SARANAC LAKE – The first-ever Corrugated Cup Cardboard Boat Race will be held here Saturday, and participants are invited to attend a boat-building session Friday.

The races will be on Lake Flower, starting at 10:30 a.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

Boats are only allowed to be built using cardboard and duct tape, and may be painted using a water-based paint.

Awards will be given out to the first-place finisher in each race category. Awards will also be presented to the most enthusiastic crew, best theme, people’s choice and most spectacular sinking.

The boat-building session will take place at the Dewey Mountain Recreaion Centerbase lodge from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Corrugated cardboard and tape will be available, but participants can bring their own as well.

The race is one of the events of Celebrate Paddling month in Saranac Lake and is sponsored by Adirondack Lakes and Trails Outfitters, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and the village of Saranac Lake.

Proceeds from this event go to the Northern Forest Explorers program, run by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, the organization that runs a canoe-kayak route that stretches from the Adirondacks to northern Maine. The Explorers program gives a local youth the opportunity to spend a week outside paddling, camping, learning outdoor skills and testing themselves on adventure courses designed especially for young people. Scholarships are available to children between the ages of 10 and 14 years old.

For more information on the race including how to register, visit www.adirondackoutfitters.com/corrugated-cup-cardboard-boat-race.html.

—

River cleanup

Paddling activities continue Saturday afternoon with a volunteer cleanup of the Saranac River, beginning near the Lake Flower dam and continuing downstream. Volunteers are being asked to arrive at the Saranac Lake village parking lot on Dorsey Street at 1 p.m. and plan to be off the water no later than 5 p.m. Following the cleanup, there will be free barbecue at Riverside Park on Lake Flower. The event is being coordinated by St. Regis Canoe Outfitters. For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, contact Tyler Merriam at 518-891-1838 or tmerriam@canoeoutfitters.com.

For more information on the activities, visit www.celebratepaddlingadk.com.