'Pirates' ply Cedar Lake -- on cardboard boats

Would it sink or would they swim?

That was the question on most spectators' minds Sunday before each of the 18 homemade cardboard boats floated onto Lake Villa's Cedar Lake.

The cardboard boat race, which capped off Lake Villa's Celebration of Summer weekend festival, was full of furious paddling, an occasional sinking ship and plenty of laughter from the crowd of about 200 who gathered on the beach to watch the races.

The 10th annual event featured a wide range of building techniques. Some boats went for the sleek narrow construction, which proved to be a bit unstable during the early rounds of racing, while others focused on decoration.

The "Pink Pearl," an elaborate pink pirate ship adorned with a crown on top of one of the ships three masts, was successfully captained by 2008 Lake County Fair Queen Summer Zwicke and Jenelle Krelach.

"We decided to do the Pirates theme like the Pirates of the Caribbean's Black Pearl," Zwicke said.

The team, which won best decorated in 2009, had a simple strategy heading into the race: don't fall in.

After the race, the competitors were presented with a medal which read, "I survived the Lake Villa cardboard boat race."

"This has really grown over the years," said Lake Villa Mayor Frank Loffredo. "We had a great turnout even with the iffy weather.

Loffredo said the event began in 2000 and residents wanted to continue with it ever year since.

The final day of the Celebration of Summer also featured a car show, a fire rescue safety presentation as well as carnival rides and games.

Competitors began building their boats earlier in the morning and most chose to use duct tape to keep the ships waterproof. Out of the 18 boats that challenged the lake, about five met their fate at the bottom without reaching the finish line.

"Some were in it for the race and some made a fashion statement," Loffredo joked after the races.