In honor of the 25th anniversary Ohio River Paddlefest on August 1, event organizer Adventure Crew is excited to launch the Ohio River Queen Competition.
The road to river royalty begins with four “Tributary Princess” competitions. Entrants of any gender can sign up to compete for each of the following Ohio River tributaries:
• Little Miami River: July 15 at Cappy’s in Loveland; sponsored by Erin Harper, Comey & Shepherd Realtors and in partnership with Cardinal Land Conservancy
• Mill Creek: July 18 at Binski’s in Camp Washington; sponsored by Cincinnati MSD and in partnership with Mill Creek Alliance
• Licking River: July 23 at Covington Yard in Covington; in partnership with The Boone Conservancy
• Great Miami/Whitewater Rivers: July 24 at Carriage House Farm/Lost Bridge Beverage Company; sponsored by The Archaeological Research Institute and in partnership with Oxbow, Inc.
The winner from each tributary will advance to the Ohio River Queen competition at the Outdoors for All Expo n Friday, July 31.
Each Princess will also get a FREE entry for Ohio River Paddlefest on Saturday, August 1, and help lead the flotilla with the Paddlefest “court.”
“We’re excited to launch this fun new aspect of Paddlefest for our 25th anniversary,” said Shauna Steigerwald, communications and events manager for Adventure Crew. “We hope it generates excitement for the event, but we also want to raise awareness about the wonderful waterways in our region and the great work that local nonprofits are doing to protect them.”
To that end, each competition features a nonprofit partner with relevance to that specific tributary. Representatives from the nonprofits will be on hand to talk about their important work.
Each Tributary Princess competition will include three sections, each of which will be given equal weight:
• Costume: A costume that represents the waterway
• Ode: An original creation in any medium (song, dance, poem, painting – competitor’s choice!) that is inspired by and evokes the spirit of the tributary. Odes will be judged on creativity and quality. Contestants have up to 3 minutes to perform or explain their ode.
• Trivia: Trivia questions about the specific tributary.
Think you have what it takes? Sign up to compete.
Even if you aren’t competing, mark your calendar and join us to cheer on some good-natured river rivalry.
The River Queen competition is just one of several ways organizers are celebrating Paddlefest’s 25th anniversary. Notably, they will attempt to set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title for “Largest Paddle Craft Party” during this year’s event on Saturday, August 1.
Ohio River Paddlefest is the nation’s largest paddling celebration, with some 2,000 paddlers traveling on the Ohio River in kayaks, canoes and other human-powered craft while the river is closed to motorized traffic.
Adventure Crew produces and benefits from Ohio River Paddlefest. The nonprofit connects city teens in Greater Cincinnati with nature and each other through outdoor adventures. Founded in 2013, the nonprofit now serves all Cincinnati Public Schools high schools, seventh and eighth graders in select CPS elementary schools, and six schools in Northern Kentucky – a total of 33 schools and some 900 students per year.
Through challenging monthly adventures, city teens develop the courageous spirit to step out of their comfort zone and discover new worlds – outside in nature and inside themselves. This deep connection to nature will set a positive course for their lives – and help create the next generation of environmental stewards.
Adventure Crew