Boats strive to stay afloat at cardboard regatta in Glen Ellyn

Tim Folkerts and the crew of the S.S. Minnow figured they would have a tough time finishing first in their maiden voyage on Lake Ellyn.

But the Lombard man, who served Saturday as skipper, wanted desperately not to finish last.

Their competition: a 30-foot-tall pink bunny that was losing parts as it floated toward the finish line during Glen Ellyn's Great Cardboard Boat Regatta.

"We needed to kind of ram it to make sure we finished ahead," a drenched Folkerts said.

But the bunny had its revenge, toppling over and landing snout-first in the center of Folkerts' yellow cardboard boat, forcing some of its passengers overboard.

"The bunny goes down next year," he said with a smile.

More than 50 teams spent part of Saturday paddling along Lake Ellyn in the 17th annual cardboard boat race that offered prizes in countless categories.

Many of the entries, such as the oversized fire truck manned by members of the Glen Ellyn Fire Protection District, were more a testament to artistic creativity than nautical prowess.

Firefighter Stephen Cha and several members of the department spent more than a month detailing their entry and slapping the department's logo on the side. But when it came time to get in the water, the group had trouble figuring out how to keep it straight.

"The biggest complaint from a lot of the guys was that they couldn't see," Cha said. "But it was fine. Some people didn't think we'd even get it done in time for the race."

Many of the streets leading to Lake Ellyn were packed with cars and dozens of families spent the day near the water to watch the races.

"It's a family tradition for us to come out and see all these boats," said Jeremy Lagomasino, who was sprawled out on a blanket under a tree with his wife, Amy, and two daughters, Julia, 7, and David, 5. "I don't think I'd ever do it myself, though. I like to stay dry."