‘Everyone has fun’: Buffalo Grove pool season ends with cardboard boat regatta

Willow Stream Pool’s season finished Saturday with Buffalo Grove Park District’s annual Cardboard Boat Regatta.

Participants focused on getting to the finish line as they rowed, splashed and laughed while navigating their boats made entirely of cardboard and covered in duct tape.

None of the boats sunk, and only a couple teams needed a helpful push from lifeguards in the water.

The annual event, which started after the pandemic, has been a hit according to Phoebe Guercio, a recreation supervisor at the Buffalo Grove Park District.

“We’ve had a lot more participants as the years have gone on,” Guercio said. “A lot of people have gotten very creative and the boats have just gotten better each year.”

The participants competed for a variety of awards and trophies.

“They bring (their cardboard boats) on the last day the pool is open and it goes really well,” said Guercio. “Everyone has fun.”