Activities for the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America are being planned for all over the area.

One event is a regatta race that will be held May 23 at the Baer Memorial Swimming Pool, 1101 Bridge St.

Teams from all over the area are in the process of building their own boats using cardboard and duct tape. The day of the event, the teams will compete in a variety of races and competitions.

This past Saturday, the Lehighton Outdoor Center hosted a day where teams came together to begin building their boats. The center provided cardboard and duct tape. The teams got some pointers of how to do it, and began building.

Gayle Christman, a member of the Lehighton Lioness Club and Lehighton Pool Pals, came up with the idea, and gave it to Mark Hoffman of the Lehighton Pool Pals, to run with it.

“America250 came to us, the Lehighton Pool Pals and asked what we could do for America250,” Mark Hoffman, vice president of the Pool Pals explained. “We struggled through some ideas; but then the idea came from Gayle through the Lions. We have a theme: historical. We can make the boats historical, and now we can do something to support America 250.”

So far, there are 24 teams signed up, including various local organizations.

The Lehighton Fire Company put together a team, and is putting out a challenge to other fire companies and first responders to compete.

Sandy Whiteman and Dave Scarselletti were working on their boat, that will be styled like a Viking ship.

Building these boats is much more than just taping a few boxes together. They used cardboard to reinforce what would be the floor of the boat.

So will cardboard boats really float?

“It will float,” Mark Hoffman said. “I’m not saying it’s going to be there for hours.”

“It will float if you can keep water from leaking in,” Byron Schnell added.

The committee is still working out the details for the race itself. There probably will be a “Titanic” award, for the fastest-sinking boat.

More teams are welcome. Information can be found at the Styling Zoo, Perfect Botanical Boutique, or LehightonAreaPoolPal.org. Teams can also see any Pool Pal member, or call Mark Hoffman at 610-554-6635