July 6, 2018
Contact: Nancy Lee Gomer, Marketing Coordinator, 636-949-7535, or 636-795-1137, ngomer@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri – Learn the basics of canoeing and then head out on a floating adventure with experts from the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department and Earth’s Classroom from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 3 during Canoe 101 and Beyond. Participants begin by learning how to canoe on Betty’s Lake at Broemmelsiek Park near Defiance and then venture out on a 7-mile float on the Missouri River.
This beginner class is open to children 12 and older and promises an exciting water adventure! Participants first will learn and test their skills on scenic, 13-acre Betty’s Lake at Broemmelsiek Park, where staff will teach basic skills and common terminology of a canoe, as well as:
• proper methods and techniques for safe canoeing.
• how to properly fit a life jacket.
• different paddle strokes and when to use them.
• different scenarios on what you might encounter on various bodies of water.
After lessons, they’ll put their skills to the ultimate test when the river floating experience begins! From Broemmelsiek Park, participants travel about 16-miles in their own vehicle or carpool with other participants to the Klondike Park Boat Ramp near Defiance to launch their canoes on the Missouri River. Along the way, they’ll learn fascinating details of history and ecology from our community partners at Earth’s Classroom. After the float ends at the boat ramp at the Weldon Spring Conservation Area, participants carpool back to the Klondike Park Boat Ramp.
Broemmelsiek Park is located at 1795 Highway DD near Defiance and participants should meet at the park’s visitors center. Bring a sack lunch! Cost of the program is $25 per person. Registration is limited to 20 participants and pre-registration is required by calling the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department at 636-949-7535 or visiting http://bit.ly/2MRB3DU to register online. Participants ages 12-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
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