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Grand Rapids To Host Beginner Kayaking Trips in the Grand River

Grand Rapids hosting Kayak Trips
City of Grand Rapids
/
City of Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids hosting Kayak Trips

The City of Grand Rapids will host beginner-friendly kayaking demos and guided trips in the Grand River in August and September. The series kicks off next week. Officials say you could call it a prelude to all the activity coming to the riverfront.

The City of Grand Rapids will host beginner-friendly kayaking demos and guided trips in the Grand River in August and September. The series kicks off next week. Officials say you could call it a prelude to all the activity coming to the riverfront.

Helping residents get “connected” with the outdoors and the beautiful Michigan landscape is part of the objective of the upcoming beginner-friendly kayak demos on the Grand River. Here’s the Director of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation, David Marquardt.

“This is all driven by our community led master plan. A portion of which is a healthy community. Making sure this supports the physical well-being of all residents.”

The series will kick off with a free demo day at the lagoon at Riverside Park -one of the largest parks in the GR system, and follow with guided trips on the Grand River. Marquardt says the idea is to bring the community together.

“Especially as we consider and work alongside a number of partners here in Grand Rapids, to restore the rapids and really bring vitality and new life to the Grand River corridor. Just the beginning, tip of the ice berg really. It’s a chance for us to begin exposing residents to the things that will exist in the future, very much exists today. And to really begin making families, parents and children alike, comfortable with that water aspect, comfortable paddling on the Grand River.”

There are two events, the first is what they’re calling “Lagoon Days” on August 7th from 1-4 and include Kayaking demos. There’s also Kayak Adventures which happen on Aug. 14th, 28th and again on September 12th. Additional details including times and cost can be found under parks and rec on the city’s website, at grandrapidsmi.gov.

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.
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