Surfing’s Up: The river will rock with events this weekend, including Saturday’s King of the Hook contest, 5-8 p.m. at the Hook, west end of the waterfront; 2014 Queen Kayla Schuerton and her father, Brian, try to dowse each other in last year’s frivolities. The event is “old-school and goofy,” costumes encouraged, and open to all abilities. Signup is free and starts at 5 p.m., and local businesses provide prizes. Also on Saturday, the final Gorge Cup windsurfing race is Saturday at the Event Site; racers’ meeting will be at 10 a.m., barbecue and awards ceremony to follow.
Surfing’s Up: The river will rock with events this weekend, including Saturday’s King of the Hook contest, 5-8 p.m. at the Hook, west end of the waterfront; 2014 Queen Kayla Schuerton and her father, Brian, try to dowse each other in last year’s frivolities. The event is “old-school and goofy,” costumes encouraged, and open to all abilities. Signup is free and starts at 5 p.m., and local businesses provide prizes. Also on Saturday, the final Gorge Cup windsurfing race is Saturday at the Event Site; racers’ meeting will be at 10 a.m., barbecue and awards ceremony to follow.
Midway through August, the Hood River Waterfront is in full form. Every day there is a wealth of activity from the Marina all the way down to The Hook.
The first thing one notices when driving towards the Columbia is the new construction on the south side of Nichols Boat Basin. After a lengthy planning process we are seeing the beginning of Hood River’s newest hotel. Adjacent to this site is the newest link in the Waterfront Trail. The Port of Hood River made quick action and good use of grant money to complete this section and add more green space to the waterfront. Additionally, the Port added some improvements to either side of the foot bridge. These additions warrant a morning walk along the waterfront if you haven’t seen them yet.
As one heads west down the waterfront, the Event Site is full of energy and happy water goers on any given days. Windy days see the lawn full of windsurfing gear and kite gear. On non-windy days SUPs take over along with picnickers, BBQ-ers, lawn game players, and more. The same goes for the Waterfront Park – families, dog walkers, windsurfers fill the site. The addition of the amphitheater has not only brought us a new concert venue, but also increases the green space.
Lastly, The Hook is experincing some long needed love. With the addition of the new water access ramp built by the CGWA, the HR Parks and Rec Department, and the Port of HR, more people are discovering the benefits of quick and easy access to the water in that location. Paddlers, windsurfers, swimmers, fisherman, and more are putting the new ramp to good use. Keep an eye on this site as the Port and City plan to pave a walking path to connect to the Waterfront Trail, and hopefully add more topside improvements as funding is available.
Not that the waterfront needs events to make use of our world-class sites, we have some more activities to put on your calendar coming up. First, the CGWA’s annual King of the Hook event is happing today, Saturday Aug. 15, from 5:30-8 p.m. at The Hook. Free registration starts at 5 p.m. This is one of the most fun events of the year. With loads of prizes, everyone has a good time at this goofy, low key, old school, freestyle windsurfing contest. Be sure to come down to watch and participate in this awesome event. The more contestants the better, so this is open to all ages, abilities levels, and species (there was a serious dog category last year).
And finally, next week we will see the 5th annual Naish Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge return to the Waterfront Park on Aug. 22-23. The best SUP racers from around the world will descend on Hood River to take each other on in the Columbia River. Event organizers are adding a beer garden, live music, and lawn games this year to improve the spectator experience.
Additionally, novice paddlers can join in the fun in the Open division. This event has been dubbed one of the six most prestigious races in the world among in the SUP world, so come on down and check it out! More info at GorgePaddleChallenge.com
That’s all for now, and I’ll see you on the water!
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