Back Row, left to right, Marine Heritage Festival's Rob Campbell and Stan Young, Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre (BCM&CC) Programming Coordinator, Adrienne Mason; Stephanie Brunato and Danica Chinnick of event sponsor, Bruce Telecom; Marine Heritage Festival's Dave Wenn and John Cherrie with children from G.C. Huston's summer learning camp with miniature cardboard boats they made outside at BCM&CC.

Hub Staff

It was 'Special Guest Wednesday' at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre (BCM&CC) on July 13 where Marine Heritage Festival Committee members paid a visit to teach children how to build a cardboard boat.

Rob Campbell, along with the help of other committee members, showed children how to make a scaled down version of the boats that will be competing in the Marine Heritage Festival's cardboard boat races in Southampton, July 26.

Using the same process and material that is used for the full size boats, children made their boats from scratch, marking and folding the cardboard and using duct tape to hold everything in place. Boats were then be decorated before they were tested on the water, adding marbles one by one until they sank.

The ever-popular cardboard boat races are part of the sixth annual Marine Heritage Festival which kicks off on Friday, July 22 at the BCM&CC with the Festival Launch Party featuring kids activities, music with the Bobby Dean Blackburn Trio, the Rotary Club of Southampton's cash barbecue and a cash bar.

In addition to the boat races on Saturday, Jack Sparrow's Gold Hunt at Pioneer Park will take place and Sunday will feature the new War on the Shore bike race as well as a community picnic supper.

“This is our sixth year so it’s very exciting,” said Marine Heritage Festival Committee member, Dave Wenn. “Next year we're talking about blowing it to the next level to celebrate the 150th.”

Wenn added that they are hoping to move the boat races from Pioneer Park next year. “We're going to debrief in the fall and we're talking about potentially coming and doing it down by the flag if we can get approval...be more inclusive with the retailers.”

Last year the committee estimated there were approximately 1,500 people attend the Festival weekend and were hoping for at least a similar number this year.

For times and details about the 2016 Marine Heritage Festival, visit marineheritagefestival.com.

Left to right, G.C. Huston students, Riley, Finn, Nate, Emily, Sineese and Deacon decorating their newly made cardboard boats.

Lidia, left, and Leona show off their Team Tomboys 4 Life cardboard boat they had made.

Corbin starts filling his cardboard boat with marbles to see how many it will hold before sinking.

Eight year old Ava shows off her boat decorating skills.

Marine Heritage Festival's Rob Campbell shows children the technique of making a cardboard boat.