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The 2003 Guide Olympics were held on August 17th at The Ballfield in West Forks, Maine. First there was the throw bag event. Many of the guides had excellent tosses, but others seemed to forget what they were aiming at. The next event was the raft climb. This event featured Ernie Deluca flipping himself backwards into the top raft of a five-raft stack. The final event was the raft stack: for professionals only. When the points were tallied at the end of the competitions there was a tie for second between Three Rivers and River Drivers (Three Rivers prevailed as the second place winner in a head-to-head Super Secret Boat Race competition), with the guides from Moxie Outdoor Adventures taking home first place (although, at the time of the award presentation, the Guide Olympics Toilet Bowl Trophy was conspicuously missing.). As Guide Olympics champion, Moxie won 14 cubic yards of gravel donated by Dan MacDonald. Thanks to Wade from North American for organizing the event and to JC and The Pickups for playing another kickass party. Also, thanks to The Forks Fire Department for the use of their roomy circus tent. See you next year. Proceeds from the Guide Olympics went to benefit Camp Sunshine. (For more on Camp Sunshine see Kyle Duckworth's Letter on page 3.)...On July 30th, many in the Penobscot River rafting community joined forces to raise money for Harold and Brenda McLain. Harold, who is ill with cancer, and Brenda have been working for rafting outfitters for over 15 years in the Katahdin area. Northern Outdoors and Wilderness Rafting Expeditions donated all proceeds from raft trips on the Penobscot River on July 30th to the McLains to help cover the couple's sudden increased expenses. Guides and bus drivers from six different companies donated their time and their tips. After the raft trip, a spaghetti dinner was held at Penobscot Outdoor Center to raise more money. All told, $5,000 was raised, said Suzie Hockmeyer, Northern Outdoors founder. She added, "It was nice to see the river community come together to help someone who has been a part of it for so long…It was cool. Very cool."...The Video Carnage Awards were held on Tuesdy, August 19th at Penobscot Outdoor Center north of Millinocket. A raucous group of guides and paddlers cheered wildly throughout the video presentations. At the end of the presentations, a crowd survey was taken by emcee Joe McHenry to determine the winners. They are as follows: Best Video: Boz (Greg Bostater). Best Carnage: Snack (Dan Pasternak). Best Strippers: Snack. ...Coming up on September 6 is Blues At The Forks, a concert on the shore of the Kennebec River in The Forks, featuring some of the region's best blues musicians. For tickets use mainemusicevents.com, northernoutdoors.com or stop by Longley's Store in The Forks.
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