RiverLink, the local non-profit working to promote the French Broad River as a place to live, learn, work and play, offers up a chance to play on Saturday, August 13, when the 19th annual RiverFest takes place. In addition to live music, food trucks, and local beer, the signature event of RiverFest is the Anything That Floats Parade, a procession of wildly decorated rafts built by creative minds from all over the Southeast.
 |
| The Orange is the New Black float in the 2014 Anything That Floats Parade |
Instead of its usual home at French
Broad River Park, this year's RiverFest happens at the RiverLink Sculpture and
Performance Plaza (the home of RiverMusic) at 144 Riverside Drive in the River
Arts District (map).
Gates will open at 1 p.m. and the fun goes on until 7 p.m. Music begins with Grits
& Soul at 2:30, followed by Asheville favorite Sirius.B at 3:45 and headliner Floating Action at 5:15. The
Anything That Floats Parade will terminate at the event site, offering optimal
viewing.
There will be beer from Sierra
Nevada and Highland, and food from food trucks Chef Daddy, Grateful Roots,
Appalachian Chic, Deli Lamma and Belly Up. The Hop is bringing ice cream, too.
Registration is open for
RiverLink's Anything That Floats Parade on the French Broad River. The
registration form, including payment information, can be found at www.riverlink.org.
"The Anything That Floats
Parade is one of the events that makes Asheville cool," says RiverLink's
Volunteer Coordinator Dave Russell. "It's a chance to showcase local
creativity and a great time is had by all."
For those not wishing to go to
RiverFest to watch the rafts come off the French Broad, viewing the parade is
possible at Carrier and French Broad River parks, and the French Broad River
Greenway that connects them.
It's not too late to enter a raft.
The deadline for entries is Wednesday, August 10. It's not only a grand excuse
to hang out and play on the river, it's also a unique chance to have a blast
while showcasing mind-blowing creativity in a friendly competition. Raft
entries so far include Something's Fishy, Flip Flopping Away, Talespin, and a
team from Highland Brewing.
The Anything That Floats celebrity
judges will select a winner in each of the four categories:
1. Most Creative - clever and
imaginative
2. Green Machine - best use of
recycled and green materials
3. Funniest - generates the most
laughter
4. Judge's Choice - overall best in
parade.
RiverLink hosts the Anything That
Floats Parade and RiverFest as community gathering opportunities on the French
Broad River and as fundraisers to support their efforts in the environmental
and economic revitalization of the French Broad River as a place to live,
learn, work and play.
|
|
|
|
