ATHOL — There are some River Rat shenanigans going on of late — with sightings of a giant rodent making the rounds at businesses in Athol and Orange. But don’t go filing a complaint at the Orange Police Station, because Chief Craig Lundgren is in on the hijinks.
A new addition this year, the Athol Lions Club’s River Rat Race mascot, designed to bring awareness to the annual 6-mile canoe race from Athol to Orange, is turning heads and brightening people’s days. He has been dropping in on the many sponsors who support the major local event. In reality, those who support and enter the race are helping the Lions bring much-needed services to the area.
One of the larger Lions fundraisers of the year (the other is the Haunted Hayrides weekend), its proceeds benefit Athol Area YMCA, Camp Wiyaka, Council On Aging Holiday Dinner, D.A.R.E, Food-A-Thon, Local scholarships, local youth sports teams and the Salvation Army, among other sight- and hearing-related causes.
Paddlers who participate for fun or glory can take pride in knowing they are also helping their neighbors.
Latest teams to sign up include a couple legends of the race, Shane McDowell, who won in 2013 with Adam Gelinas, and Al Shaver, who took the crown in 2001 with Bob Zaveral.
Newest teams are: David Phelps of Orange and Greg LeBlanc of Gardner; Chrisanne Buechele of North Haven, and Matthew Buechele, both of North Haven, Conn.; William LaRose and Charlie Starrett, both of Athol; Don Smith and Steve Drew, both of Orange; Rusty Smith of Leominster and Jamie Jordan of Sterling; Michelle Swan of Orange and Joe Sumner of Royalston; Jonathan Sweeney and Jordon Smith, both of Fitchburg; Mike Davis of Homer, Mich. and Shane McDowell of Lake Placid, N.Y.; Al Shaver of Meridale, N.Y. and Bruce Lee of Port Crane, N.Y.; Rebecca Davis of Homer, Mich. and Simon Dessureault of Le Cedres, Canada; Steve Hall of Sturbridge and Phil Hebert of Palmer; Josh Buell and Corlen Riri, both of Orange; Dan Bowers of Athol and Dave Price of Orange; Jennifer Coverdale and Grace McCurn, both of Orange; Jimmy Donnelly of Hardwick and Danny Donnelly of Fitchburg; Dakota Lyman and Evan Hamlett, both of Athol; Sue Piro and R. Jeffries Anderson, both of Orange; Dan Naughton of Athol and Corey Kleinbauer of Canton; Cory Bastine and Jillian Bastine, both of Orange; J. Ferranti and C. Ferranti, both of East Longmeadow; and Colin Fish and Zach Fish, both of Athol.
Applications will be accepted up to the time of the cannon start on race day, but teams signing up after the Friday night post-position drawing are placed at the end of the lineup.
Entry forms are available online from riverratrace.com or from the Athol Daily News, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 12.
The post positions drawing is Friday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Athol Town Hall. Racers who cannot make the drawing may pick up their canoe numbers and Rat Race T-shirts from the Athol Daily News on Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m., and thereafter at the Lions’ bright yellow “weenie wagon” that will be parked at the South Main Street Bridge. The entry fee is $42.