Friday, July 07, 2006

 

Paddlefest - Cincinnati's 'Cool'

We need so much more of this. If we had 100 Brewster Rhoads' (creator and organizer of Paddlefest) in the region, perhaps we wouldn't be so afraid to actually LIKE the city we live in.

It's my pet peave about Cincinnati. It seems that so many that live in our region have an inferiority complex. And that's something we need to change. This weekends paddlefest is one more step in that direction. It's a great event, combining local music event Friday night, with a Kayak and Canoe run on Saturday. It focuses on what is great about our region and not what's broken (or perceived to be broken)...

Here is Brewster at his best:

"This is a pep rally for our region. We have to start looking at what's great about our area and not trashing it all the time," said Brewster Rhoads, vice president of Ohio River Way. "We want to make the river cool again."

and...

"(The river) has tremendous potential to be a driver to economic development and urban revitalization," Rhoads said. "We don't take enough advantage of it and don't make a big enough deal."

Go down and support PaddleFest Music Festival tonight, or the Paddle event tomorrow!

Comments:
Ha, we were sitting around the pool (downtown at the gramercy) talking about this. The people including me who aren't from the city think Cincinnati is awesome and can't get enough. The people who grew up here for some reason can't see the forest because of all the trees.
 
I agree. What the city needs is a huge influx of outsiders. And the entire region needs take a field trip to see what other cities don't have and then realize what we do have.
 
I think this debate can be expanded state wide. When is the last time you told someone that you live in Ohio and they were all like: "Man you're lucky. I'm so jealous."

As a state we are losing people to "cooler" places. But Ohio is much "cooler" than people think. The SE is damn near mountainous by midwest standards. Lake Erie might as well be an ocean. And of course the Ohio R. offers up some fun itself as seen by Paddlefest.

I work for Glucose magazine, the Outdoor adventure sports magazine of Ohio, and I covered Paddlefest. My story on the event will apppear in the August issue. I had a great time - 1,400 people paddling at one time, pizza, and beer, how could I not?

We're a new magazine and our goal is to show people what outdoor Ohio has to offer and that Ohio is cool. Subscriptions are currently free. Check it out at www.glucosemag.com .

I just posted about Paddlefest on my Blog Touron Talk, www.travelin-light.blogspot.com .

Keep fighting the good fight. I think Cincinnati is cool. It is a helluva lot cooler than the flat part of Ohio where I live. Although the corn and bean watching around here is most excellent!
 
Moved here in 2003 and still love it. I am trying to fit in all the activities that are going on over the next several months. Tennis Masters (Men & Women), Tall Stacks, Cirque Du Soleil, Oktoberfest, Riverfest... and a bonus, my Mets are coming to town this week to play the Reds. People can complain to themselves, I love it here!

Since my move, I got my best friend and his wife to move up here from Tampa (live downtown) and her sister and family just moved here from Richmond. I haven't met an outsider that I showed the city that didn't love Cincinnati. Everyone was quite surprised at how hilly and beautiful it is in Cincinnati.
 
This Saturday July 29th, 6pm at Mac's pizza come see international election observer Dr. Bob Fitrakis speak about how Ken Blackwell and the GOP stole the 2004 election in Ohio.

Dr. Fitrakis cowrote and edited the report for El Salvadors 1994 elections and his work was the basis for RFK jr. recent article in Rolling Stone, as well as Congressman John Conyers report "What went wrong in Ohio" documenting the unprecedented disenfranchisement of African American voters.
 
Hey check out another cool event starting up in the Nati.

www.thejunctiontrailfest.org

A Trail Festival devoted to all of the long distance trails that converge in Milford at a point we like to call "The Junction".

Buckeye Trail

North Country National Scenic Trail

American Discovery Trail

Sea to Sea Long Distance Hiking Route

Underground Railroad Cycling Route

Ohio to Erie Cycling Route

Little Miami Scenic Trail

Little Miami Scenic River

Rumpke Mountain Boys will be playing Saturday afternoon 3-5:30 and Harvest will play into the night (with the game on of course). Talks, hikes, bike rides, and some quirky activities like an ice cream eating contest.

Andy Skurka, Backpacker Magazine's Person of the Year, who hiked from the Atlantic to the Pacific will be speaking on Friday evening.

Check it out this weekend.
 
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