Bay paddle prep begins

Canoe Club coaches Makana Lewis, center, and Kawika Lewis, right, and other paddlers set up tents for their clubs Thursday afternoon in preparation for the HRCA state championships on Hilo Bayfront. The two-day event starts today with canoe weigh-ins and culminates Saturday with a full day of racing. Thousands of paddlers and spectators from around the state are expected to attend the event, which hasn’t been hosted in Hilo since 2009. (HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald Keaukaha)