Paddlefest 2009 Events
Celebrate, promote and protect the beauty of the Ohio River at the 8th Annual Ohio River Way Paddlefest on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27, 2009. Come to Cincinnati to enjoy two days of paddling, education, entertainment, competition and camaraderie.
With your help -- and the support of our many generous corporate, small business and non-profit sponsors -- the Ohio River Way will continue to sponsor events and raise funds to promote the Trail and help paddlers and power boaters alike experience the natural beauty and recreational benefits of the Ohio and its unique network of tributaries in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.
Friday, June 26
Kids’ Outdoor Adventure EXPO
The "Kids’ Outdoor Adventure EXPO" takes place on Friday, June 26 from 9am - 12pm and a second session from 1pm-4pm. Kids' EXPO is designed for children and teens to have fun and learn about paddlesports, boating safety, water pollution, ecology and the environment.
Click here for more information.
Friday, June 26
Ohio River Music, Arts & Outdoor Festival
Coney Island
6201 Kellogg Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45228
Click here for map
Come early and stay late - even overnight! Enjoy live music, food, refreshments, craft vendors, outfitter displays, environmental exhibits and paddling films under the stars. Learn more about the Ohio River and what you can do to improve and celebrate it. Buy or sell used boats and equipment at the Gear Swap. Bid on dozens of silent auctions items. Admire classic wooden boats. Test paddle a new canoe or kayak on Lake Como.
Schedule
9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm: Kids’ Outdoor Adventure EXPO
- Hands-on water safety activities
- Nature Education Activities & Exhibits
- ORSANCO's Ohio River Fish Tank
- Canoe, kayak & raft rides available
- Music, Food, Refreshments, Games
Ohio River Music & Outdoor Festival
- Canoe, kayak & bike vendors
- Outfitters and gear vendors
- Boat demos (ends at dusk)
- Gear Swap (ends at 9pm) (more info contact doug.king@fuse.net)
- Wooden boat show
- Silent auction (closes at 9pm)
- Film festival
- Food, beer & refreshments
- Live music begins at 5PM
Live music on the WNKU Music Stage
- The Tillers
- Strawboss
- Jake Speed & The Freddies
- Rumpke Mountain Boys
- Backyard Tire Fire
Camping
Overnight camping is available this year at Steamboat Bend at Woodland Mound Park. The camp sites are located just five miles away on Rte. 52. NO ALCOHOL MAY BE BROUGHT INTO THE CAMP GROUNDS.
Saturday, June 27
Ohio River Paddlefest
Schedule:
Starting at Coney Island
6:30 a.m. Coney Island opens - use West Entrance
7:00 - 8:45 Registration & boat drop off - rental canoes & kayaks must be claimed by 8:30 a.m.
7:00 Mandatory Racer Meeting
7:30 14 Mile Pro Race Starts (start on land - run into the water)
7:40 9 Mile Amateur Races Start (start in water by class)
8:00 - 8:45 Float Trip Paddlers Put Boats in Ohio
8:45 8.2 Mile Float Trip Starts
9:00 Deadline for Paddlers to Enter the Ohio
10:00 - 11:00 Live Music on ORSANCO’s PA Denny
10:30 - 2:30 Finish Line Festival at Serpentine Wall (FREE to the public)
11:00 - 2:30 Shuttle Buses run back to Coney Island
11:30 - 12:30 Dragon Boat Races in front of Serpentine Wall
12:25 Raffle Drawing (kayak as 1st prize)
12:30 Awards Ceremony
2:30 Last Shuttle Bus to Coney Island
3:00 Deadline for all boats to be picked up at Public Landing
What to bring to Paddlefest:
- Your Lifejacket (provided if your are renting a canoe or kayak)
- Sunscreen, hat, shoes, waterproof camera
- Cash - for food, refreshments, t-shirts, raffle and paddling stuff you can’t live without
- Water & snacks for your paddling trip - water to refill your free Paddlefest water bottle will be available at the put in and at the Public Landing.
