Bridgewater Raft Race - 2009

Last Saturday, we went to the Bridgewater Raft Race. This is an event that never disappoints... plenty of interesting, hand-made raft, plenty of interesting characters, and plenty of destruction.

Some rafts are minimal and are built for speed more than entertainment...

for some, it's all about style...
or costumes...

or supporting their favorite team...

For others, it's a feat of engineering...
For most, it's just a matter of seeing what junk you have laying around that might float when strapped together...
or maybe they just want to channel their inner Wizard of Oz...
A few required a little on site construction...
There was even an Elvis sighting...

At the cannon blast (I'm not kidding. There's a real cannon.), everyone runs to their raft from the starting line and chaos ensues. Many have never been float tested and some instantly discover, they don't. There's some instant destruction, as some discover that a little more duct tape and a couple more screws might have been helpful. And there are the inevitable log jams as around 50 rafts hit the water at simultaneously....

Whatever their reason or method, it isn't about coming in first. It's about having fun and thinking about how they'll do it differently next year.