Kenduskeag Paddlesport Weekend will feature 3 races

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The 1991 canoe and kayak racing season is just around the corner, and enthusiasts in the Greater Bangor area will get a chance to participate in even more races than usual.

The 1991 racing season will feature the introduction of four new races, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race.

Two of the new races – the National War Canoe Championships and the First Annual Penobscot River Traditional Canoe Race, both on April 21 – are being held in conjunction with the Kenduskeag Stream Race as part of the 25th anniversary celebration weekend April 20-21.

Kenduskeag Paddlesport Weekend ’91 will feature the three races, exhibits, demonstrations and special guests.

The 25th Kenduskeag Canoe Race will again feature 16-miles of flatwater and Class I, II and III whitewater rapids and 17 classes of competition.

The War Canoe Championship Race is being held for the first time in three or four years, according to organizer Scott Phillips, technical representative for Old Town Canoe. The race will follow an 11-mile course along the Bangor waterfront (Penobscot River) and feature two racing classes: short for teams of seven-10 people and long for teams of more than 10.

“We did a direct-mailing campaign to try and encourage a lot of people to enter the race,” Phillips said. “We’ve already had responses from people in Massachussetts and Connecticut.”

The Traditional Canoe Race is for older-style rib-and-plank canoes. The 5-mile flatwater run also follows a course along Bangor’s waterfront. Short, long and solo class divisions will be offered.

“As far as I know, there isn’t another race like this one anywhere else,” said Phillips.

Other special events scheduled include demonstrations of traditional canoe building; special displays and exhibits by Old Town Canoe, the Wooden Canoe Heritage Society, and the American Canoe Association; paddling instruction by ACA; paddlemaking exhibits; birchbark canoe and traditional Indian craftwork exhibits and demonstrations; and appearances by Maine guides.

The other two new races in the local area are the second Maine Canoe Poling Championships and Clinic on May 4 and the Penobscot Fifty on September 28.

The Maine Poling Championships will be held on the Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor. The Penobscot Fifty is the longest race in New England at 50 miles (Mattawamkeag to Old Town).

Greater Bangor Area 1991 River Race Schedule

APRIL 5-7

At Bangor, Kenduskeag Stream Slalom (Maine Slalom Championships), practices Friday, clinics Saturday, races Sunday, contact John Jentzer, 89 Poplar St., Bangor 04401.

APRIL 13

At Hampden, Souadabscook Stream, 8.5 miles, noon start, call Greg Morin at 989-7836, Katahdin Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, 302 North Main St., Brewer 04412.

APRIL 20

At Bangor, 25th Kenduskeag Stream, 16 miles, 9:30 a.m. start, call Craig Orff at 947-1018, Bangor Parks and Recreation, 100 Dutton St., Bangor 04401 for more information.

APRIL 21

National War Canoe Championships, Penobscot River, 11 miles, call Jim Hancock at 989-7250, Wilderness Mountain Ski & Sport, Brewer 04412 for more information.

APRIL 21

At Bangor, Traditional Canoe Race, Penobscot River, 5 miles, call Jim Hancock at 989-7250, Wilderness Mountain Ski & Sport, Brewer 04412 for more information.

MAY 4

At Bangor, 2nd Maine Canoe Poling Championships & Clinic, Kenduskeag Stream, 9 a.m., call Linda Koski at 695-3668, Allagash Canoe Trips, P.O. Box 713, Greenville 04441 for more information.

JUNE 22

At Orono, Orono Canoe Sprints, Stillwater River, 1500 meters, call Adrian Humphreys at 866-5652, P.O. Box 202, Orono 04473 for more information.

SEPTEMBER 21

At Bangor, Ebb Tide Marathon, Penobscot River, 10 miles, 11 a.m. start, call Earl Baldwin at 825-4439, RFD 2, Box 268, Orrington 04474 for more information.