Freeport, NY - August 5, 2016 - Mayor Robert T. Kennedy will join local community, civic and business leaders at the Great Freeport Canoe Race on Sunday, August 7, 2016, 10am at Cow Meadow Park and Preserve at #1 South Main Street, Freeport. Local residents and visitors from across the Tri-State area compete in this annual race. The contest is a tradition that began almost four decades ago in Freeport Village, “The Boating and Fishing Capital of the East.'' Winners will receive medals for achievement and sportsmanship. The event is sponsored by the Freeport Chamber of Commerce and the Freeport Police Athletic League, with all funds raised from the race directly supporting youth activities and programs.
Canoes were developed by North America Natives well before Europeans arrived on these shores. The canoes were made of large tree trunks, which were artfully shaped and colorfully-painted. Long Island Indian tribes used them for transportation and fishing.
Canoe racing remains a highly-popular sport in the U.S. and around the world, with hundreds of athletes concurrently set to kick-off canoe racing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The Great Freeport Race is one of the largest such events in the region, as hundreds of children and adults compete in a variety of categories. Cow Meadow is a 171-acre waterfront park and preserve featuring a marina, fishing posts, sports fields and hiking trails.