Join Friends of the Mississippi River, our sponsors, and past years’ participants at the Summit Brewery Rathskellar to celebrate the kick-off of this year’s Great River Energy Mississippi River Challenge! While you’re here, you’ll have a chance to ask (and get answers to!) all of the questions you have about the Challenge, whether it’s “what the heck is this event?!”, route and logistics, the benefits to the river (and to you!) for raising pledges — as well as info on how to raise them, what the food is like, camping at the fort, how challenging the Challenge really is, and how fun it is!

This is the fifth year of the Mississippi River Challenge, and the event will take place July 26 & 27. You can participate one or both days. Some people have been paddling the Twin Cities stretch of the river (or volunteering) with us every year, and each year new friends of the river are joining us. With the addition this year of the bicycling portion on Day 1 of the Challenge (non-paddlers are yelling “Yeah! Cool! About time!”), the event retains its friendly, river-centric appeal while enabling even more of you to get out on (or by) the river to have fun protecting it.

We hope that with both paddling and cycling options, you’ll be able to pull in a lot of friends, family and coworkers to come to the kick-off and find out more about participating or volunteering. There will be great food, Summit beer and rootbeer, music by Hello Stranger, fun company and everything you need to know about participating in or volunteering for the 2008 Great River Energy Mississippi River Challenge.

Please RSVP to Kay at 651-222-2193 x19 or through our contact form. Then browse over to the Challenge web site, browse around to see what questions are answered and what you still need to ask. Even if you have no additional questions and just want to come for the camaraderie and cheer, we look forward to seeing you on the 22nd!

Paddle it. Pedal it. Protect it.