Do you have a Kenduskeag tale? We want to hear it!

Each April, hundreds of canoeists and kayakers flock to the small town of Kenduskeag aiming to paddle their way downstream, nearly all the way to the Penobscot River.

Some make it. Some don’t. Some don’t even come close.

Zip Kellog makes his way down river at Six Mile Falls in Bangor during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe race on Saturday, April 17, 2010. (Bangor Daily News/Kevin Bennett)

Yes, we Mainers love our Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. Come rain, or snow, or 80-degree temperatures — we’ve had all kinds of weather over the years — paddlers show up, hoping for the best.

Dave Bartlett of Bradley dumps water from his canoe just moments after the start of the 46th annual Kenduskeag Stream Canoe race on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

So, too, do the “river vultures,” who perch streamside at popular whitewater spots, hoping for the worst … or at least hoping for a show.

If you’ve got a Kenduskeag tale to tell, we want to hear it. We’re in the process of putting together our spring issue of BDN Maine Outdoors — a cool stand-alone publication that we rolled out a year ago — and are looking to share some Kenduskeag color with our readers.

Did you dump your boat at Six Mile Falls? We want to hear about it. Did you tip over right after the starting line (which one pair of expert paddlers actually did a few years back)? Come clean. Tell us your tale of woe.

Or did you have a great day making new friends, or forming even stronger bonds with a family member or a friend.

Cliff Raymond, left, of Gorham, Maine and Jim Minner, right, of Summerville, South Carolina dump their canoe at Six Mile Falls in Bangor during the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race on Saturday, April 17, 2010. (Bangor Daily News/Kevin Bennett)

Whatever your story, we’d like you to send it along. Shorter is better, accompanying photos would be great. You can email them to me at jholyoke@bangordailynews.com, or send them the slow, old-fashioned way to John Holyoke, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor, 04401-1329.

We look forward to hearing from you … and letting others enjoy the thrills and spills of the Kenduskeag vicariously through your experiences.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.