POTTSTOWN >> It has been 20 years since that first flotilla of kayaks and canoes made its way down the Schuylkill River from Schuylkill Haven to Philadelphia.
Known as the Schuylkill River Sojourn, the annual trip has inspired other similar river trips around the country and is known nationwide as one of the season’s premiere river events.
Over the years the annual event has introduced more than 4,000 registrants from 25 states, Canada, France and Switzerland to paddling the Schuylkill. This year about 200 paddlers are expected to join in all or part of the sojourn.
So how do you celebrate your 20th anniversary? With a party of course.
The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area, which founded and runs the sojourn every year, is throwing a party in Riverfront Park when the Sojourn comes to Pottstown this year.
Given that the Greenways’ headquarters is here, it seems like the appropriate place to celebrate one of the organization’s most successful initiatives, Elaine Schaefer, executive director, told the Pottstown Borough Council on Monday.
In addition to the hungry paddlers who arrived on the shore of Riverfront Park on June 5, government officials and supporters of the Greenway’s mission will be on hand for a 20th anniversary party.
Schaefer was before council seeking permission to serve alcohol in the borough-owned park during the celebration – a request council unanimously approved.
Registration for this year’s Sojourn began last week and fills up quickly, according to Laura Catalano, the sojourn’s communications director.
That’s because for safety reasons, a maximum of 100-110 boats are permitted on the water each day. For more information or to register, visit the Schuylkill River Greenways website at http://www.schuylkillriver.org/Sojourn.aspx or call 484-945- 0200.
The trip begins each year in Schuylkill Haven and ends seven days later at Boathouse Row in Philadelphia. Participants sign up for all or part of the trip and paddle 14 to 18 miles per day, stopping for lunch and camping overnight at parks along the way.
Each year, the sojourn incorporates programs and presentations at all lunch and evening stops that focus on the culture, history or environment of the river and the region. This year, the sojourn programming theme is “Celebrating 20 Years,” with programs that offer a 20-year perspective on sojourn history, river health, river communities and more.
This year’s itinerary includes sojourn stories by longtime sojourners Carl Raring, Jim Showalter, Dave Koheler and leader Allan Quant in Port Clinton; original songs and the geology of the Schuylkill in Muhlenberg; crazy hat day and the history of dams along the river in Allegheny Aqueduct Park in Gibraltar; the party in Pottstown; an overview of the health of the river by the Stroud Water Research Center in Mont Clare and much more.
For the second year in a row, the Schuylkill River Greenways has two scholarship opportunities for three people to participate at no cost.
The Bill Trace Memorial Scholarship for first time sojourners will cover the cost of a single day on the sojourn for two people who have never before participated.
The Schuylkill Steward scholarship is a full-week award given to an individual who will help with blogging, wildlife photographs and water quality testing along the river.
The Schuylkill River Greenways will also host eight Pedal and Paddle events from May through September that will take participants on a round-trip biking/kayaking adventure along the river and Schuylkill River Trail. The first event is planned for May 19.
