Boaters will converge on the Housatonic River in the Valley Thursday for the final day of a 10-day canoe and kayak trip down the river.
The Housatonic River Adventure Source-to-Sound Trip commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Housatonic Valley Association, a group that works to conserve the watershed area of the 149-mile long Housatonic River.
The adventure began May 3 at the source of the river, the Muddy Pond in Washington, Mass.
Over the past week, boaters have paddled down the navigable portions of the river and participated in other river events, including educational and historical programs and an anniversary dinner.
Click here to see the Republican American coverage of events in northern Connecticut.
Article continues after schedule of events.
Valley Events
On Wednesday, the participants will reach Lake Zoar and the Stevenson Dam in Oxford.
Thursday morning, they’ll push off from just below the Stevenson Dam and paddle to O’Sullivan’s Island in Derby at 8:30 a.m.
Derby officials will host a ceremony at 9 a.m. on O’Sullivan’s Island. At the ceremony, officials will talk about riverfront greenway trails, such as Derby’s. The event will be held near the Derby greenway entrance under the Route 8 bridge.
Then at 10 a.m., boaters will stop briefly at the Sunnyside boat launch in Shelton for a coffee break and ceremony to recognize river clean up efforts.
Boaters will then make a 10 mile down the river to the final celebration at the CT Audubon wildlife area in Stratford. That event happens at about 1 p.m.
Participants must register for each event.
For more information, or to register, visit www.hvatoday.org
New Access To The Housatonic
Seymour will unveil a new canoe launch to the Housatonic River at a ceremony at 4 p.m. May 16.
Two Eagle Scouts — Dustin Zrelak and Justin Gittings — built the ramp as an Eagle Scout project.
The town’s Conservation Commission paid for a sign at the launch.
The launch is the only access in Seymour to the Housatonic River. It is located on Roosevelt Drive in Seymour, on the right hand side immediately after Route 188.
