Animas River Days are back, and this time for a whole weekend! Come enjoy the U.S. Kayak Freestyle Championships alongside the traditional Animas River Days activities. By Hannah Robertson. Sponsored by Tafoya Barrett and Associates and Serious Texas BBQ.
Transcript
Get ready for a weekend filled with paddles, kayaks, rafts and wipe outs. Animas River Days we’ll be back this summer, this year with a special twist, As the event host the 2021 freestyle championship. You’re watching the local news network brought to you, by Tafoya Barrett and Associates and Serious Texas Bar-b-q. I’m Wendy Graham Settle. Last year with COVID cases rising as the water was falling, organizers decided to cancel, the Annual Diver Day celebration. This year from June 4th to June 6th, the Animas Whitewater Park, Once again will be full of kayakers rafters, stand up paddle boards, and the annual costume river parade. This year the River Days are adding an additional two days to the annual celebration. in part because they are hosting the 2021 freestyle championship for kayaking.
Which we haven’t done in a very long time, so that’s pretty exciting. We’ll have a bunch of pros here, throwing down, which will be really fun to watch. And we also, because of having a bunch of pros here, we needed some more time. And so we’re going to spread it out, do prelims on Friday for the freestyle and also the stand-up paddleboard and surf competitions. And then Saturday will be the most of our event, and then Sunday will be the finals. for the freestyle championships. which is going to be really fun to watch.
The festival will be held over four days and feature a variety of different river activities from river surfing to paddle boarding and of course, rafting and kayaking.
It’s the whole day is super fun. So there’s kayak slalom, there’s a raft race, which is really entertaining to watch. There’s a boater cross, which is when four kayakers, go together and try and make gates, there’s that’s a carnage usually. And then we’ll have a bunch of surf competitions, I’m like these guys are doing back here, just hanging out in the wave and trying to do tricks out there. And then there’s always the parade, which is always fun as well. That is not a River Days event, but it does happen. It’s happened for years. I think it even happened last year, even though we didn’t have the event and we’ll be down here drinking beers and serving up some cocktails to watch, hopefully some carnage. we’ll see what mother nature decides on water level
To ensure a safe and fun-filled environment for all participants, River Days we’ll ask everyone attending to wear a mask when they cannot maintain six feet of distance from others, even when outdoors. And to be aware of all local and state regulations when enjoying the festivities.
Is biggest thing I’m looking forward to, is being able to have people down here and enjoy the river and see what its beauty is and watch some people really enjoy it. We’re really looking forward to bringing something back to the community that we’ve missed for over a year.
To learn more about Animas River days or to sign up to volunteer, you can visit their [email protected]. Thanks for watching this edition of the local news network. I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
