Yorkville to Celebrate Grand Opening of Kayak Course Saturday

is celebrating the grand opening of the Glen D. Palmer Dam canoe and kayak course this Saturday. But already the new course has made an economic impact on downtown Yorkville.

This March, inspired by the new kayaking and canoeing facility, and moved its business to 301 E. Hydraulic, right near the Glen D. Palmer Dam.

It's this kind of impact that City Administrator Bart Olson had hoped for while the new kayaking facility was being planned.

"I do expect the facility to draw in other businesses," Olson said. "They may not all have to do with kayaking or canoeing, but they will come to the city to take advantage of the additional traffic that the facility brings. Any time you can get something in your downtown that attracts people, you are on your way. That is the first step in economic development, attracting people."

The city will celebrate the official opening of the new whitewater course from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in downtown Yorkville with its Kayak Attack event. Festivities during the event will include paddling demonstrations, free tours of the facility, on-shore kayak demos, raffles and entertainment. Vendors and exhibitors also will attend.

The official ribbon-cutting will be from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

The event is free.

Scott Fairty, general manager of Geneva Kayak Center, said that customer response has been strong since the business opened in Yorkville in March.

"What we are seeing here more than we saw in our original Geneva location is a whole bunch of new people who come down here to check out the new whitewater course," Fairty said. "They see the course, like it and decide that it'd be fun to try out the sport. Then they come to us. It's working out well so far."

Fairty is particularly impressed with the city's whitewater course. It's beginner-friendly, and it packs a wide range of features into its 300 yards. The course contains as many features as kayakers and canoeists would usually face while navigating 10 miles worth of natural rivers, Fairty said.

"This facility is great for teaching beginners how to paddle," Fairty said. "It is so user-friendly. There is nothing particularly dangerous out there, which isn't always the case with a lot of rivers."

Olson said that he is happy with the number of people who are already using the course. He's even happier with the crowds that gather at the facility to watch these kayakers and canoeists.

"There's a lot of people watching going on there," Olson said. "That's very exciting for the city. It's so important to get people to gather in your downtown. This facility is doing that job."