Paddleboard racers to compete on Clark Fork River

Do you remember when the Montana Stand Up Paddleboard Race was scheduled for earlier this year at the Big Eddy fishing access site? It was scheduled for April 29, but because of logistics, possible high water and floating ice may not be the best time for this event.

Then you probably remember it was moved to Saturday, Aug. 19, and in that stretch of time, this event that was already going to be big, magnified into the inaugural River Street Festival and Paddle 406 Paddleboard Sprint Race.

“By giving us more breathing room, we added more and more to the day with more involvement of vendors, activities, organizations and music to make an entire day for families,” shared Drew Hanson, Mineral County Rec Club. “Now this event is hosted by the Mineral County Rec Club and supported by the Pool in the Park group and Mineral County 4H 10X group. Proceeds will go to all three organizations; however, this is the primary fundraiser for the Rec Club,” Hanson explained.

This will be the first of its kind on the lower Clark Fork River, and by observing the number of Stand-Up Paddleboards (SUP) we’ve seen in these scorching days, people can expect competitors that may be fierce and some who just want to have fun while some will be on a paddleboard for their first time. But the bottom line is that it’ll be a fun time with more activities than were originally planned which include the following:

• Paddleboard Race - Big Eddy to the Bridge - Finish Area at the start of the River Trail. Ten second head start for dressing in costume with an $800.00 top prize.

• 10X Cornhole Tournament on the Trail West Bank Lawn (Contact Richard Milendar for info)

• Live Music from Jovie & The HoneyChuckle plus Friends in the Mineral County Food Banks parking lot.

• Kids zone: Inflatables and splash zone on the Old School Lawn

• Vendor Street: Riverside Ave between the Old School and the river

• Farmers Market: sidewalk in front of the Old School

• Raffle House: Inside the Riverside Soups and Sandz at the Old School

• Beer Garden: at the Flat Creek Mercantile

• Derby Ball - Floating the Derby Ball- Tickets for guesses can be purchased at the Nugget Lounge or at the Mineral County Rec Club Booth at the fair.

To refresh your memory, this is what was organized already, and is still scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 19:

• The race is for 18 and older participants and begins with a short dash to your board before launching into the Clark Fork River.

• The sprint is just under a half mile of paddling through the middle of Superior.

• The race will run in heats of 20 paddlers each with a cap of 200 total paddlers.

• The top two finishers in each heat will advance to the final.

• The finals will decide 1st place - ($800), 2nd place - ($500), and 3rd place- ($250).

• Competitors dressed in costume will receive a 10-second head start over those who are not in costume.

• To get a qualified time, the racer and board must cross under the bridge together.

• No board? No problem. SUPs are available for loan and can be reserved when you sign up.

• ALL Racers must wear an approved life preserver.

The Adult Final is at 2pm, giving the finalists time to warm up and strategize their plan of action for the prize money. But the entire day has activities around the bridge with food and beverage vendors and more SUP challenges. The Superhero Race is a winner takes all in one heat:

• In this race, you will paddle upriver from the bridge to the start gate.

• The first superhero to reach the start, run down the beach/trail, and hit the alarm button wins.

• To start, there will be a count down from five minutes. Position yourself close but not past the bridge when the count down hits zero.

• All competitors in the Superhero Race must wear a superhero cape.

• Entry fee is $20, no cap on entries, and the winner takes all (minus the processing fees of registration)

• The CLARK FORK CROWN will be awarded to the Superhero winner.

• All racers must wear an approved life preserver.

And then the Youth Race:

• This race will be for 13–17-year-olds.

• This will be only one heat that’s capped at 30 participants.

• Same rules as the adult race.

• Prizes will be awarded for 1st place ($200), 2nd place ($150), and 3rd place ($100).

• Entry fee is $20.

• ALL Racers must wear an approved life preserver.

The Award Ceremony and raffle will be at 5pm with entertainment and a Street Dance from 5:30 to 9pm.

These are the links to register, volunteer to help, become a vendor or questions on any of the events: www.paddle406.com. www.riverstreetfest.com.

“I am certain there is a river crowd out there we have not tapped into,” said Hanson, who is available at (406) 533-4282, [email protected], or www.mcrecclub.org. “We have great sponsors and are always looking for more,” he said. “This will be a zany fun event that hopefully will be big enough to become an annual event.”

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