Team Floaters wins 49th Tubie Race
Seven teams competed in the 2019 Tubie Race held on August 4 which started at the docks in Arlor Haven Campground and ended at the Morrisburg Beach. Jonah Bennis, Luca Bennis, Quinn Bennis, Marc Beckstead, Cole Beckstead, Mary Smith, Abby Jordan, Erika Jordan and Jayme Henry paddled their way to victory and a first place cash prize of $300. Thompson Goddard photo

Junior Biathlon winners
In this year’s Junior Biathlon, 12-year-old Emma Morrow earned the 1st place medal, nine-year-old Sam Morrow came in 2nd place and seven-year-old Reid Gordon reached the finish line for 3rd place.
Glover photo

MORRISBURG – This year’s Tubie Festival was greeted with another gorgeous sunny weekend full of laughter, excitement and a showstopping tubie race.

Early in the morning of Sat., Aug. 3, the third annual biathlon race took place with a lower number of participants than last year. While last year’s event was greeted with nearly 20 participants, this year only saw four.

It was estimated that the overwhelmingly humid weather was the cause of the lower participation; that people would rather be cooling off rather than running and biking around the waterfront.

Regardless, the kids in the junior competition still had a blast, with 12-year-old Emma Morrow earning the first-place medal, nine-year-old Sam Morrow coming in second place and seven-year-old Reid Gordon coming in third.

Isabella Jordan earned the first-place medal for the longer biathlon circuit.

The Tubie Festival parade had a booming Las Vega-style theme, with many of the floats depicting Fear and Loathing, Honeymoon and Leaving Las Vegas. While some of the floats were sporting a Miami Vice kind of style with a bar scene, others were dressed in dice and dancers. Approximately 10 floats were signed up for the parade this year.

On Sun., Aug. 4, the 49th annual Tubie Festival race from the Arlor Haven Campground to Morrisburg Beach went underway and, after four consecutive wins in previous years, Team Jordan was officially dethroned by Team Floaters.

Brenda McIntosh, a member of the organizing committee confirmed there were seven teams competing in the tubie race as it began. 26:12 minutes later at the Morrisburg Beach before a crowd of over 60 people Team Floaters (so named by team captain Jonah Bennis when speaking to The Record) was the first to finish. The team was made up of Jonah Bennis, Luca Bennis, Quinn Bennis, Marc Beckstead, Cole Beckstead, Mary Smith, Abby Jordan, Erika Jordan and Jayme Henry.

Can Team Floaters hold onto the gold next year and begin a winning streak to challenge that of Team Jordan? Only time will tell.