This story was originally published in April 2024.
While serious paddlers can finish all 16.5 miles of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race in under three hours, for lots of other people, it’s less about the competition — and more about the fun.
Each year, people look forward to seeing folks like Trevor MacLean, Robert Lang and Jeff Owen, all of whom have dominated the race at various points, cross the finish line.
They equally look forward to seeing the Gumby boat — a canoe paddled by a crew of friends and dedicated racers, joined by a six-foot inflatable Gumby that hasn’t missed a race in more than 35 years.
The 58th running of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race kicks off Saturday morning. Many racers begin arriving at Six Mile Falls in Glenburn after 12 p.m., and there are prime viewing spots all along the stream as well as in downtown Bangor.
As challenging as the canoe race is, there’s a spirit of homegrown fun that pervades the beloved springtime event. You can take it very seriously, or you can take it not too seriously at all.
Costumes and decorated boats have been a part of the canoe race tradition for decades now, stretching nearly as far back as the first race in 1967. Early shenanigans included a pair of naked paddlers in 1974, and a racer trying to navigate — though not quite finishing — the race in a bathtub.
BANGOR, MAINE — 04/21/18 — A canoe with a giant, inflatable Gumby shoots the rapids at Six Mile Falls in Bangor on Saturday during the 52nd Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Troy R. Bennett | BDN
Zip Kellogg of Portland maneuvers through the falls. BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY LESLIE BARBARO
Amanda Ellis of Holden (left), Kate DeCoste of Hermon and Amanda Coleman of Hermon pose streamside during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. The women decided to spice up their race by sticking soda bottles under their hair and coloring the resulting cones in gaudy colors. In the background is a perennial fan-favorite: The Gumby canoe. (Photo courtesy of Brian Castonguay)
The most obvious choice for a race day getup is a helmet decked out in something special — a mohawk, perhaps. Or maybe bunny ears, or an entire steelhead trout. Or even the head from your high school’s mascot costume.
Canoes make their way through the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, in these undated BDN file photos from the early 1970s.
KENDUSKEAG, ME — APRIL 16, 2005 — Before the start of the race, Chris Dayton (left) and James Kivell of Bangor inflate a sea horse raft in their canoe to be used as floatation in case their boat overturns in the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race Saturday. Not only was this the first race for the duo, it was Kivell’s first time in a canoe.
LINDA COAN O’KRESIK
sleeping canoe KB
Doug Schiele of Levant takes a nap in a canoe after completing the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe race on Saturday.
Bennett Photo
A canoeist takes a spill at Six Mile Falls on Saturday, April 18, 2009 during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race.
(Bangor Daily News/Kevin Bennett)
Kelsy Morganwalp, Ashley Sutton, Melanie Renell and Ashley Kuplin also known as the Mad River Rabbits make thier way down Six Mile Falls in Bangor on Saturday, APril 17, 2010 during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race.
Then there are the folks that opt for a theme for their entire boat — a hairstyle, a movie, a video game, historical figures. Maybe a bunch of old ladies. There’s lots of room for creativity.
Complete with home-made steelhead fish hats, J. J. Fuller and his uncle Mike Smith, both of Bangor, participate in their first Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Nearly 900 people participated in the 16.5 mile race. (Bangor Daily News/Bridget Brown)
BANGOR, Maine — 04/15/2017 — A member of the minion canoe celebrates after successfully navigating Six Miles Falls during the 51st annual Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race Saturday. The 16-mile race starts in Kenduskeag and ends in downtown Bangor. Ashley L. Conti | BDN
BANGOR, MAINE — 04/21/18 — A man dressed as a Viking celebrates after negotiating Six Mile Falls in Bangor during the 52nd Kenduskeag Stream Canoe race on Saturday. Troy R. Bennett | BDN
And then there are the old standbys. The ones everyone has come to look for, year after year. The Gumby boat, of course, and Zip Kellogg, the legendary Maine paddler who each year dons a natty white suit and red bow tie and pilots his canoe standing up.
What are your favorite crazy costume sightings in the history of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race? Have you done it yourself? Sound off in the comments, or send your thoughts and photos to [email protected].
