For Those non-profits/businesses that are having a booth at the Celebration on June 9th:
THANK YOU! It’s going to be a blast!
1) We recommend you arrive by 11am to set up. There should be plenty of parking at Mississippi Crossings: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dqkgypSxqmkLvddS7
You will need to enter the parking lot via Miller Road as seen on the upper left part of this map; the West River Road access (that google maps may direct you towards) will be EXIT ONLY. as marked in the lower right part of the map.
2) One of our race staff will meet you when you arrive and show you were you can set up your shelter/table. If you have any questions at any time a member of the race management team is available at 612.466.0026. Texts preferred, calls acceptable. On June 9th if you have questions please use this number and NOT email or any other way of contacting us.
3) Please staff your booth from noon to 5:30pm. We’d love to have you join us for the Closing Ceremony at the amphitheater on site at 5:30pm if you are able!
4) Please bring a 10x10 pop up tent, a table, chairs for you to sit in, any Stuff you want to give out.
5) There will be a BBQ food truck and ice cream sales on site and live music at the nearby amphitheater.
6) Confirmed attendees include 1Mississippi, Wilderness Inquiry, Friends of the Mississippi River, Red Leaf Designs, Urban Boat Builders, Mississippi Park Connection/National Park Service, Paddle Dynamics, the Paddle Bridge Guide Collective, and A House Unbuilt..
7) If you have more than one person staffing the booth that is ideal because then one person can stay while the other takes a break to use the bathroom and check out the food truck/live music. If you want to check out the finish line, it is a short walk to the east of Mississippi Crossings at the adjacent Mississippi Point Park. Come on down and check out the Race Store where there will be cool swag for sale and check out our inflatable finish line archway, the photobooth, etc. There will be lots of race volunteers and racers present at the finish line.
8) At some point during the day the parking lot will likely fill up. The City of Champlin is offering park and ride services; there is a lot at the Champlin Ice Forum and at Andrews Park where people can take a shuttle that will bring them to Mississippi Crossings. The park and ride services are operational from noon until 6:30pm. As long as you arrive before 11:30 we do not anticipate that you would need to use the park & ride.
9) As of June 3rd the forecast is for sunny skies with a high of 77 degrees; it looks good!
Background Info:
The Post Paddle Party has been re-branded as the “Mississippi River Community Celebration”. It is taking place at Mississippi Crossings in Champlin, which is right next to Mississippi Point Park where the finish line is. Mississippi Crossings is a beautiful venue created by the city of Champlin right on the riverbank. It consists of some outdoor green spaces criss-crossed with sidewalks above a riverside amphitheater. The Community Celebration will be from noon until 5:30pm on Sunday, June 9th. All of the participants in the tours and races that are part of the Paddle Weekend will be paddling past the amphitheater to the finish line, and most people will finish between 1 and 3pm. Everyone must get to the finish line by 5pm at the latest. We will have live music courtesy of Lehto & Wright at the amphitheater. From 5:30pm to 6pm we will have a closing ceremony at the amphitheater.
Our Title Sponsor for the weekend is 1Mississippi, which is a project of the Mississippi River Network, which is an umbrella organization that brings together over 60 organizations from the entire length of the Mississippi River. 1Mississippi will have a booth at the Celebration, along with some of the member organizations such as Friends of the Mississippi and Urban Boat Builders, along with many of the organizations and businesses that are sponsoring the Paddle Weekend.
In addition to having various booths set up for participants and live music, the midway for the city of Champlin’s “Father Hennepin Festival”, with carnival rides and food, will be set up adjacent to the Crossings. We expect that people who come to the midway who may know nothing of the paddle weekend will come over to the Crossings to check things out. We are expecting a crowd of hundreds of people. There will be a large tent set up as well where people can bring food and beverages. There will be a food truck, ice cream and beer sales as well.
