Well it has been a busy June, and July looks to be action-packed as well. June started off with one of our largest events of the year, River Rescue, followed by that evening’s Dam Jam. We had 186 volunteers help us clean the James River from Shelvin Rock to the confluence. We removed a few tons of trash and were treated to lunch thereafter for our efforts. I personally want to thank Jason Frantz for helping pull all this together. OMP once again provided the safety crew. That night we had a small demo on throw ropes. The square was bordered by businesses and non-profits alike, selling their wares and giving demonstrations. As the evening rolled on, the Square began to fill with folks enjoying the sounds of Uncle Fudd and Honky Suckle, to name a few. There were water wars, food, and beer to make the evening that much more festive. OMP had several of our members participate at Dam Jam, mostly as beer servers……gotta love that! By all accounts the evening was a tremendous success.
The following day Dynamic Earth had their big Demo Day at Lake Springfield. I took out a Wilderness Systems Kayak to see how I would like it. The boat (Commander), was stable and I could get much more gear into it than my Yak. With that said my Yak is certainly faster and more maneuverable. I did like the built-in rudder system…..very easy to use!
On June 23rd we help our annual Recreational Clinic. We had a small group this year, two solo canoeists and two kayakers, which is great for one-on-one instruction. Big thanks to Brian Grindstff for heading this up.
The following day which is tomorrow as I write this is The Float for Independence. I have heard of several OMP members who said they were looking forward on taking some very special kids down the river. If you have never done this (and I haven’t yet) I hear it is one of the most satsifting days you may have all year. The pure joy of the kids on the river IS special! Thank You Terri Bradley for making this float a yearly triumph.
July. will include Brian Shipman’s DNA Kids Float, the River Rumble down the Missouri River, a multi-day member float down the Current River, and as always our membership meeting every 2nd Tuesday @7pm @the Nature Center.
Paddles Up!
Paddles Up!
Michael Baird
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