From June 2-8, the Schuylkill River Sojourn will once again bring its colorful armada of kayaks and canoes down the river.

For the past nine years, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s canoe and kayak sojourn has introduced hundreds of people to the excitement of paddling the Schuylkill River from Schuylkill County to Philadelphia.

“Ultimately, we hope this leads people to re-discover the river as a wonderful natural resource with tremendous potential recreationally. Our programs are intended to remind people about the region’s cultural and historic importance, but we also want to draw people to the river, to show them what a great place it is to spend an afternoon or evening,” said Sue Fordyce, projects and communications manager for the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, the non-profit organization sponsoring the event.

This year, more than 100 paddlers will participate in the Sojourn. Some will make the entire 113-mile journey from Schuylkill Haven Island Park to Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row; others will spend only a day or two exploring and celebrating the river.

Participants ranging from novices to experts will paddle 14-18.5 miles daily. At evening campsites and afternoon lunch stops they’ll be entertained with programs that offer insight into the region’s unique natural, historic and cultural attributes.

Most evening programs are open to the public who are invited to come out to hear folk music, view a presentation about bats, or another about handmade kayaks, or to listen to songs and stories about the region’s coal mining heritage.

The purpose of the sojourn is to enlighten people-both participants and the general public-about the river as a terrific recreational resource.

The Sojourn will follow an itinerary similar to that of past years, with different evening programs. Day 1 will take sojourners 15.5 miles from Schuylkill Haven to Port Clinton. On Day 2 they’ll travel 18.5 miles to Muhlenberg Township; Day 3, another 16.3 miles to Gibraltar; Day 4, 16.2 miles from Gibraltar to Pottstown; Day 5, 15.3 miles to Mont Clare; Day 6 14 miles to West Conshohocken, and finally, on Friday, June 8 they’ll finish their last 16 miles to Boathouse Row in Philadelphia.

For more information visit the Schuylkill River Sojourn webpage.

6/1/2007