8th Annual Back to the Chattahoochee River Race & Festival

CLICK HERE TO VIEW RACE RESULTS ~  VIEW & PURCHASE PHOTOS

MORE PHOTOS! Galleries are also posted on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution site (click here) and on UCR's Facebook page (click here). Do you have race & festival photos you'd like to share?  Post them to our Facebook page!

Thanks to all who came out for the 8th Annual Back to the Chattahoochee River Race & Festival on Saturday, June 12! UCR, the National Park Service, the city of Roswell and Fulton County welcomed 376 paddlers, a festival crowd, and an array of environmental exhibitors, all in celebration of our river. Special thanks to our sponsors and volunteers! 

Paddlers of all ages and skill levels took to the water at Garrard Landing on Holcomb Bridge Road and traveled the course to Riverside Park in Roswell, where racers enjoyed beverages from the SweetWater Beer Barge. Race divisions included open and recreational categories, various age divisions, solo and tandem canoe divisions, as well as kayak and sea kayak divisions, plus awards for Best Costume, Best Boat Decoration and Team Challenge.

At the free festival, we enjoyed live music from the Donna Hopkins Band and the Watershed Project. Other festival highlights included Riverside Park’s new “spray ground,” face painting, balloon artists, an array of environmental exhibitors, great food, and much more. Click here to see a list of exhibitors.

 Organized and presented by UCR n partnership with the National Park Service, Fulton County, and the city of Roswell, the event is designed to celebrate the Chattahoochee and foster a sense of community around the river that serves 3.5 million Georgians and 70% of metro Atlantans.                                         

About the Music . . .

The Watershed Project, a band of Atlanta's own singer songwriters donating their time and art to support the cause of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, featuring Gareth Asher, Emily Kate Boyd, Christopher Alan Yates, Brian Bisky, and more. Through the years UCR has attracted some of the music industry's finest to participate in this wonderful cause. From Grammy award winning artists to artists on their way to becoming household names, you can always count on a UCR event to have the very best in local music.

The Donna Hopkins Band. According to Georgia Music Magazine, "Donna is a genuine triple threat as songwriter, singer and guitarist. As a songwriter, Hopkins seasons swampy, Gulf Coast funkiness with angular voicing of extended and suspended chords. It's classic tension-and-release with a groove and lyrics that reveal mileage, honesty and soul. It's survival music you can dance to. The grooves come courtesy of bassist Michael Hurwitz and drummer Richie Jones, who are in the pocket throughout and add convincing harmony and backing vocals. As a singer, Hopkins has a big, distinctive voice that effectively communicates varied emotions. As a guitarist, Hopkins can be at turns raw and articulate. She's her own woman plus equal parts John Lee Hooker and Billy Gibbons, with a dash of Jimmie Vaughan and Robin Trower circa Bridge of Sighs."

This event was held June 12, 2010.  The date for the9th Annual Back to the Chattahoochee River Race & Festival is yet to be annouced.

Become a Sponsor! With the continued threats our river faces, UCR needs your support more than ever. If you are interested in sponsoring this event or other UCR events, please contact Tammy Bates , 404-352-9828 x12. Click here to download sponsor information for 2010.