Kenduskeag Canoe Race Co-Founder Sonny Colburn Dies at 93, Weeks Before 59th Run
Colburn and Lew "Spook" Gilman turned a failed fundraiser idea into a race that has drawn more than 42,000 paddlers since 1967.
Edwin "Sonny" Colburn, who helped start the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race in 1967, died Feb. 20, 2026, at age 93, the Bangor Daily News reported. The 59th edition of the race is scheduled for April 18, 2026.
According to the race's website, Colburn and his longtime friend, the late Lew "Spook" Gilman, worked out the idea over a meeting at Miller's Restaurant in Bangor. Colburn, who managed Bangor Furniture a few doors from the city's parks and recreation office, took the proposal to the department, which needed a new fundraiser after a bicycle race had not succeeded.
The first race, on May 21, 1967, drew 51 paddlers in 32 canoes and kayaks over a 16.5-mile course. Turnout peaked in 1994 at 745 boats and 1,529 paddlers. In 2025, the race drew 406 boats and 760 paddlers, bringing its all-time totals to 21,763 boats and 42,287 paddlers.
Race director Debbie Gendreau said Colburn came to planning committee meetings until about five years ago and still stopped by her office several times before each year's race. Tracy Willette, who directs the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department, called Colburn and Gilman "legends of canoeing in the area and in the state" and said the canoe race remains among the region's most popular paddling events.
This story was first reported by Bangor Daily News.
