Whitewater enthusiasts will descend onto the historic town of Buena Vista on the Upper Arkansas River May 22-25th, 2009 (Memorial Day Weekend) for a huge kickoff party to celebrate the start of the summer whitewater boating season.

Buena Vista-based Colorado Kayak Supply is coordinating an action-packed weekend of fun and educational activities for paddlers of all ages and abilities. Kayakers from beginners to aspiring competitors can rub elbows with paddling manufacturers, top pro kayakers, and other industry pros during a weekend chock full of education, entertainment, gear shopping and camaraderie.

Try, Learn, and Play
Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center, the premier whitewater paddling school in the region, will be leading the instructional component for the weekend. Top kayak athletes will be running clinics to help hone paddling skills on the river. Clinic topics include Learning to Kayak, Bomb Proofing Your Roll, Strokes and Concepts, Play Boating, Creeking Techniques, Swift Water Rescue, Group Paddles, Recreational Kayaking & Fishing, Stand Up Paddling (SUP) and much more. Contact RMOC directly to sign up for these courses at www.rmoc.com or call 800-255-5784. 

CKS will be hosting a huge demo center at the Arkansas River for paddlers to try all of the 2009 kayaks from the leading manufacturers. Play around in the Upper Arkansas River.  With over 100 miles of incredible whitewater at your fingertips, there is bound to be a great run awaiting you to try

Stewardship Activities
Paddlefest 2009 looks promising as we are bringing together many local and national businesses in the industry to grow the event. Educational pieces will also center on ways that we can all act for a greener environment. Seminars will tackle environmental topics on River Health Education and a local River Clean Up will help foster environmental awareness. Paddlefest has also taken steps to minimize the impact of the event and organized ways to rethink, reuse, reduce and recycle prior to and during this event.

Compete
The BV Pro Rodeo will be the centerpiece of Paddlefest 2009 with the world’s top athletes battling it out Saturday and Sunday afternoon.  Winners will be crowned the king and queen of the Buena Vista Playpark and will take home one of the largest cash purses in the 2009 Pro Rodeo circuit.

 

Celebrate
Come to Paddlefest 2009 to meet up with all of your paddling friends and enjoy some great Colorado music, micro brews, fantastic food, and new movie premiers.  All centrally located at Paddlefest so you do not have to worry about driving all over the map to do what you love this weekend. 

Marketplace
In addition to serving as the Paddlefest headquarters, CKS will be open all weekend hosting its annual spring kayak swap and huge storewide sale. Shop CKS’ 5,000 sq. foot showroom and get expert advice direct from manufacturer representatives. The swap is a great time to trade in or sell your old gear direct to the public and take advantage of storewide savings on new gear. The five essentials - kayak, paddle, pfd, helmet and skirt - are welcome at the swap. Sale hours are Friday 2pm-7pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-7pm, and Monday 9-5 pm. The Kayak Swap is Saturday and Sunday only.

For further information on Paddlefest events go to www.ckspaddlefest.com  or call Earl or Jenn at 888-265-2925 x 1

For information and registration for the instructional courses, contact Colin at RMOC.com or call 800-255-5784 or go to www.rmoc.com

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