From costumes to rapids, scenes from the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race

The Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race was held Saturday. The 16.5-mile race began at 11 a.m. in Kenduskeag and ended in Bangor. The course included one optional portage at Six Mile Falls and two mandatory portages at Flour Mill and Maxfield Dam. Five crafts started every minute, and officials recorded each team’s start and finish times. Awards were held afterward at Sea Dog Brewing Co.

Of the 441 crafts racing with 881 people, Trevor MacLean of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, posted the fastest time of the day, finishing in 2:11.49 to claim his 20th victory. He competed in the one-person long kayak class.

The race is organized by the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department, which will post results on its website. Photographer Michael Alden runs the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race website, which features photos, race coverage and archived results dating back to 1967, when the race began. The Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization also posts results for canoe and kayak races across the state each year.

Highlights from the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race

Participants gather before the start of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Participants gather before the start of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Participants gather before the start of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Participants gather before the start of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Participants gather before the start of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Participants gather before the start of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Participants gather before the start of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN

More scenes from the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race

A paddler dressed as Bad Bunny passes under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
A paddler dressed as Napoleon Dynamite passes under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers begin the race in Kenduskeag. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass beneath the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race on Saturday. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Three paddlers wearing colorful headgear make their way downstream during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
A paddler passes under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN

Additional scenes from the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race

Two paddlers dressed as Mario and Luigi capsize before Six Mile Falls and again after the rapids during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Aaron Burke
A canoe flips in the rapids at Six Mile Falls during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race in Bangor on Saturday. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Aaron Burke
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Aaron Burke
A swamped kayak is assisted by an employee with the Lee Fire Department. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Some paddlers portage before Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Six Mile Falls. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Two paddlers wearing bright orange beards make their way through the rapids during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race in Bangor on Saturday as spectators line the banks. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers head downstream near the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN
Paddlers pass under the Route 15 bridge in Glenburn. Credit: Susan Bard / BDN