Nearly 70 teams got a little wet even before their boats took to the water April 25 at the fourth annual Float Your Boat for The Food Bank cardboard boat regatta at Bass Pro Shops lake in north Columbia.
But the rainy weather didn’t stop the fun and creativity. Teams dressed as Disney princesses, vikings and boat captains, with themed boats to match, helped to bring in more than $32,000 for The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Funds are raised through sponsorships, registrations, event concessions and by the teams themselves as they compete for the People’s Choice Award, given to the group that raises the most donations for their boat.
EDI raised $4,083.55 to claim the People’s Choice for 2015. Altogether, team fundraising brought in $13,349.30. Teams fundraised before and during the event, as attendees walked through the boat “pit area” to see which boat(s) they liked best.
The event challenges teams to create vessels solely from cardboat, duct tape, adhesive and latex paint. At least two people must ride in each boat, although some had as many as eight or nine. A short course for kids ages 8-14 was added last year. Cardinal, Oatmeal and the S.S. Minnow took home first, second and third place, respectively, in the short course. The long course includes families, corporations, groups and organizations. In the long course, Anoesis, Waterwolf and The Patty Mae took home first, second and third place for the fastest times across the lake.
The Food Bank’s S.S. Hope it Floats won the award for Best in Show, with its boat that included a shopping cart and shelves of food. The Can’t Believe It’s Cardboard Award went to the Viking Warriors. EDI’s Disney Princess Cruise had the Best Spirit, and the MU Bond Life Sciences Center’s Anoesis received Best Use of a Theme. The Bass Pro Shops Award went to Waterwolf, created by Cub Scout Pack 60-Webelos Den.
Still prize-worthy, but for perhaps not the reasons they hoped, were Phi Sigma Pi’s The Fellow”Ship” for the Ugliest Boat; Valley View Community Church’s The Pirate Ship Revenge, who took home the Titanic Award for Best Sinking, and Alpha Gamma Rho’s The Rho Boat, for the Pirate Award, which means they used too much duct tape or other prohibited materials (whether by accident or on purpose)!
Each dollar raised equals 12 meals or 15 pounds of food on tables in the 32 counties served by The Food Bank. The 2014 event brought in $21,515 in sponsorships, registrations and donations.
See photos from the event at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cafnr/sets/72157649856112683/