On June 26, if you're wondering why canoes are strapped to cars, displayed on front yards or paddling down the Thames River, think of Peterborough, Ontario: the home of the Canadian Canoe Museum and the place that founded National Canoe Day.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is asking individuals across the country to coordinate and document a canoe-related event in their area on June 26. Each event can be registered on nationalcanoeday.net and participants can share their photos, videos or blogs. The museum will collect the stories and highlight them online June 30.

"We encourage people to celebrate and take photographs of their canoe. We're looking for interesting and humorous photos, any way to celebrate," stated Emily Alonzo, Volunteer Publicist for National Canoe Day.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is aiming to increase participation in paddlesports throughout the country. National Canoe Day's goal is to highlight the benefits of canoeing, give people a taste of a simpler mode of transportation and teach the history of the activity.

The event started small in Peterborough in 2007, but has since grown to become a day celebrated by paddlesport enthusiasts across the country.

For more information, visit nationalcanoeday.net or canoemuseum.ca.