Texas County Memorial Hospital’s third annual Pirates of the Piney Cardboard Regatta will be held at noon Saturday, June 15, at Boiling Springs Resort west of Licking.
“We like to have fun and we care about the future of our hospital, so a small group of us from TCMH decided we would try to start an annual cardboard boat race to benefit the hospital,” said Bill Bridges, emergency medical services director. “Each year so far it has grown and gotten better than the year before.”
Bridges said all proceeds from the event will benefit the completion of the TCMH Surgery Center.
“The hard work that goes into planning the event is definitely worth the effort in the end,” he said. “The boat race is fun for all ages to watch, and the money that we raise definitely goes to a great cause.”
The event will include a cardboard boat race, rubber duck race and live music by Preston Ary Band from 2-5 p.m. Concessions for the afternoon will be provided by Rich’s Mobile Express Food Wagon.
The boat race will start 3 p.m. Anyone can register a team and enter the boat race. Teams must pay a $50 entry fee.
Bridges said there are four award categories for the boat race: People’s choice, most creative, winning time and best sinking ship. It will include a buccaneer’s class for ages 10-16 as well as the captain’s class for ages 17 and older.
The duck race will begin immediately following the boat race. Rubber ducks can be purchased on site for $5.
The portion of the boat that is in contact with water must be made entirely of corrugated cardboard. Wood, metal, Styrofoam, rubber inflatable devices and other materials that would provide buoyancy and/or other materials that would aid in flotation or make the hull rigid are prohibited.
All boats will go through a pre-race inspection to ensure compliance with Regatta Rules.
For a complete list of rules, visit the TCMH website at www.tcmh.org. For more information, contact Bridges at 417-967-3311.