There's no question that making something with your hands is a lot of fun, and that it's even more fun when you get a bunch of friends and family involved.
So it stands to reason that it's even more sun when the whole community gets involved.
That's what happens in Tulsa, Oklahoma, every summer, when thousands of spectators gather on the banks of the Arkansas River to watch homemade rafts race down the river.
The rafts are all mismatched collections of strange things, many of them decorated to look even stranger, but they're all clever and funny testaments to the city's creativity.
Floating down a river on a handmade boat is the stuff American dreams are made of, from Huckleberry Finn who went down the Mississippi to contemporary artist Wes Modes who took his handmade "shanty boat" down the Tennessee.
In Tulsa, though, they turned it into a friendly competition. The Great Raft Race took place every year from 1973 to 1991, and reopened for the first time in 2015. This year it's under way again, and fans hope it will continue to be a tradition.
Check out some of last summer's clever rafts, and keep an eye out for this year's contestants in the coming weeks!
[H/T: Only In Your State]
The Great Raft Race in Tulsa, Okalhoma started in 1973, and featured homemade rafts racing down the Arkansas River in a late-summer day of fun, silliness, and friendly competition.
One year, the race broke the state record for the largest single-day event, with some 600 rafts, 4,500 racers, and 150,000 cheering onlookers who lines the riverbanks from Tulsa to Sand Springs, more than seven miles away.
Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and inflatable rafts are allowed, but the fan favorites have always been the weird, wacky homemade rafts that show off some real creativity!
The Great Race sadly stopped running in 1991, but after 24 years, it was started up again in 2015.
This Labor Day will be the second year of its revival.
In 2015, 200 rafts came out to participate, including plenty of the homemade variety, like "Ships And Dip" here, who comes complete with a pirate crew in full costume.
Note the captain with raised hook near the center.
Friends and families get together to build their rafts during the summer, and then gather for the moment of truth come Labor Day. There's something wonderfully charming about the hand-painted signs and home-spun creations.
Naturally, all participants get a life-jacket!
And some people go really nuts. This raft is made from an old VW Beetle. It was created by Tulsa Kayak, a local kayak company, which explains the boats on the raft.
And if you think a floating car is out there, check out this raft.
It's a floating plane! It might be difficult to row from that far off the water, but this team definitely gets props for boldness.
