More than 700 kayak, canoe and stand-up paddleboarding enthusiasts are expected for the fourth annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest July 21-22. The 2-, 5.4- and 13-mile races, as well as the 8.6-mile recreational course, will pass under an arc of water pumped from the same fireboat that doused the flames when the Cuyahoga River famously caught on fire in 1969, symbolizing how Cleveland has become a poster child for environmental recovery in the last 50 years. “We have an opportunity to continue the national conversation,” says Jim Ridge, event organizer and founder of Share the River. "Clean water is not a drag on the economy; it serves as an economic driver, and it’s a way to attract people here. We see that in the rise of waterfront development along the Cuyahoga River. People want to work and play here.” sharetheriver.com
What Cleveland's Blazing Paddles Paddlefest Means for Environmental Recovery
Kayak, canoe and paddleboard the Cuyahoga River, racing beneath the fireboat that doused the flames when the river caught fire in 1969, during this annual event.
