Ridgefield had a lot to celebrate on Saturday, as the city showed off its municipal muscle and boats raced to conquer the waters of Lake River as quickly as possible.
On Saturday, Aug. 6, the city of Ridgefield showed off its impressive equipment during a “Day of Festivals” that brought a handful of activities for residents to enjoy.
Ridgefield Community Events Coordinator Ireland Coleman said the “City Days” event was set to show off its public works department, which features a number of “big rigs” that get work done in the city.
The event, which featured equipment from backhoes to sewage units, showcased “lots of information for people who don’t know what the city does,” Coleman said. The city held a similar event last year, but given the focus on the equipment utilized by the public works department, it was retooled to show that repertoire.
“We had a lot of excited kids,” Coleman said.
For Coleman, the Vactor truck stood out among the equipment on display. The sewer cleaning apparatus was among the machinery present, all of which was designed to make sure the city functions smoothly.
“All the city employees are super-involved and want to be helpful for events,” Coleman said.
Down on Lake River, teams of paddlers set up and shoved off into the water to compete in the location’s second year of dragon boat performances.
Paddle for Life, as it’s called, brought dozens of teams and hundreds of paddlers to the banks of Ridgefield’s river.
Kelly Jones, the president of Paddle for Life, said the event was previously hosted at Vancouver Lake, but it was canceled for years due to unsafe conditions regarding water quality. In the past, the lake featured algal blooms that impacted water quality.
“We had people coming from all the way up north to all the way down (to) Salem,” Jones said about the latest event.
After COVID-19-related stoppages, the event featured 21 teams in 2021.
At the most recent event, there were 35 teams, Jones said.
Although the event shifted from a lake to a river, Jones said the challenge remained.
“It’s usually windier there than it is here,” Jones said about Vancouver Lake compared to Lake River.
She said the current was not too much to handle on Saturday, Aug. 6.
“Yesterday there were whitecaps out here,” Jones noted.
Jones said it gets challenging, but overall those who set out in the boats know how to handle the conditions as seasoned boaters lead the ships.
Jones became involved in the Dragon Boat races after her time in the U.S. Army. She needed to find an outlet and putting paddles to water was the perfect way to realize that goal.
“It was great being a part of a team again, making friends,” Jones said.
