April 26, 2018
Campus Lake will be filled with activity on Saturday
Campus Lake will be a busy place on Saturday, with two major events planned: the dedication of the renovated Campus Lake boathouse and the 45th annual Great Cardboard Boat Regatta.
Dedication of Campus Lake boathouse starts at 10:30 a.m.
The SIU Foundation will host a dedication celebration of the boathouse at 10:30 a.m. at 1493 Douglas Drive.
Alumnus Ralph Becker contributed $1 million to renovate the popular boathouse, a focal point of Campus Lake for more than six decades.
The facility sits at the starting point for the ensuing race.
Great Cardboard Boat Regatta kicks off at 1 p.m.
The boat regatta, a staple of the university since its inception as part of a freshman art and design class project, returns to Campus Lake for the first time since that renovations and improvements at the lake were completed.
There were 25 boats registered as of the close of the pre-registration period Monday – double the number of boats that pre-registered last year. With the forecast for good weather, organizers are looking for more boats to register on-site Saturday morning.
There will even be “instant boat” kits available for potential participants to build included in the $20 on-site registration fee.
Registration and boat inspection begin at 10 a.m. and races start at 1 p.m.