Hundreds of boaters and kayakers were out on the Mississippi River Saturday, August 15, 2015 for the sixth annual Floatzilla.
There were five different launch sites along the Mississippi River. The launch sites were on both the Illinois and Iowa sides. The paddle ended at Sunset Park in Rock Island for a group photo. Organizers held a contest Saturday for the longest boat, best costume, and best theme and decoration for a boat.
"We decided to try something new, and it was suggested that you'd have a lot of fun if people would wear anything," River Action Executive Director Kathy Wine said. "They'll decorate their kayaks and canoes anyways, so we wanted to have categories and have fun."
Saturday, people tried to break the record for the largest connected raft of canoes and kayaks. The local gathering was short of that record by about 1,500 people though. All of Saturday's proceeds went to River Action to help clean up waterways and rivers.