Sue has prompted me to resuscitate a few words I had penned about the races in 2003, 22 years ago.

“The critics fired at will (who happened to be Ron Bowler) when the Chamber of Commerce announced that the Willard J. Hanmer Memorial Guideboat races were going to be held on Lake Colby. When I worked for the village as manager, I had many discussions with former Chamber Executive Director, Agnes Pelletieri about moving the Hanmer races back to the original course, starting at Baldwin Park, crossing Lake Flower and down the river to the Fish and Games Club. Aggie cooperated, moved the course back to the river and the first year of the proposed move, wouldn’t you know it, there was a drought with not enough water in Lake Flower to raise the river depth. No go. When it was eventually tried on the old course it was not very successful. A fellow by the name of Richter once said: ‘Criticism often takes from the tree, caterpillars and blossoms together.’

“Spectators could not see much of the race with the course on Lake Flower (which went up the river) or with the course on Lake Colby. Mr. Bowler did his best to please the racers and the critics in a thankless job of trying to hold an event together that used to be big and isn’t big anymore. The vendors, who at one time packed the Fish & Games Club grounds, now say that the crowds no longer stay around at the finish line, the volunteers are fewer and fewer each year and the interest in any event that started 40 years ago just isn’t there.”

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The 1964 Hanmer Races

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I, with my partner, Mickey Luce were contestants in the first Hammer Races in 1963, 62 years ago, and in following years. We then entered the Lake Placid canoe races which began a 7-mile course on River Road and ended on Route 86 on the Wilmington Road.

Following are takes from the same column I quoted above and from The Enterprise coverage of the 1964 Hanmer Races.

“We have an Enterprise from 1964, the second running of the Hanmer, when the lead story on Monday, July 6 was all about the races.

“Tony Duprey won the guideboat competition, Ron Hesseltine was second and Glen Corl was third after having won the race the year before. Ed Hixson and Peter Siersman won the canoe division and Monte Smith of Richfield Springs won the folboat division. Peter Cox and Alfred (Fritz) Decker were second in the canoe races and we were third. Natalie Leduc won the Women’s Guideboat Division. David Meyer and Greg Butterfield won the Boys’ canoe, Jennifer Harvey and Sally Merkel won the Girls’ canoe. Barry Cantwell won the Boys’ folboat and Sue Cantwell and Nancy Griebsch won the Girls’ folboat. Even five-year-old Bobby Cantwell got into the act. He fell off the bridge that crosses the river leading to the water treatment plant and was pulled out of the water by Bill Demerse who jumped in with all his clothes on.

“Was it a big event back then or what? Quoting from the Enterprise:

“‘Thousands of spectators lined the bridges and banks of the Saranac River to see 22-year-old Tony Duprey become the new guideboat champion on the 3.5 mile course.’

“There would be no places to park or stand there would be so many people. State Police used to help with traffic control at the Fish & Game Club and there was hardly room to move near the finish line.

“My racing partner, Mickey, took a good-natured taunting that year by Steve Morgan and Dick Merkel because Mickey was racing with an old man of age 34. Mickey, Steve and Dick were all about age 24.

“Now Mickey was a stand-out athlete at Saranac lake High School and in college and did not take kindly to losing.

(One could not contrive the following circumstances:)

“The canoe racers began with a running Lemans Racing start from the tennis courts to their canoes lined on the shores of Lake Flower.

“As luck would have it, Morgan and Merkel drew the starting number just ahead of us … one minute before we started.

The Enterprise tells what happened:

“One of the most exciting moments came when Mayor Howard J. Riley and Mickey Luce passed the canoe of Dick Merkel and Steve Morgan just before the finish line. Luce then jumped up and tipped the canoe over on purpose, much to the delight of the crowd.”

“We should be thanking Ron Bowler that he held the event together one more year.”

(Coverage of any village board events always used “Mayor Howard J. Riley” because a fellow board member, no relation, was named Howard N. Riley.)