Boaters get creative for Glen Ellyn's annual cardboard regatta

Dozens of colorful and often hilarious homemade boats filled Lake Ellyn Park on Saturday for Glen Ellyn's annual Great Cardboard Regatta. But the boats were often upstaged by their makers.

Consider Glen Ellyn resident Mike Stachowiak and his friends Keith Bollman, John Bruhnke, Pat Molloy, A.J. Freeman and Steve Fruit. Their boat looked like a wedding limousine and was named "Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride" - a reference to their many second-place finishes at past regattas.

But Stachowiak and his buddies wanted to take that theme a step further. So they wore dresses.

"Our wives said they'd buy the dresses if we'd wear them," Stachowiak said. "I don't see any of them here now, though. They might be embarrassed."

If anyone topped the dress-wearing bridesmaids Saturday, it was Glen Ellyn resident Harrison Gardner.

His boat, which was built to look like a high-rise office building, rose roughly 30 feet in the air. And Gardner stood next to it - in a King Kong costume.

"It's pretty hot in this thing right now," Gardner admitted. "I'm actually looking forward to getting out on the water."

In all, 51 boats entered Saturday's regatta, a Glen Ellyn Park District event now in its 18th year. The boats were divided into three classes based on experience: schooners, yachtsmen and legends.

"We signed up for the middle division, but now I'm thinking we probably should have entered the most amateur level," said Andy Lewaniak, a Wheaton resident. "I did this once before when I was really young, but that doesn't really count."

Lewaniak and his friends spent about a month building their boat, which looked like a BP oil rig and was one of many with topical themes. (Others included boats paying homage to the Chicago Blackhawks' championship and one called "The Economy" on which was scrawled: "Trying to stay afloat.")

The regatta took place on a picture-perfect summer afternoon. Hundreds of spectators brought chairs and blankets to the park and camped out, many munching on the burgers and hot dogs cooked up by members of the Glen Ellyn Fire Department.

"It's a great community event," Glen Ellyn resident Terri Wilson said. "The kids love looking at all the boats."

Lombard resident Lauren Stumbris tasted some success in her first regatta. She was part of a crew that sailed the Lucky Cuts, named after a family hair salon. The boat was the winner in heat No. 2 of the schooners class, youth division. (Final results will be available from the Glen Ellyn Park District.)

"It was really fun, and we did better than we expected," she said.