It was a wild, wet time early this afternoon in Hamtramck, with the annual Labor Day canoe races, in which several taverns field teams to push canoe-like carts up and down the main street of town while revelers throw water balloons at them.
The Polish Sea League team’s cart looked sturdy, and the crew arrived early to practice, making them a pre-race favorite. The Whiskey-In-The-Jar cart was black and angular, looking lean and mean. The Fowling Warehouse’s cart was a cage lined with netting, much more sophisticated than their entry last year, which looked like it was built by workmen fighting off a hangover with a blunt.
Master of ceremonies, Hamtramck City Clerk August Gitschlag, in a pirate costume, was joined by a guy who looked like a bearded sailor driving a skateboard affixed with a sail and a captain’s wheel. They got the crowd primed, told them the rules, and the carts were off, up and down the street, bombarded by water balloons and blasted by water cannons.Â
Steering problems plagued the Whiskey’s team, and in the end, fighting against Suzy’s Bar, it had so many problems turning that it even scooped up one of the goal lines and dragged it back, but the Whiskey still beat Suzy’s, friction resistance notwithstanding.
It was a little rowdier than usual this year, with spectators on both sides of Joseph Campau throwing water balloons across the street at one another, but most saved their watery wrath for the contestants, as these photos attest.
Also, when the race was over, the emcee asked the spectators to please pick up all the balloon fragments. Within two minutes, the street was wet, but clear of any of the colorful debris. Though the “Captain’s Wheel” trophy will go to the Whiskey, the crowd wins the People’s Choice award for good teamwork.
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2016.
