The little village of Inlet, population 320, is about to take on the big city of Pittsburgh, PA.
Right off the shoreline of Fourth Lake, on Saturday, September 24, thousands of paddlers will try to win back the record for the world’s largest floating raft of canoes and kayaks.
Pittsburgh, with a population 420,000, won the title last year.
Connie Perry, chair of One Square Mile of Hope, is optimistic about Inlet’s chances of regaining the Guinness Book of World Records title.
“We won the world record three years ago with 1104 boats, beating out Cleveland, Ohio. Pittsburgh only bested us by 500 more. If enough people join us next month, we can easily double or triple our old record,” Perry said.
In 2008 Connie Perry, owner of canoe and kayak business, Frisky Otter Tours, created One Square Mile of Hope as a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.
The event raised more than $52,000 for the foundation, and became something of an Adirondack phenomenon when 1,300 people, in 1,104 canoes and kayaks, entered Fourth Lake from four launch locations, and formed a massive floating raft.
Right at noon on that day in 2008, Don Dew of Big Moose flew overhead for the official aerial photograph for the Guinness judges.
Registration for this year’s event will begin at 7:30am.
Canoes and kayaks will enter the lake starting at 10:30 a.m.; the raft will be formed precisely at noon; a few minutes later the airplane, carrying the Adirondacks’ premiere photographer Nancie Battaglia, will fly overhead for the official Guinness photograph. Paddles will be raised in silence.
Following the event, there will be a day-long Wellness Fair in Arrowhead Park that will include dozens of wellness-based businesses, yoga instructors, breast cancer organizations, and various exhibits.
After a buffet lunch, there will be a silent auction with items from area sponsors and the raffle of a Hornbeck 10’ solo pack canoe, a Necky Eliza kayak, and a Placid Boatworks 12’ Spitfire solo kayak.
Hundreds of people have already registered online and by phone or mail. The website:
www.OneSquareMileOfHope.org,has a secure PayPal system for the $25 registration.
The all-day schedule of events, links to lodging sites, photos of the 2008 event, and other details are also available on the website.
More information is available by calling the Inlet Information Office at (315) 357-5501.
