summer of 1999 when the great blow down storm hit the area just a few days before the scheduled events. So 2017’s event marks the 40th “running of the races.” And a fun time it will be!
Volunteers are needed for every phase of the event—from providing raffle prizes to making sloppy joes or cookies to selling (and buying) raffle tickets before the event. To help, call 2017 Canoe Races coordinator Arden Byers at (218) 388-9475.
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