Canoes, kayaks and paddleboards will take over the Cuyahoga River on Saturday morning as part of the annual "" event.
About 600 watercraft will take over a stretch of river where they usually have to intermingle with large, industrial vessels. The event鈥檚 founder, Jim Ridge, said Blazing Paddles has grown rapidly since 2018 due to word-of-mouth in the paddling community.
Ridge said he鈥檚 expecting nearly twice the number of participants compared to last year, with people coming from 16 states to take part in what he called a "full-blown photo op for a revitalized city that was defined by its river in an unfortunate way."
"Now, we hope to change that narrative," Ridge said. "Folks are going to say, 鈥楾hat's not the Cleveland that I thought I knew. It is a waterfront city.鈥欌��
This year鈥檚 鈥淏lazing Paddles鈥� includes races as well as a recreational paddle. Participants will get an interactive map showing 16 points of historical interest along the route, such as Terminal Tower and Irishtown Bend.
Ridge added that they鈥檒l also provide a connection to history for visitors with an interactive map as they pass Terminal Tower or the Anthony J. Celebrezze fire boat, pumping its water cannons.
鈥淲e'll paddle underneath that rainbow of water,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the boat that doused the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire. After the paddle, they can click on [the map] and say, 鈥榃hat is what is the story behind Standard Oil? What is the story behind the Columbus Street bridge?鈥欌��
Like many Great Lakes cities, Ridge points out that Cleveland鈥檚 growth also led to the fouling of the Cuyahoga.
鈥淩ivers flowing with pollution were a sign of a city's economic prosperity,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here was a time when cities and businesses turned their back on the river and used [it] as a pipeline for raw materials to get to their plants and then to get rid of the byproducts of manufacturing. Now, these recovered rivers are conduits for recreational tourism.鈥�
A 鈥減re-paddle鈥� is being held on Friday night, and details are available at the .
