Row your boat: Scott City hosts annual cardboard boat contest, pool party

With the smell of sunscreen and chlorine sailing in the breeze, Scott City Community Pool splashed into summertime Saturday with dives, water balloons, belly flops and the main event: a cardboard boat contest.

Along with door prizes and other giveaways, the contests were part of the city’s free opening-day pool party, now in its second year.

“The park board and myself, we’re trying to get people in the pool,” Scott City parks and recreation director Skylar Cobb said before the boat race. “The public pool, these days, is a dying breed. ... We were just researching different ideas, and this happened to be one of them.”

He said it’s an unusual event because a lot of times the cardboard box boats that look the best don’t necessarily float the best.

“What a better way to kick off the season than a day like this?” Cobb said.

Hunter Riggs, 11, of Oak Ridge, formerly of Scott City, plays with a ball as Gavin Deimund, 10, of Scott City, left, and Weston Riggs, 9, of Oak Ridge, formerly of Scott City, construct a cardboard boat for a contest Saturday at the Scott City Community Pool.Jacob Wiegand

Four teams of parents, guardians and children — nearly 16 contestants — started out with scissors, duct tape and cardboard. Each had one hour to construct the cruisers.

Brandon Johnston and his son, Memphis, of Scott City, went the “simple” route with the boat design, he said.

“We did it last year, and our boat sank pretty quick; we went elaborate on it,” Johnston said. “And this year, we just went basic: duct taped the bottom of the box. Hopefully it’ll hold water.”

April Ford of Cape Girardeau and her daughter, Amara, 5, were working on a larger, 22-inch-by-18-inch strategy.

Amara was excited to be at the helm during the contest, she said.

“My kids, they like it here better,” April Ford said of why they chose Scott City Swimming Pool for the day.

Weston Riggs, 9, sister Georgia, 5, and brother Hunter, 11, from Oak Ridge and Gavin Deimund, 10, of Scott City were anxiously getting their boat together.

They won first place last year, Weston said, while Georgia said she was ready to guide the boat to the finish line.

Ashley Geiser, daughter Abigail, 7, of Scott City, Dylan Gibson, 12, and Emmet Zurbriggen, 2, were set to sail their cardboard vessel.

“We were going a little bit bigger, so maybe we wouldn’t capsize like ours did last year; we kind of just did the simple square box with a lot of duct tape to make it waterproof, and it floated until we got somebody in it.”

Geiser said her family has looked forward to this event since January. Abigail was scared last year, Geiser said, but she was ready this year.

By 1 p.m., Abigail was all smiles as she out-floated her competition, was declared winner of the contest, and awarded a water toy.

“I won again!” she screamed, hopping out of her boat, still afloat at the finish line.

And what did she think about winning?

“I liked it,” she said with a grin.

Regular pool hours in Scott City are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. Starting Aug. 1, the pool will open at 1 p.m. during the week.

More details can be found on the Scott City Parks and Recreation Department Facebook page.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632