- Your love of adventure, a little patience & your contagious smile!
Tips for enjoying Paddlefest:
- Complete your registration and drop off your boat on Friday at Coney Island (12-9 p.m.) so you are all set on Saturday morning to park and paddle!
- Arrive at Coney Island early on Saturday morning (7:00 - 8:30 a.m.) so you will have plenty of time to get your boat in the water and be ready to leave on our 8.2 mile float trip by 9:00 a.m.
- Bring your water bottle - we will have water stations at Coney and at the Finish Line Festival to refill your Paddlefest water bottle (included with your registration).
- Bring your kids and grandkids to our Kids' Outdoor Adventure EXPO from 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm on Friday at Coney. It's free and fun for kids of all ages.
- Bring your family and friends to our Ohio River Music & Outdoor Festival at Coney later that day from 4-midnight. Great bands, lots of outfitters and exhibits, free canoeing on Lake Como, boat demo, silent auction, wooden boat show, paddling films, great beer, tasty food and wonderful company!
- Don't rush back to your car as soon as you finish your paddle. Watch the Dragon Boat Races, enjoy live music on Serpentine Wall and relax with a cold refreshment and tasty food. The shuttles run until 2:30 p.m.
- Bring sunscreen, a hat, shoes, waterproof camera, life jacket (provided with rentals), cash, your love of adventure, a little patience and a smile!
9 Mile Amateur Canoe & Kayak Race
Sponsored by US Bank
Sanctioned by the United States Canoe Association
• Race information & registration
The Amateur Canoe and Kayak Race will begin at 7:40 a.m. with each class starting separately, after a mandatory racer orientation meeting at 7:00 a.m. Medals will be given to the top finishers based on the number of finishers in each class. Canoe classes include Men's and Women's C-1; Men's, Women and Mixed C-2 Cruiser or Recreational. Kayak classes include Men's and Women's K-1 Recreational or Sea Kayak. This year's course will include a leg on the Little Miami River as well as the Ohio. Winning times in 2005 ranged from 1:30-1:50 depending on the class.
14 Mile Pro Race
The only USCA Sanctioned Pro Race in the Tri-State Area
• Race information & registration
Sanctioned by the U.S. Canoe Association, this 14 Mile C-2 Pro Race is the only professional canoe race in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and the only one on the entire Ohio River. It will begin at 7:30 a.m. after a mandatory racer orientation meeting beginning at 7:00 a.m. (look for signs to racer's meeting). Prize money (totaling $3,500) will be awarded to the top finishing teams based on the number of finishers per class. Classes include Men, Women and Mixed C-2 and Unlimited K-1. Winning C-2 racers finished in just under 2 hours in 2005. This year's course will include a leg on the Little Miami River as well as upstream and down stream paddling on the Ohio.
Paddle the Ohio River
Sponsored by the Hamilton County Park District
8.2 Miles starting at Coney Island and ending at the Public Landing (Course Map)
This leisurely float trip down the Ohio is the signature event of The Ohio River Way Paddlefest. Last year over 1,450 people in over 900 canoes and kayaks participated. With the Ohio closed to barge traffic by the Coast Guard, paddlers can safely enjoy the beauty of the river and its historic and scenic shoreline. This trip typically takes about 2 hours to complete.
Keep an eye out for "Education and Water Stops" along the Ohio shore. Don't miss ORSANCO's "P.A. Denny" paddlewheel boat, their floating classroom which will be docked at the half-way point on the Ohio shore. You'll enjoy live music along the way.
Finish Line Festival
Cincinnati's Historic Public Landing
Free admission, open to the public from10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Invite your family and friends to cheer you on as you arrive at Cincinnati's Public Landing. They will enjoy the upbeat "Islands" and lively music! There will be lots of tasty food, beer, soft drinks and plenty of cold water. The raffle drawing and a brief awards ceremony will be held at 12:30 pm. Then stay around for more great music, visit our 20+ vendors and catch one of our shuttle buses to take you back to your vehicle at Coney Island.
