Canoes jam the Peterborough Lift Locks along the Trent-Severn Waterway for National Canoe Day last year. (Handout - Photos by Jon Boxall)

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Paddling along a lazy river or going with the flow down a swift-moving stream are among the ways to enjoy National Canoe Day on June 26.

When the canoe was named one of the Seven Wonders of Canada two years ago after a national poll by CBC Radio/TV, the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough hosted an impromptu party.

It took place at the city's famous lift lock, the largest hydraulic lock of its kind in the world, along the Trent-Severn Waterway.

People were invited to come with their canoes for a "festive ride in the lift lock with music and cake," which resulted in a massive traffic jam of watercraft on the water.

Now that tradition has become an annual event that is growing in popularity right across the country with events planned in about 100 locations this year including London.

Last year with Nova Craft Canoe of London a corporate sponsor, there were more than 20 events across the country.

"National Canoe Day parties were also held in 2008 in London, Windsor, Toronto and Yellowknife to just name a few places," said Anthony Berardi, the museum's manager of marketing and information technology.

They started at midnight Yellowknife by the light of the Arctic summer sun and worked their way south and east with events in British Columbia across to Nova Scotia, Berardi said.

There was also participation internationally including the United States and the United Kingdom.

"This year, we're hoping to keep that canoe-as-wonder momentum going by having another party in Peterborough and encouraging paddlers from coast-to-coast-to-coast to join in with canoe-related activities in waters of their own choosing," he said.

Here are some of the Ontario activities:

- Start the day in picturesque Peterborough with a sunrise paddle on Little Lake and the Otonabee River including a "downtown portage."

Participants will meet at the Silver Bean Cafe/Boat House and Docks at 7 a.m. and follow canoe museum staff around the lake. Afterwards, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., there's an open house at the museum.

A "Canoebecue" fundraiser and dance on the Otonabee River in support of the museum starts at 4 p.m. with a barbeque, live music with the L'll Big Band, miniature canoe races and a chance to try out some of the historic craft from the museum collection.

There will also be an auction with items including a restored 1923 Old Town Otca canoe valued at $3,000 and formerly used at a hunting and fishing camp on Loughborough Lake, north of Kingston.

- In London, the day's events begin at noon on June 26 at the Forks of the Thames.

"Members of the London Canoe Club and anybody who would like to join in the fun are most welcome to take part," said John Sterne, one of the organizers headlined by the Philip Aziz Foundation of Art.

There will be lots to see and do including live music and a fire department Zodiac rescue boat and food.

- The Barrie Canoe and Kayak Club will host a paddle on Lake Simcoe's Kempenfelt Bay on June 26 from 6:30 p.m. to dusk with a barbecue as well.

- Paddle on Fairy Lake in downtown Newmarket, north of Toronto, on June 26 at 12:30 p.m.

The event takes place at Fairy Lake Park off Water Street and organizers say "they've just dredged it so it should be fairly pleasant if very small -- hey, it's water, it'll float your boat."

If in Peterborough, be sure to check out the canoe museum, a national heritage centre.

It houses a diverse group of canoes and related artifacts representing a wide range of design and construction techniques.

The newest exhibit is the Treaty Canoe: Spirit of the Agreement featuring two works by Windsor-based artist Alex Mckay.

Treaty canoe is made from the text of original treaties transcribed onto parchment paper while Treaty of Niagara, 1764 is a birch bark megaphone representing an important but "lost" treaty based on the Royal Proclamation of 1763.

"Both speak to the nature of treaties between Canada and our First Nations," Berardi said.

The museum has watercraft ranging from whaling dugouts, bark canoes and skin kayaks, to historic wooden boats and racing craft.

"Items in the collection have unique stories to tell about their history and about the people who created and used them," he said.

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If you paddle:

- To learn more about National Canoe Day events, go to www.nationalcanoeday.net; (705) 748-9153.

- The Canadian Canoe Museum is at 910 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough. Information: www.canoemuseum.ca; (705) 748-9153.

Tickets for the "Canoebecue" fundraiser are $120 each; www.canoemuseum.ca/index.php/canoebeque-ticketshtml

- For tourist information about Peterborough and the Kawarthas: www.thekawarthas.net; 1-800-461-6424.