River Raisin canoe race hopes to go on in 2020; Top Fan will be here, too

Brothers Steve (left) and Dave Foley paddling in to the finish line in a prior Manchester Canoe and Kayak Race.

At last Monday night’s virtual Village Council meeting, Canoe Race organizer Sybil Kolon updated Council on the status of this year’s race.

With the Kiwanis Club disbanding last fall and a variety of different organizations taking over the many events that the club had sponsored, the Manchester Music Boosters had decided to sponsor the 54th annual Manchester River Raisin Kayak-Canoe race, with the assistance of experienced Kiwanians to help assure the race would continue uninterrupted. With the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis, however, the organization was unsure if this year’s race could go on as scheduled.

At this time, it appears with Stay Home orders now set to expire on April 30, the race could still go on its traditional date, the third Sunday in May. However, since it is not known if the order will be extended, the group has since decided that the race should be postponed and will consider a possible future date when more information is available. Kolon said the group is still working to acquire a DNR permit and insurance coverage, but no matter what, “we are going to bend over backwards” to make sure the race goes on.

“We are committed to seeing this traditional event continue in Manchester,” Kolon said, a sentiment echoed by Kristi Campbell, president of the Music Boosters, who was unable to attend the meeting. The sentiment was also emphasized by Village Council members, who encouraged the group to continue with their planning efforts.

One person who is sure to be at the canoe race, whenever it is held, is Steve Foley of Ann Arbor, who has participated each year since 1982.

“I was 32 and heard about the race at a canoe store (Canoe Sport; no longer in operation) and given that I loved canoes, I decided to do it,” Steve explains. “I raced with a work colleague of mine, Debbie Cocoros, and we won the Man/Women division that year. I decided to race again the following year and within a few years it became a chosen tradition for me. In 1983 I added a race in Owosso which was in June every year and was part of the Curwood Festival. I did this for several years, in addition to the Manchester Race but no longer make effort to attend.

“In the early years, I would race with various friends or my wife, Sallie. By 1990 my twin daughters, Jessica and Lauren, were ten years old and I began to race with them. One daughter would race with me at Manchester and the other daughter would race with me in the Owosso Race.”

Soon, it became even more of a ‘family affair,’ as Steve’s brother Dave Foley and his wife Cyndy joined them at the Manchester races. Jessica and Lauren would race together as they got older, and Steve would race with his son Rob, or his wife Sallie. And sometimes Sallie would race with one of the kids.

“Over the years I have placed first, second, third, and below,” Steve says. “During my heyday (which is long past, by the way), I was a lot more competitive. But always the focus for me was on the pleasure of the race, the fellowship with family, and the wonderful Manchester community. I have found that the race is always competitive, but without an ‘edge.’ It’s a very nice atmosphere from start to finish; it seems like Manchester has purposely set it up with that kind of tone to it, which is really nice. That’s been my experience all along the line.”

Steve says his best race times were always when he raced together with Dave, which actually has happened only on three occasions. “We accomplished the fastest race time of the day (all categories combined) at least once,” he says. “Mostly, over the years, my teammate has been decided by what family member needed a partner. Over the years I have been less interested in how I place and more focused on including family members.”

Last year, Steve’s son Rob, who lives in Boston, flew back home to be in the Manchester Canoe Race. And several family members chipped in to make sure it could happen. “It’s really that important to all of us,” Steve says.

“I have always considered two things to be my Must-Do personal holidays,” he adds, “attending the Manchester Canoe Race and my annual trip to Killarney Provincial Park canoeing in the wilderness there. I am blessed now that my family also considers both of these as annual events in their lives, too. In recent years, my daughters have tried to attend with their children; we now have representatives from three generations racing every year.”

Jessica Foley, her husband Marcel van der Elst, and their daughters, Gisele and Jane (now 11 and 8), all have participated in the race at different times; although they now have two younger children, Jessica and Marcel are eager to get back into the racing game as the little ones grow up. Lauren Foley, and her wife Melinda Abernethy, have also been racing together for the past couple of years. Steve has had a variety of partners over the years, from his son, to his brother, to his wife, daughters, and granddaughters. Dave and Cyndy Foley also race each year, and regularly win in their division.

So Steve and Dave are eagerly awaiting the news of when the race will be held and strategizing who they will have as partners this year. “I just love canoeing, and my kids grew up knowing it’s something I loved to do. Now they’re including their kids, and I couldn’t be happier about that.”

Although Steve and Sallie moved to Torch Lake in December, he says it doesn’t affect his plans to participate in the upcoming Manchester Canoe & Kayak races. “I’ll continue paddling until one day my paddle drifts down the river by itself,” he says.

And if the dedicated volunteers organizing this year’s race have anything to say about it, they will be welcoming the Foley family and friends back to Manchester sooner–rather than later!

The family has gotten others involved in the race as well: From left, Amel Omari, Sallie Foley, Steve Foley, Rob Foley, Cyndy Foley, and Dave Foley.

The Canoe Race is definitely a “family thing” for the Foleys. From left, Rob Foley, Jessica Foley, Sallie Foley, Cyndy Foley, Dave Foley, Steve Foley, Lauren Foley, and wife Melinda Abernethy.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.