Peter AU and Richard Doherty (MBC News Photo)
Rideau Paddle Fest is returning to Smiths Falls with a full day of paddling, family fun, music, food and community celebration.
The event, hosted by the Rideau Roundtable, takes place Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to about 4 p.m. It celebrates the Rideau World Heritage Site and the people, history and ecology connected to it.
Rideau Roundtable president Peter Au says the festival is about more than paddling.
Executive board member Richard Doherty says one of the big attractions will be the Voyager canoe races, featuring 34-foot replica canoes with teams from across the community.
There will also be music, dancers, vendors, food trucks, children’s games, face painting and free chances to get out on the water in a Voyager canoe.
Doherty says Paddle Fest is also a way to help people discover what is right in their own backyard.
Au says the event will also include native plants, biochar demonstrations and lessons on how people can help the local environment.
The day will open with a strong Indigenous component, including an Indigenous opening, songs and dancing. Au says that connection is an important part of the celebration.
More information is available through the Rideau Roundtable. https://rideauroundtable.ca/
You can listen to the complete conversation below.
