Riverhead Carboard Boat Race Rescheduled After Fish Die-Off in Peconic River

Riverhead Town announced that following the amassing of thousands of dead bunker fish on the shores of the Peconic River, the 6th Annual Great Riverhead Cardboard Boat Race has been rescheduled for August 23.

According to the Town, the event has been rescheduled in order to “benefit the safety and comfort of participants and spectators.”

“The Peconic River, Long Island’s largest river, has proven to be an excellent location for the Great Riverhead Cardboard Boat Race,” Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter said, “The bunker fish kill could not have been planned for and we are doing our best along with the Town of Southampton to quickly remedy the situation. We are very confident that the situation will greatly improve well in advance of the August 23rd rescheduled race and hope to attract an even larger and more enthusiastic crowd than we welcomed in the last few years.”

The event was originally scheduled for June 28.

Councilman George Gabrielsen, who serves as the town board liaison for the event, said the decision to postpone the popular event was made quickly by the town once the Suffolk County Department of Health issued a health advisory warning about swimming, bathing, boating, kayaking and canoeing in the Peconic River on Thursday.

“I am quite proud of how the boat race has grown over the last several years and the large crowds of spectators and participants that it draws,“ he said. “Therefore, the experience and overall enjoyment of entrants and the hundreds who come to downtown to cheer them on was first and foremost on our minds when we made the decision to move the event to late August.”

For more information, call 631-727-3200 ext. 223 or visit http://riverheadbid.com/cardboard-boat-show/.

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