Paddlers ready for the start of the river poker paddle.
(MyBayCity Photo by John Keuvelaar)

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Kawkawlin River Poker Paddle
Water Fun for Research

3rd Annual Event Draws Over 175 Participants

June 9, 2013       1 Comments
By: John Keuvelaar

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There is nothing like a warm, sunny afternoon coupled with a lazy river to create a recipe for summer relaxation. Mix in good friends, good food and a good cause all at a good price and you are in for a good time. That is what over 175 people experienced on the Kawkawlin River.

Saturday afternoon saw the Kawkawlin River overrun with over 175 canoeing and kayaking lovers as the 3rd annual Kawkawlin River Poker Paddle event took to the water. Launching from Steih Memorial Park in Kawkawlin, river goers meandered their way down the "Mighty Kawkawlin River" ultimately descending upon Castaways. During the course of their journey, they made stops along the way at river front designated locations to collect playing cards and door prize vouchers as well as other goodies to be redeemed later at journeys end. The event concluded at Castaways with an afternoon of dinner, fellowship and hopefully the collecting of door prizes. The grand prize was a brand new kayak including paddle and life jacket to be awarded to the lucky contestant that had accumulated the best poker hand along the river's way.

The event was not all about fun and games. Sponsored by the Kawkawlin River Watershed Property Owners Association, the event was organized to raise funds and awareness for the water quality of the Kawkawlin River. According to Association's Vice President, Chris Fernandez, the last two years this event has raised money that was used to purchase water quality testing kits to be used by both Saginaw Valley State University and Delta College. The money also was used to make needed repairs on their research vessel which is vital to evaluating and maintaining the water quality for the river. SVSU and Delta College have been very important in this research area.

This year's event has drawn the best participation yet. As more participants in the event has grown from approximately 50 river goers the 1st year to almost 300 in the 3rd year. With the increased revenues, the plan is to use the additional funds to help maintain and expand the Bay City State Park Family Kayak Program. According to Fernandez, state budget cuts have left the program unfunded. It is the Association's goal to not only help replace the lost funding but to help expand the program to include the Kawkawlin River.

While this is the third year of holding this fundraising event, the awareness and interest has been gaining steam. "This year my phone has been ringing constantly," noted Chris Fernandez. And the calls have not only been participants wanting more information, but calls have also come from "businesses and homeowners wanting to help."

Among the people canoeing and kayaking were a group of students from Saginaw Valley State University who have been involved in the river quality research projects. Alaina Nunn, a bio-chemical student at SVSU is actively involved in the Kawkawlin River research. Having participated in the river clean up last week, she returned to enjoy the more leisurely part of the river program. But on Monday she takes part in the SVSU efforts to help clean and protect this resource. "I collect samples from different parts of the river," she explained. "I also help in the lab analyzing the samples." She is also currently working on a project to make the research data more accessible to the public and to help educate them on the results.

While there is serious work that lies ahead, Saturday was about enjoying the day, drifting on the water with cold drinks and warm conversation and yes, collecting the winning poker hand to take home the Vapor Kayak. The kayak, which included a paddle and life jacket, was donated by the Association and Franks Great Outdoors. As everyone gathered at Castaways and checked their cards, Robert Struck held three 2s. So he took the gamble and bought another card. The gamble paid off as he drew another 2 making it four 2s resulting in him having the best poker hand and winning the Vapor Kayak.

The Fourth Annual Kawkawlin River Poker Paddle is already being planned. The Poker Paddle will be held on Saturday, June 14, 2014. To help make the river more enjoyable during the event, the river clean up is scheduled for Saturday, June 7, 2014. With the fun that was had during this year's event, there is no doubt that there will be even more people enjoying the beautiful Kawkawlin River.

That's good news for the Kawkawlin River Watershed Property Owners Association as well as the other environmental programs this fundraiser supports. For more information about the Kawkawlin River Watershed Property Owners Association or the Poker Paddle, check out their website at www.kawkawlinriver.com or you can call Chris Fernandez at 989-891-6730.

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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers!

Connie says:       On June 10, 2013 at 02:42 PM Awesome story by John kievelaar regarding the poker paddle. Thank you

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John Keuvelaar
John Keuvelaar is a college student at Midwest Photography Workshops and Delta College. More from John Keuvelaar

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