Dear River Rats,

March is right around the corner and as the weather warms up there will be more and more River Rat events that will take place. What follows are some of them. If you are interested in a certain event let me know and I will put your name on the list for that event and you will get first crack at it as we finalize the list of participants.

July 16-20 is the Great Hudson River Paddle. Those of you who have contacted me are on the list already. The details are still in flux. There will be at least one boat going from Saugerties to Croton. We are hoping for another boat to go for a couple of days. I'll get back to you when the details are solidified.

There are three weeks of the Summer River Workshop. I have attached a flyer with the dates. As in the past, the first week will be the most introductory of the three and the last week will be the serial river trip during which we travel a bit. A number of kids will be back for the first week to help new rowers learn the ropes. You can register for the summer program by calling Philipstown Rec (845) 424-4662. I'd love to know who is coming so email me if you are registering for the summer workshop.

June 17, 18 is the Clearwater Revival, a very popular event. We camp out at the Revival and during the day we ferry the public to the Woody Guthrie anchored in the cove. Rats take turns with duties so that everyone
gets a chance to partake of the festival.

May 21 is the Riverkeeper Shad Festival. We usually help the little kids that attend build model Riverkeeper boats. The festival is at Boscobel again this year. It is a lot of work but the food is good, you get time out and there are usually a couple of guys from West Point who parachute onto the lawn. Both the Clearwater Revival and the Riverkeeper Shad Festival are limited in terms of the number of people we can bring.

We will also do the Great Hudson River Sweep April 22. Pizza and soft drinks and whatever free stuff Scenic Hudson comes up with. We usually clean up the foundry, including the boatshop.

BBBB is planning a fundraiser for the July 4 weekend. It will involve barbeque and boat races. We could use planning help for this one so any parents or rats who want to get involved would be more than welcome. We are determined to make this a really fun day.

-DH