ATHOL — With less than a week to go, paddlers are urged to sign up for the 55th annual River Rat Race, sponsored by the Athol Lions Club, and Lindsay Esser is challenging state Sen. Anne Gobi to race race not only for the Senate this year, but on the river this weekend.
The canoe count is up to 101, with the majority of the racers from the Athol-Orange area. The cannon shot signaling the start of the race goes off at 1 p.m.
The Lions are in the final stages of planning, with dozens of tasks left to do to pull off one of the biggest area events of the year. Snow fencing must be set up for crowd control, and the finish line banner will be hung. Stakes will be pounded into the ground to indicate the starting positions. Sponsor signs must be affixed to the portable toilets at the start and finish lines. Rubbish barrels must be gathered and placed at the start and finish lines.
The stage will be set prior to Friday night for the drawing of the post positions — where paddlers collect their tickets marked with their starting position — as well as the stickers affixed to the front of the canoe and official T-shirts. It is here that hundreds of chairs are arranged for River Rat hopefuls, video and audio equipment and a PA system are set up, and banners of the race sponsors hang from the balcony. There are usually vendors set up in the entry hall, and raffles are held to add to the festive atmosphere.
It all takes manpower, organizers say, and that’s all provided by members of the Athol Lions Club. When the race is over, cleanup begins — again, provided by the Athol Lions, who police both the start and finish lines, making it cleaner than when they arrived.
The Lions said they have unsung heroes, such as Gary Griffith of Griff’s Rubbish Removal, of Athol. Once all the rubbish has been collected and bagged, Griff, a former Athol Lion, carts it away at no cost to the club. This is something he has done for more than 20 years.
The latest River Rats to sign up for the 55th annual race on Saturday have nudged the total to 101 boats. Entrants include newcomer Esser, of Monson, who introduced herself to Athol Selectmen at their last meeting. Esser, a Republican, aims to unseat Gobi (D-Spencer) in the fall election. She will paddle with her father, David Esser. Gobi will paddle with Gary McComas of North Brookfield.
Other paddlers are: Steven Danowitz of Athol and David Piazza of Newton; Sandy Harris of Spofford, N.H., and Michael Fairchild of Brattleboro, Vt.; Jerry Madore and Gus Madore, both of Wales; Adam Gelinas of Leominster and Ryan Zaveral of Oneonta, N.Y.; Alex Mackay of Berlin and Sheldon Baker of Worcester; Dance Demaris of Rutland and Doug Shannon of Hubbardston.
Applications are being accepted at the Athol Daily News from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week, with extended hours Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Sunday Pro Races start at 10 a.m. at Riverfront Park in Orange, where the River Rat Race finish line from Saturday becomes the starting line on Sunday. Registrations are taken on site starting at 9 a.m. for the following classes: Pro Men, Pro Women, Amateur, Mixed, C1 (single man in canoe), Youth-Adult race and kayaks (long course).