ROCHESTER — On April 6 the Fire Station will come alive with boats and boat enthusiasts sharing knowledge of how to build a boat for the Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race. 

From 1 p.m to 3 p.m boats will be on display, plans, race rules and registration forms will be available and boat builders will be on hand to answer questions. People can buy, sell or swap a river racing boat at the event. Event organizers encourage boat sellers to bring their boats to the event to look for buyers. 

There will also be a raffle, which includes a plywood river racer which is 18 ½ feet and has raced once. The boat was designed and built by veteran racer Chris Tangney and is complete with paddles and life jackets. Other raffled items are two carbon fiber paddles, one straight shaft and one bent shaft made by Bill Watling III and a handmade blue crocheted afghan, 46 x 40 inches, machine washable made by Cecelia Hall.

Raffle tickets are $5 each. The winners for the paddles and afghan will be drawn at the Ham and Bean Supper on May 25. The winner for the boat will be drawn at the awards program after the race Memorial Day. All proceeds from the raffles will be donated to the Rochester Firefighters Association to cover the expenses of the race.

For further information call Arthur Benner, 508-763-2024 or email artbenner@comcast.net. To purchase raffle tickets online contact Bill Watling at watlingw@hotmail.com or call (508) 789-1103.