The Connecticut Riverfest, a two-week "celebration of the life, the people and communities, the land and rivers, of the Connecticut River Valley," will culminate this Saturday at Kilowatt Park in Wilder, Vt.
The purpose of Riverfest, according to its organizers, is to celebrate "the vibrant and vital" role of the region's rivers.
This Saturday, Riverfest will hold its final extravaganza, "The Big Splash."
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Ledyard Canoe Club Classic Canoe Race will be held on the Connecticut River and can be viewed from the riverbank north of Hanover.
Performances, demonstrations, displays and water activities will be held beginning at 11 a.m. in Kilowatt Park.
For those looking for more than a day of pure enjoyment on the river, tours of the Wilder power plant will also be offered.
Between 3 and 4 p.m. a "water procession" will float its way down the Connecticut River. Boaters are invited to assemble at Ledyard Bridge at 2:30 p.m.
The day will end with a concert and dancing in the park at 7 p.m.
The programs will "honor the rivers' ecologic, economic, and aesthetic value and offer ways in which individuals can work to preserve the river environment both as a resource and a place of inspiration," according to a press release.
The community celebration is a result of a collaborative effort by regional artists, schools, environmental groups, businesses, science organizations, town officials and others to focus attention on regional rivers and watersheds.But until Riverfest ends on Saturday, there is still a host of events planned to honor the role of river in the Connecticut River Valley.
At 7:30 tonight at the Montshire Museum a forum on lawns, garden and golf course will discuss the uses of herbicides, fertilizers and pesticides and their effect on the watershed.
On Thursday night at 7:30 at the Coolidge Hotel in White River Junction, Vt., a forum will examine the future of hydropower on the Connecticut River.
