Perfect early spring weather arrived just on time for the outdoor community of Lafayette to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather. On hand for the weekend were 300 folks from Lafayette, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Shreveport, Baton Rouge and even as far away as Tennessee! We paddled, looked at new gear, caught up with old friends and generally had a great time. Suffice it to say that we can’t wait for next year! Here’s a few pictures of some of the events:
Kickoff Breakfast Paddle
A wonderful paddle at Lake Martin saw the Lafayette Paddle Club hosting 30 paddlers who turned out to enjoy sunshine, beautiful scenery and great beignets!
Adventure Trade Show
During the day Saturday, lots of folks showed up to see the latest gear from MSR, Hobie, Wilderness Systems, Yakima, Hurricane Kayaks, Yak Gear, SPOT, and Native Watercraft. We all enjoyed meeting Jerald Horst (author of Troutmasters and other books) as well as Lucy the Goat from Louisiana Wild products. It was a great time to meet representatives of the Lafayette Paddle Club and the Lafayette kayak Fishing Club.
Reel Paddling Film Festival
We hosted a capacity crowd for the first tour stop in Louisiana for the Reel Paddling Film Festival Saturday night. We all laughed through “Paddle to Seattle”, thrilled to the whitewater in “Lucky 13”, were inspired by “The Missouri Stream Team Story” and loved “Finding Farley”. The films were great and the crowd was great. Overall, a wonderful celebration of paddling as a sport.
Kayak and Canoe Demo Day
The Demo Day on Sunday set records for participation with over 250 people showing up to try out the canoes and kayaks we had on hand. As you can imagine, it was hectic, but exciting.
Our thanks go out to all of you who participated in this very special weekend. We enjoyed hosting you and look forward to the Spring Kickoff Weekend being even bigger and better next year!