"Dragon Boat Racing"
At least one Dragon Boat and perhaps Dragon Boat Racing, too will become a featured event at Paddlefest 2009.
Originating in China more than 2000 years ago, dragon boat racing competition is a folk ritual that is now an international sport. Dragon boat racing teams in the tri-state area are invited to participate in Paddlefest and to race each other between the bridges on the Ohio River along the Serpentine Wall.
Since the beginning of Paddlefest Ed Council of Canoe Kentucky and Jim Thaxton of Thaxton’s Canoe Trails, Inc. have filled their replica Native American Voyageur Canoes with paddlers and joined the flotilla of canoes and kayaks on the Ohio as part of the Paddlefest celebration.
In 2004 the manager of Thaxton’s Canoe Trails Julie Heenan was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a distraction from the surgery and chemotherapy treatments and to give Julie something to focus on during the treatments and healing process, Thaxton’s painted their 28' canoe pink and Ms. Heenan worked to fill the boat with breast cancer survivors for Paddlefest 2005. The Pink Canoe was an immediate success, so much so that Council’s boats were commandeered to carry cancer survivors. The Pink Canoe became the flagship for Paddlefest and was signed each year by hundreds of cancer survivors.
Last year the Pink Canoe was repainted back into its Native American motif but instead of the birch bark look, it was painted 26 different colors representing all the different colors of human cancer.
The Women’s Cancer Coalition wanted their own identity and with a grant from Komen’s Lexington Affiliate for a Cure a Pink Dragon boat was built in China and shipped to Three Rivers District Health Department. The Coalition formed a non-profit organization and is in the processes of creating Kentucky’s first Breast Cancer Survivor (BCS) Dragon Boat Team. Northwest River Supplies, Inc. provided a generous contribution to help outfit the team with paddling apparel.
The team is open to all breast cancer survivors in the Tri-State area. The team is coached by Priscilla Elgersma. Priscilla is a veteran dragon boat paddler, former team captain and winning coach who raced on a team in Vancouver, British Columbia. The BCS team will bring their Pink Dragon Boat to Paddlefest 2009.
BCS Dragon Boat teams and other dragon boat racing enthusiasts interested in helping to make dragon boat racing an annual event as part of Paddlefest should contact: Jim Thaxton by email jamest.thaxton@ky.gov
Rolling Instruction
You're always safer staying in your kayak than swimming rocky rapids or open water. And, rolling is just plain fun.
If you can roll out of bed you can learn to roll a kayak. Land instruction is open to anyone who shows up at the shallow end of the pool, 8:00 PM, Friday night. Rolling principles will be explained and demonstrated.
Pool instruction follows that, but requires pre-registration and is limited to the first 12 to do so. You must qualify with the appropriate equipment and preparation. Pre-registration closes when the class fills or June 22nd, whichever comes first.
For more information or to register, email Henry at CaptainHank@Cincypaddlers.org.
Rolling Competition
If you've got game, you can gain. First place in the two divisions (with paddle and bare-handed) gets a $100.00 credit at a Paddlefest Cincinnati sponsor or exhibitor of your choice. (The credit must be used within six months of the contest.) It’s who can complete the most 360 rolls in a timed period.
Pre-registration is required and limited to the first 15 in each division (or June 22nd, whichever comes first). You may register in only one division. PFD and helmet is required, along with pre-cleaning of boats (no floatation bags permitted).
The competition commences at the deep end of the pool, 9:00 PM Friday night. For more information or to register, email Henry at CaptainHank@Cincypaddlers.org.
Boat Pick-Up and Shuttle
When you finish paddling, you will put your canoe or kayak in a secured area on the Public Landing until you return with your vehicle to pick it up. Shuttle buses will depart every 15 minutes from the Public Landing (on Mehring Way) for the 15 minute ride back to Coney Island. Shuttles will run from 11:00 a.m. till 2:30 p.m. Volunteers will be available to help you take your boat out of the river and load it on your vehicle when you return. Boats must be picked up from the Public Landing by 3:00 p.m.
