By Elana Warsen
MIO – Mio’ First Dam Canoe Challenge returns to Mio August 27-28.
Peg Smutek, of Luzerne, co-founded the challenge 14 years ago and has been organizing it with help from the Oscoda County Canoer’ Association ever since. She says the event started as a way to add some excitement to the area during a traditionally slow weekend in the summer (the weekend before Labor Day), and has grown into an integral part of the community.
The Canoe Challenge consists of more than a half-dozen races, including a youth race and a mentor race where new paddlers are paired with more experienced ones. The C2 race alone (in which two people paddle each canoe) brings in about 90 participants each year, Smutek said, in addition to family members and spectators.
‘I love Oscoda County,’ Smutek said. ‘We have the river, and I think everybody needs to have a chance to enjoy it. I do it for the love of community, love of river, and because of where we are at.’
The event gets its name from Mio’ distinction as home to the first of six dams on the AuSable River. Notably, 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the Mio Dam.
Smutek credits the community for the longevity of the event.
‘The local people are more than generous to me,’ she said. ‘It’ because of local businesses that I can do this race. They are the backbone.’
For more information about Mio’ First Canoe Challenge, contact Peg Smutek at 989-826-5382.
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