Greater Lafayette’s annual riverfront festival this weekend will offer the chance to celebrate the river the festival’s organizer says the community was founded on.
Beginning Saturday at 9 a.m., Wabash Riverfest will feature events for kids and adults like a 5k and a 300-yard, 18th-century-style canoe race.
“It’s really easy for people to forget that the river is here,” festival organizer Amy Krzton-Presson said. “The river is why our community is here and why Purdue is here.”
“We’re trying to celebrate the river in a way that encourages people to celebrate it on their own time,” she said.
Activities $15 and under
The most recognizable event is the 300-yard race in a Voyager canoe with a group of 10. The canoes are replicas of the kind French fur traders used to sail the Wabash in the 1700s.
Before the festival begins, the Water Drop 5K will start at 8 a.m. on the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge, followed by the Water Droplets Kids Run at 9 a.m.
Participants can register for these two activities on the Wabash Riverfest website. The canoe race is $10 per person. Available time slots are online. The Water Drop 5k along the Heritage Trail is $15, or $30 with a T-shirt included. All other events are free.
For a more relaxing experience, NICHES Land Trust is offering a paddling float trip from Davis Ferry Park to Tapawingo Park along the Wabash River.
For the canoe races and paddling trips, participants must be at least 10 years old.
Free water activities
“Most events are free and we try to keep it that way as a service to the public,” Krzton-Presson said. “I want to give back to people coming to the festival with fun.”
For those less inclined to compete, or children who want to learn how to paddle in a canoe, Try-a-Canoe lessons are available for free with an experienced guide. These lessons will launch off the Purdue boat deck, a short walk north of Tapawingo Park.
Life jackets are provided for all water activities, and three public safety motorboats will be present.
For an even tamer day on the water, an Intro to Paddleboarding class is free to sign up for on the Wabash Riverfest website, in addition to a paddleboard yoga class.
Throughout the festival, multiple events are designed for youth to enjoy and learn about aquatic life and the importance of the river to the Greater Lafayette community.
Fishing lessons will be available to kids and teens at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m.and 1 p.m.
Free park activities
Beyond water activities, a 32-foot-tall rock climbing wall will be present, along with big bounce houses and live animal exhibits.
Columbian Park Zoo will showcase some of its critters at 9 a.m. along with a Take Flight Birds of Prey show at 11 a.m.
The Riverside Skating Center beside Tapawingo Park is opening its venue for a Bike Rodeo, in addition to a small course where children can safely learn to ride their bike, watch out for traffic and learn hand signals.
For more artistically inclined festival-goers, nature photography lessons with smartphones will be available.
“We don’t want people to have to an expensive camera to enjoy nature photography,” Krzton-Presson said.
An Intro to Charcoal Drawing Riverfront Scenery class will take place at the Promenade, a wooden boardwalk at the Lafayette end of the pedestrian bridge.
“We really want to show people that you don’t have to go to a fancy and far location to appreciate the outdoors,” she said.
Live music will be playing throughout the day near the picnic tables at Tapawingo Park.
“We’ll have cornhole and a coloring station set up near the music so people can relax near the waterfront,” she said. “ People don’t have to get in the water if they don’t want to.”
At 10:30 a.m., Greater Lafayette Dance Academy will perform along the riverfront.
For more information, including sign-up information, go online at wabashriverfest.com for a complete schedule of events.
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