BRIDGTON – The annual Maine Canoe Symposium, where paddlers of all ages and abilities will learn “hands-on” from canoeing professionals, will be held Friday through Sunday, June 8 to 10, at the Winona Camps on Moose Pond.

Since 1986 the family-friendly weekend has drawn Americans and Canadians, young and old, beginners and experts, for a celebration of canoeing and camping. It is an all-volunteer, nonprofit event.

Attendees will choose from more than 75 programs: one-on-one skills instruction, workshops, demonstrations, presentations and a menu of activities that introduce children to canoeing and wilderness skills.

Program leaders, headlined by Becky Mason and Cliff Jacobsen, will include Maine Guides, ACA instructors, national champions, authors, artists, explorers and backwoods gurus.

First-time paddlers can learn fundamentals: basic strokes, safety and rescue, choosing equipment, where to go. Seasoned paddlers will try new or unfamiliar techniques: poling, “sit-and-switch,” double-bladed paddling and the Northwoods stroke.

The workshops and demonstrations will cover such things as weather and map reading, boat and equipment building, yoga and strength training to photography, painting, journal keeping, camp cooking and wilderness exploration.

Headlining evening events will be a presentation by canoe tripper, Cliff Jacobsen, who will show a movie, “The Wilberforce Affair,” of his wedding on a canoe trip on the remote Hood River in Nunavut. Becky Mason will present “Watershed Moments; Memorable Rivers I Have Paddled.” Kirk Wipper, founder of the Canadian Canoe Museum, will present programs on Voyageur skills and songs.

Accommodations will be available, and meals will be served cafeteria-style in the camp dining hall. Registration fees for the weekend are $80 for adults and $40 for children age 12 and under. Meals and accommodations are additional. Family discounts are available.

To see photos and a preview of all activities, go to www.mainecanoesymposium.org. To make reservations, contact Winona Camps at RR1, Box 868, Bridgton ME 04009, phone 647-3721. To contact the symposium staff, e-mail [email protected] or call 892-3121.