New Year’s float trip to promote the Arkansas River, and silliness

Most traditions are meant to be fun, and the Arkansas River Coalition encourages as much fun as possible on its annual New Year’s Day Float.

“We ask people to wear some silly clothing or maybe have something fun attached to their boat,” said Wally Seibel, one of the coalition members hosting this year’s float. “We’re just trying to get the year started off right, and we want to help people paddle on into the new year.” On past floats, many participants decorated their canoes or kayaks with banners and wore brightly-colored hats atop regular winter clothing.

The Arkansas River Coalition was formed in 1999 to draw attention to the river and get people involved in its protection and improvement. Since that first year, Seibel and others have hosted public floats on many sections of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers. He said this is the ninth year for the special new year’s float.

This year’s new year’s float is on a section of the Little Arkansas and begins at the access area near 12th Street. Take-out will be at the Tennis Center near Central and Nims, according to a news release. Seibel said the float should take about two hours or less. In case that section of the river is frozen, another section of the Arkansas River will be selected. People are asked to RSVP if attending so they can be notified of any changes. It can be done at wallyseibel@aol.com or by calling 316-680-9669.

All equipment can be provided if needed. Seibel suggests those interested in borrowing coalition kayaks make their requests as soon as possible. There is no charge to participate in the float. The release says a donation to the group of $15 is encouraged if equipment is borrowed.

For more details, visit www.arkrivercoalition.org.

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 8:37 PM with the headline "New Year’s float trip to promote the Arkansas River, and silliness."