Nearly 500 rafts floated down Smith River during the 53rd annual Gasquet Raft Race last Saturday. The rafts took off down the river starting at the bridge near the water pump station and floated down to Mary’s Bridge.That was about two miles of white knuckle, white water, physical comedy. On shore was a continuous stream of onlookers starting at the American Legion Hall and fire station.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');Other activities ranged from a car wash given by the fire department to food at the American Legion Hall, as well as booths that offered memorabilia and other food items. There was a musical appearance by a popular homegrown local band.This year was particularly busy due to the July 4 events with a parade sponsored by the Gasquet community.For more photos from the raft race, see Page A2. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });