American River Festival Sept 5-7

The 27th Annual American River Festival is expanded with shore activities, more fun for families, as well as more activities and competitions for seasoned and beginning paddlers. Come watch and participate in this fun weekend on water and land! Centered in Henningsen-Lotus Park (HLP), in Lotus, CA, land activities include games, food, music, nonprofit and exhibitor booths, and great spectator seats. River games and activities include races for those of all abilities, including a rodeo at First Threat, slalom races at Chili Bar, and raft and Topo Duo kayak races that end at HLP. Kids can participate in up to three fun fests on Saturday and Sunday!

The weekend kicks off on Friday night with a free dinner and movie showing at The River Store, 1032 Lotus Road in Lotus, CA 95651. Registration for weekend events is available there ($5-$15 per event, with a package discount), and on Saturday & Sunday mornings at HLP.

Saturday night is the big party at EarthTrek - dinner, live music, auctions, and an awards ceremony. Tickets for the party are $25. Call or visit The River Store at 530-626-3435, or email robin@TheRiverStore.com, for party tickets -- and also if you would like to volunteer to help this great event be as fun as it possibly can. The ARF benefits several river-focused nonprofits.

Weekend schedule and prices are available on the festival's website, www.AmericanRiverFestival.org. Come on down!

3 Women, 3 Hundred Miles on DVD

A DVD is now available of the adventure documentary 3 Women, 3 Hundred Miles. This 65-minute documentary chronicles a self support adventure on river boards down the Colorado River, by Coloma local Kelley Kalafatich, along with her friends Julie Munger and Rebecca Rusch. Having been fortunate enough to see it a few years ago, I can say it is extremely well done. The adventure is gripping, the people are real and engaging, and the Colorado River and Grand Canyon are awe-inspiring as always. You can order a copy by sending your mailing address, and a minimum donation of $40 to: Sue Norman, PO Box 9423, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 96158. Make the check out to, NTAF Southwest Spinal Cord Injury Program, and write "in honor of Kelley Kalafatich" in the memo line.

From the River Journeys website:

Kelley was born and raised in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and became a river guide in 1979. Her keen sense of adventure and desire to live a year-round outdoor guiding life got her involved with river expeditions to Africa, Costa Rica, Brazil, Siberia, Fiji, Borneo, Equador, Chile, and of course Alaska where she rows a boat on our Tatshenshini trips. Her boating and expedition planning skills invariably got her hooked up with Hollywood where she had a role as Meryl Steep’s stunt double in The River Wild. As an aspiring filmmaker in her own right, she produced and filmed Three Women, Three Hundred Miles — an award-winning feature documentary which was honored in both the Durango and Nevada City Film Festivals. This documentary features Kelley and two other women running the entire length of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado on riverboards in the dead of winter. It is a spell-binding piece and a triumph of the spirit. Beautifully filmed, it is gives a perspective of the canyon that is seldomly seen, let alone experienced at that time of year — the quietude and the grandeur.

For updates on Kelley Kalafatich's fight with transverse myelitis, please visit checkonkk.blogspot.com.