BAINBRIDGE – For 50 years, the Village of Bainbridge has drawn people from across the country, and sometimes outside, to the General Clinton Canoe Regatta for a day of fun on the Susquehanna River.

This weekend will include more than 50 races in one or two person classes, including generation gap relays, race relays, scout races, 18-mile sprints, youth races, and of course, the longest single day flat water canoe race in the world – a grueling 70-mile test of endurance, stamina and skill.

The races begin at 5:30 tonight and at noon Saturday-Monday.

“This race has done two big things for the area: it’s brought a lot of people and helped the economy, and it’s provided the area with a 45-acre park that is paid for solely by the Regatta,” said Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce Chairman John Harmon.

Friday night is the kick off of the aquatic endeavours with the Monster Energy generation gaps races; Boy and Girl Scouts from across the northeast will get in on the action on Saturday; Sunday’s Grand Prix relay races will begin in Oneonta; and the world championship main event on Monday will pit professional and amateur canoeists beginning at the source of the Susquehanna River - Otsego Lake in Cooperstown.

A complete list of locations for the race and a map of the waterways can be found at canoeregatta.org.