Cleveland Canoe Celebrities
by Denise Janus

We did no paddling today, because we spent all day showing off our canoe and talking to people at the Boating, Fishing and Seafood Festival www.boatingfest.com in Voinovich Park on Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor, right behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Thank you to Mr. Shawn Fergus for allowing us to participate in the festival! There was a freighter museum giving tours as well as a tall ship, the Windi II, giving rides.

Many people came up to us wanting to know about the canoe and the trip, and many had seen us in the news along the way. A lot of people commented that a trip like this would be so much fun and we constantly confirmed that idea, but we also pointed out that it’s a lot of work!  Captain Gary Peters came up to talk to us and we’d really like to thank him for helping us scout out boat ramps and giving us helpful maps of the area.  We manned our station at the festival until about 6 p.m. and then headed back to Mentor to chill out and do some bowling at the nearby bowling alley.

I’d like to thank Pat Warren, owner of Freeway Lanes for letting us bowl for free! Pat’s from the Detroit area and when he learned of our project he was so gracious and hospitable!  Again I have to say I am amazed at how nice everyone is to us!