DAVENPORT, Iowa — Eight hundred kayakers hit the Mississippi River Saturday, Aug. 15 for the eleventh annual Floatzilla. River Action organizes the event every year, trying to break the record for the most number of kayakers out on the water at one time.
But this year, they aren't trying to reach that goal. With social distancing guidelines thanks to COVID-19, the event was more focused on getting people out and having fun safely.
"This being a paddling event, in the governor's report from Illinois, that was considered a low-risk event," Program Director Noah Truesdell says. "So we worked with the Scott and Rock Island County Health Departments on what our plans are and making sure we can't improve them any more than we already have."
Instead of everyone launching at once, kayakers headed out in shifts from Leach Park throughout the day. They made their way down river toward Credit Island and Sunset Park.
Truesdell says it was important to make this event happen this year.
"A lot of events have been canceled," he says. "We've been adjusting our events so we can keep having them. With Ride the River turning into Ride and Seek. With this one, expanding launch times and limiting the number of people just so we could hold the event and get people outside."
The river was shut down to barge traffic for the event.
