from: Minnesota River Watershed Alliance

Dowload the flyer. (Revised June 1, 2010)

Full Schedule -
9:00 a.m. Blue Earth River paddle and State Waterway Trail Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

2:00 p.m. Afternoon Ceremony starts with Dick Kimmel and Co.

2:45 p.m. Break – Awarding of the first MN River Paddler patches and decals

3:15 p.m. Depot Creek

4:00 p.m. Break – MN River Watershed Alliance Overview

4:30 p.m. Lhotse

5:15 p.m. Break

5:45 p.m. Pre-Apocalyptic Junkyard Orchestra

6:30 p.m. Event ends

*We will paddle the Blue Earth River starting at 9 a.m. from the county park to the new landing at the Highway 90 Bridge. This stretch is around 9.5 miles featuring a combination of fun Class I rapids, dramatic rock outcrops, high wooded bluffs, and a pair of tributary waterfalls. Depending on water levels it should take 3 to 4 hours.

*The plan is to have people drop off their canoes or kayaks at the put-in point and park their vehicle at the take-out point. We will shuttle people back to the park for the paddle.

*After the paddle there will be a Post-paddle ceremony where the first patches/decals will be awarded. The highlight of this program will be to give Tim Krohn and John Cross of the Mankato Free Press both a Minnesota River 335 Paddler patch and decal for their 1998 and 2008 paddles where they wrote a series of articles on the Minnesota River Basin.

*The afternoon activities will also include music from Dick Kimmel and Co, Depot Creek and Lhotse. There will be information booths for area conservation, water quality, environmental, and outdoors groups and businesses. The Mankato Paddling and Outing Club will be providing canoe rides on the reservoir. The Rapidan Dam Store will be serving up their famous burgers and pie.