For the last 56 years, people from the Southern Tier and beyond have welcomed the unofficial start of summer with the General Clinton Canoe Regatta and this Memorial Day weekend will be no different.

If you’re not familiar with the General Clinton Canoe Regatta, here’s a little history: 56 years ago, in 1963, two canoes traveled down the Susquehanna from Cooperstown to Bainbridge on a trip that took 18 hours and 25 minutes. The very first canoe race was held on July 4th of 1963 with 45 participants with the winner completing the trip in only 11 hours and 45 minutes.

The General Clinton Canoe Regatta is more than just a race to see who can travel down the Susquehanna in a canoe the fastest. The regatta has actually grown from a one-day event to a four-day event with something for everyone in the family including canoe races as well as a 5k run, wrestling tourney, food, fireworks, carnival rides, a weekend-long flea market and more.

The 2019 General Clinton Canoe Regatta will be held Friday, May 24th through Memorial Day, Monday, May 27th, so get yourself to Bainbridge and then follow the traffic to the regatta. It’s sure to be a fun weekend for everyone in your family!

If you'd like to register to participate in the Regatta, you can do that here and please keep in mind that start line for the 70-mile races will be located at Brookwood Point which has better parking and easier access to Otsego Lake. 

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