Sailing in Cardboard Ships

Give a group of club members five large sheets of heavy cardboard, a very large roll of plastic, a large roll of masking tape, six bolts and nuts and what happens?  Whether high school teens or somewhat older adults, those items scream for a home-built boat and a Cardboard Regatta.  Our community regatta involves more than building and launching a boat.  Entrants also write and perform skits to entertain everyone beforehand.  (It is always better to do any activity PRIOR to setting out in the boats.  Some of them are surely going under.)

The largest of our four lakes is the scene for the Cardboard Regatta.  Teams are made up of the many clubs within the community.  There are two primary categories; single sailor and two sailor.  There is also a contest for the largest number of sailors to go down in one ship.

The fire chief leads everyone down through the park to the water's edge.

The crowd gathers by the lake.

These sailors made it high and dry.

These sailors did not...but they surely had just as much fun.

Trophies are awarded and everyone moves to the pavillion for hot dogs and hamburgers.

Community spirit abounds here in our community.  There is always something to do.  We have a club for almost every activity you can imagine.  And if we don't have a club for it...you can get a bunch of people together and start one.  We recently added a Pickle Ball club.  (I must admit I had never even heard of pickle ball before the club was organized.)

While everyone enjoys being a club member, not all the clubs are designed for sports or fun.  We have a "Good Neighbors" club that provides meals when someone is not well, whose members will drive others to appointments, pick up medicines, etc.  They organize cookie bakes for a nearby prison.  The cookies are sent so the incarcerated parents can share homemade cookies with their children when they visit.  Perhaps best of all they maintain two large lending closets.  They have accumulated a large amount of therapy supplies, wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs, lift chairs, and even hospital beds that residents can borrow if necessary.  In response to the number of grandparents living here, they also maintain a large inventory of cribs, playpens, strollers, etc. that residents can borrow when little grandchildren visit.

Life is good around here.