Homemade Raft Race on Spring River inside Kellogg Lake Park July 20
Carthage Paddle Battle is a homemade raft race fundraiser for Kellogg Lake Park. All proceeds from the event benefit Kellogg Lake Park. The proceeds will be paid directly to the Kellogg Lake Board for improvements to the park. The event is free to all spectators. More than 25 area businesses and organizations have already signed up to design, build and race their homemade rafts down the 1,000 ft river raceway.
The event is presented by Smith Midwest Real Estate of Carthage as a community project and organized by Kip Smith.
“I knew I wanted to organize a homemade raft race fundraiser in Carthage,” Smith said. “I knew there was no better place than Kellogg Lake to hold it. It seemed natural to partner with the Kellogg Lake leadership and the City to make this event a reality.”
The events kick off Friday, July 19 with a raft exposition and Audience Choice voting. There will also be food trucks, beer tent and live music from local musicians Out For A Ride and Cody Comer.
Races will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 20 and continue every 30 minutes throughout the day.
“We have about 25 entries so far, most of which are Carthage businesses,” said Smith. “Our goal is to have 50 teams total. We’ll continue to accept raft entries right up to the day of the event.”
More information, including sign-up sheets, safety measures, race rules, costs and more can be found on the Facebook page: Carthage Paddle Battle. The event is free to the public.
Phone inquiries may be directed to Kip Smith, at 417-483-1614.
