Did you know that Cincinnati is the Paddling Capitol of the U.S.? Well, it is! And you can celebrate this at one of our favorite events of the summer: the 13th annual Paddlefest Weekend. You don’t have to be a paddler to take part in the festivities either because there’s something for everyone on Paddlefest Weekend! Paddlefest takes place on June 20-22 at Coney Island, and on the Ohio River and then ending up at Sawyer Point for more fun. Along with the actual boat rides on Sunday, there is a Kids Expo on Friday and an Outdoor Expo on Saturday with great live music, food, boat demos, fishing, yoga and more! My husband, dad and daughter will be doing the 8.2 mile canoe ride down the Ohio on Sunday and I will be going to the Kids Expo on Friday and Outdoor Expo on Saturday, so we’ll be partying Paddlefest-style all weekend long!
Here’s some information from Paddlefest about the events going on, visit the Paddlefest website to register if you’d like to actually take part in one of the boating events. Last year over 2,100 paddlers & 1,400 boats took part in this event, which is the largest “on water paddling event in the nation“. Online registration for this ends Saturday, June 14th at midnight. You can register on site on Saturday June 21st and Sunday June 22nd.
Paddlefest 2014 ::
Friday, June 20th :: Kids Outdoor Adventure Expo 9:30am until 4:30pm FREE and open to the public
The event has scheduled presentations as well as over 50 interactive exhibitors. Some of the special presenters include: Mapcap Puppets, Dramakinetics, Happen Inc. Toy Lab, Cool Science, Zumba for Kids, storyteller Eric Wolf, I Hate Tai Chi class and the ?”Get Fit, Don’t Sit” walking trail where all participants receive a free bookmark and pedometer and a brief instruction that teaches them how to count their steps sponsored by Interact for Health. Additional activities include a petting zoo, obstacle course, rafting and new this year are fishing and kayaking on Lake Como.
Saturday June 21st :: Paddlefest Outdoor Expo 10 am until Midnight FREE and open to the public (Parking fees apply)
This year’s event features an outdoor yoga class, boat demos, basic & intermediate kayak classes, stand up paddle board (SUP) classes that include yoga, fitness and basic SUP lessons, all day fishing on Lake Como, Outdoor Education Speaker Series where local experts speak on various topics, Lake Como kayak fishing tournament, Mountain Khakis basket raffle & silent auction items, overnight camping, obstacle course and the annual Gear Swap. The local Cincy Bands stage will play from 10 am to 7 pm and the WNKU Band stage begins at 7:15 pm with local band Public finishing out the night with headliner Lydia Loveless.
Sunday June 22nd :: Paddlefest (NEW DAY)
The U.S. Coast Guard will close the Ohio River to commercial and powerboat traffic as paddlers launch more than 1,400 canoes and kayaks for a leisurely 8.2-mile trip float from Coney Island to Yeatman’s Cove in Downtown Cincinnati. For those who want to race there is the 5-mile stand up paddleboard race sponsored by Lake Erie Paddler & Landshark Beer and the 11-mile canoe and kayak race. To wrap up the event, the Gold Star Chili Finish Line Festival will feature live music from local band The Hot Magnolias, refreshments, Landshark beer racer awards and exhibits from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Yeatman’s Cove.
If you are interested in attending any of the events for Paddlefest weekend visit the Paddlefest website to get all the details.
When not blogging for Family Friendly Cincinnati, you can find Katie writing at her personal blog, www.thelittlethingsjournal.blogspot.com.
