Ryan Wisniewski
The Great Pumpkin Regatta
Today's image is titled The Great Pumpkin Regatta and was photographed by Ryan Wisniewski.
Spectators line the lakefront piles and piers at the Memorial Union Terrace are lined in this photo, shot early Saturday afternoon at the The Great Pumpkin Regatta. For the last four years, this competition on the waters of Lake Mendota finds daring paddlers take one another on in front of the Hoofer Sailing Club inside coracles carved from oversized gourds. "Dr. James Nienhuis, plant breeding genius and UW Department of Horticulture faculty, has specially bred giant pumpkins to be nautically aerodynamic," note organizers. "The innards of the pumpkin are carved out into the shape of a seat and this shell is then placed into a large tractor tire inner tube."
The race went off smoothly, as opposed to its inaugural running in 2005 when a dock overflowing with fans collapsed in the midst of the spectacle. A regatta report can be found in the Badger Herald, and more photos from the 2006 and 2007 matches are provided by the UW Horticulture Club.
This is the latest entry of Madison Snaps: photos of Madison-area events and locations. The send a message. There is no compensation for Madison Snaps photos, which are © to the respective photographers.
