Megan Kinkade with husband, Travis, newborn, Hunter, and daughter, Quinn, 5.
Less than 72 hours after giving birth to a 10-pound boy, Hunter, fourth-grade teacher Megan Kinkade could be found in the bleachers cheering on her students at Float Your Boat for The Food Bank at Bass Pro Shops Lake on Saturday.
“I made the hospital let me leave a day early,” said Kinkade, with Hunter, husband Travis and daughter, Quinn, in tow. “My kids worked so hard on this, and I’m so proud of them.”
Kinkade had good reason to be proud. Not only did her class’s boat, Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom capture the look and spirit of the popular children’s book, it also took third place for fastest time in the short-course races.
Kinkade was one of several teachers from Mill Creek whose classes participated in Float Your Boat. Each of the Mill Creek boats paid tribute to children’s literature, including Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, Harry Builds a Boat and Pete the Cat. Mill Creek’s fourth graders have participated in the event for several years, and this year, the school’s chess club also got in the action.
More than 40 teams created cardboard boats to sail at Bass Pro Shops this year as part of the seventh annual Float Your Boat for The Food Bank. Most made it successfully across the lake with a few turning over along the way. Keep Calm and Float On did exactly the opposite, sinking dramatically enough to earn the notorious Titanic Award.
Titanic Award winners Keep Calm and Float On.
Watlow’s Big Dubya also cracked under pressure. The boat was Ruben Bolton’s second attempt at creating a boat with nothing but cardboard—no glue, caulk or paint used. Bolton debuted his first Nothing But Cardboard boat at the 2017 event. He sailed that one again successfully but his attempt at creating a lighter one for co-workers at Watlow sank seconds after the boat hit the water.
Several other boats returned from past races. Families from the Elmerineos neighborhood raced their Ghostbusters-themed boat again this year not only in the short course, but the dads of the group raced it a second time in the long course, taking third place for speed.
EAG had two boats in the competition again this year, one elaborate gondola that took the Allure of the Sea award but sunk its first attempt on the lake. The team managed to get back in the boat and sail it a second time successfully. A smaller, more basic boat named for Leroy the dog sailed perfectly.
The Duncavage family from Clayton, Mo., signed up for Float Your Boat after having built a cardboard sailboat for a different race that was canceled. The family of four learned that sails might not be the best option for racing on a windy day. They tipped over in the middle of Bass Pro Shops Lake.
EDI took home the People’s Choice Award for raising the most money for The Food Bank. This was the fourth year in a row the company has snagged the award. This year, the team also set out to build the fastest boat and succeeded, taking home first place in the long course with a time of 1.05 minutes.
See more photos here.
Other awards include:
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
EDI
SHORT COURSE TIMED
1. The Penguin 0.52
2. The Little Sinker 1.05
3. Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom 1.18
LONG COURSE TIMED
1. EDI 1.05
2. Kon-Liki 1.22
3. Deja Vu 1.26
ALLURE OF THE SEA
The EAG Gondola - Long Course
The Penguin - Short Course
LOCH NESS AWARD
Dragon Heart - Long Course
JMS Titanic - Short Course
CAPTAIN'S AWARD
The Bluff's Sea Nile - Long Course
Dia de los muertos - Short Course
TITANIC AWARD
Keep Calm and Float On
CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S CARDBOARD
Hope Floats - Long Course
WSMSense - Short Course
COLORING CONTEST WINNERS
Best Overall - Kate Kampeter
Most Creative - Benjamin Talbott
Best Mixed Media - Ellen Duncavage