The Great 2011 Russian River Canoe Race

The 2011 Great Russian River Race comes at a great time for both Healdsburg and Sonoma County. It is a way to raise awareness of our river and for all of us to commit to recognizing “The River” as a gift we overlook. We can all be a part of this by at least just stopping by the event to check in and show our support. 

The Great Russian River Race -- which actually includes kayaks, canoes and surfskis-- will start at 11 a.m. on May 7. Race organizers expect the first Rio Lindo racers to cross the finish line around noon, and Bridge to Bridge racers to cross the line beginning at around noon.

The Race Party will commence at noon, and the awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Local Paddlers are invited to enter the six-mile Rio Lindo Race.

The Rio Lindo divisions include single kayak/canoe or double kayak/canoe and open recreational canoe with two paddlers. Athletes may use their own boats, or rent from River’s Edge Kayak and Canoe. 

The Bridge to Bridge racers will be the professional category and they will be competing for over $5,000 in prize money. They will race from the Alexander Valley Bridge to . These will be top athletes from across the country. 

This event is a fundraiser.

“The City of Healdsburg is excited about the event and the energy is building,” said Gary Plass, Healdsburg City Council.

It is a joint public-private partnership that has been formed to raise funds for the ongoing upgrades at The partners for this event are Rivers Edge Kayak and Canoe services, The Russian Riverkeepers, The City of Healdsburg with the Sonoma County Regional Parks.

There are a number of local and corporate supporters ,so please visit the event website and thank the sponsors for their support during these financially challenging times. 

Lollie Mercer, the owner of Rivers Edge, said the event is about the river.

“First of all Bob, get a picture of the beautiful river --not me, this is about the river!” she said.

Mercer said she has spent her entire life on the river.

As a child, her parents were members of The Healdsburg Boat and Ski Club. Mercer has a passion that is contagious and if you have a moment stop by and visit her at Rivers Edge.

Her shop is full historic pictures of the river and events of days gone by. 

When you speak with Mercer it is clear that she and all of the organizers of this event have a vision and the passion to make this event a success.

Mercer is beginning her fifth year of operations of this company and has recently purchased the land. Mercer employs 22 people and has just added another 60 watercraft to her inventory.

She will host well over 20,000 visitors to the river this summer and is the only company to have a litter patrol to keep this gem shining. 

The organizers of the Great Russian River Race need our support at this time. The success and vision of this precious area is somewhat contingent on your participation.

At some point in the near future we will see our river tourism grow again and this is a great way to show your support and have an alternative local event every year. 

For generations “The River” has been a summer time destination trip for scores of families in the Bay Area. Its close proximity makes it a great day trip for families now more than ever.

The history of this area is as rich as California itself. Prior to Healdsburg being a Wine Country Tourist attraction, Healdsburg was the Russian River tourist attraction. 

In the 1920s, '30s and '40s, families came to the area to stake their claim on a small patch of ground to build their summer cabins. At one point the San Francisco Chronicle offered a 120’ X 60’ lot for free if you paid for a one year subscription to that newspaper. Those lots were located at Camp Rose on Fitch Mountain. 

The 1950s saw further growth of these summer cabins but automobiles were able to go much further distances without overheating so Lake Tahoe and Lake County also saw this same type of tourism with waterfront resorts popping up along with scores of simply build single wall cabins. It was a great time for these areas with the smells of barbeque chicken, Coppertone and the sounds of sun burnt kids filling the air. 

Many tourists would come up to just spend the day in a rented canoe and float down the river. W. C. “Bob” Trowbridge was one of the operators that had canoes on the river. In fact, he sold to Mercer six years ago. He boasted at having over a thousand canoes on the water every weekend. Looking back on that in a ratio it is about how many tourist’s that we have today on the plaza but back then they were all on the backside of Fitch Mountain. 

Since those days, we have seen a lot of changes. The sixties and seventies brought the hippies to the “River” and also home prices were climbing so those summer cabins began to see year around tenants. The change continued with those areas seeing much tighter restrictions of access to the river.

In the 1990s, almost all the parking that had been allowed on Fitch Mountain was shut down by property owners that were tired of the nuisance created by unruly visitors. 

A lot of those cabins on the river are now regulated vacation rentals. There have been a lot of improvements made. Iif we all show the interest needed for this area, it can be a great family destination once again.

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