Author Mike Elliott coming to Spooner museum July 25

SPOONER — Mike Elliott, author of “This Fancy Old Canoe: A Comprehensive Guide To Restoring Antique Canoes,” is coming to the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum (WCHM) in Spooner for a presentation and book signing on Thursday, July 25, beginning at 7:30 p.m. In his presentation, Elliott, who has restored over 240 canoes since 2003, will let us in on the trade secrets of how to successfully return a canoe to its former glory. He’ll be talking about treasured antique canoes and their connections to individuals, families and communities.

Elliott will also be signing copies of his new book, which will be available for purchase. The book picks up where his earlier “This Old Canoe: How To Restore Your Wood-Canvas Canoe” left off. Whether you are an avid collector of antique canoes or you have limited woodworking experience and just want to get your family’s heirloom canoe back on the water, the two books work together to provide the techniques necessary to achieve success in your canoe-restoration adventure. Elliott began restoring canoes as a hobby in 1995. That hobby bloomed into a full-time career in 2003 when he opened Kettle River Canoes in Grand Forks, British Columbia, where he’s been restoring wood canvas canoes ever since. His books are designed to simplify the many challenging tasks of restoring fancy antique canoes.

The presentation is free and open to the public. The museum will be open starting at 6:30 p.m. for a pre-presentation reception and exhibit hall tours. For more information, visit www.WisconsinCanoeHeritageMuseum.org.