I'm happy to report that the First Annual Kayakers 4 Kids Decorated Christmas Parade was a swimming success. Or at least a paddling one.
More than 20 paddlers showed up Saturday evening on the banks of the Sacramento River with their kayaks decorated in all hues of holiday lights and cheer to raise awareness for -- and donate toys to -- the UC Davis Children's Hospital.
"This is amazing," said Carrie Muntz, a paddler, nurse at the hospital, and organizer of the event. "When we started organizing this, there were only five of us who were going to do it. One thing led to another, and it snowballed into this."
Muntz said she got the idea for the parade from friends who had organized a similar event on the Deschutz River in Oregon. The collected toys, which were overflowing from the plastic bins set out for them on the docks Saturday, will go to children who are in the hospital on Christmas day. The hospital treats more than 100,000 kids each year.Launched from the floating dock at the Virgin Sturgeon Restaurant, the colorfully lit kayaks were decked out with shimmering Christmas trees, giant Yule candles, twinkling lights, glow sticks and even a fully-lit, grazing reindeer, courtesy of Muntz.
Participants included Muntz, her husband Tom and son Tyler -- who looked suspiciously like Santa -- Confluence sales rep Jared Noceti, and film maker Scott Ligare.The kayakers braved the cool Sacramento night -- temps were in the 40s at paddle time -- to light their kayaks, and treat lucky diners up and down the Sacramento River's Restaurant Row to a unique, holiday sight.
Leaving from the Sturgeon, the parade made its way upstream about a quarter mile before coming about.
Then, in full holiday regalia, the flotilla paddled downstream about a half mile to the delight of diners at the Sturgeon, Chevy's Fresh Mex Restaurant and Crawdad's River Cantina, who were treated to a special, riverside rendition of Jingle Bell Rock.Thankfully, as one onlooker pointed out, the kayakers proved they could paddle better than they could sing. Paddling back upstream against the Sacramento's mild current, all paddlers made it safely back to the dock.
With the first parade in the books -- and plans for next year's event already in the works -- the evening's only remaining questions was a rhetorical one: Do you think Santa would be able to get down the chimney in a kayak?
If Saturday's good cheer is any indicator, I'd bet on it.
Editor's Note and Update: Film maker Ligare made a special effort to take part in the parade. He had just wrapped up the finishing touches on "The Last Descent," an upcoming, environmental epic on global, large-scale dam development, that evening. I wrote about the movie and its mission here.The film, which I was lucky enough to be asked to help write and narrate, follows paddlers as they travel to threatened rivers in Nepal, India and Africa. It will premier at the Patagonia-sponsored Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival -- the largest of its kind in the U.S. -- in Nevada City, Calif., Jan. 9 through 11.
