Russell Fork Rendezvous marks 30th year of fundraising for flood relief

ELKHORN CITY, Ky. (WYMT) – The Russell Fork Rendezvous brought more than 100 paddlers to Pike County on Saturday for its final weekend of whitewater fun.

The event marked the group’s 30th celebration and was a little different from previous years. With the recent flooding in North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, the rowing community has been hit hard. So the group began to focus on flood recovery efforts.

“We have our festival in Haysi and we had to cancel it this year because of the floods. But we felt it was important to continue our events at Ratliff Hole,” said organizer Bob Larkin.

The event hosted river fun each weekend, concluding on Sunday after a river race and a nighttime celebration on Saturday. Organizers say the event was used as a fundraiser for recovery efforts and helped many of the affected paddlers get a break from reality.

“We’ve had a lot of people who are involved in relief efforts talk about how wonderful it is to be able to get away and come here with all their colleagues,” said Bob Larkin.

Larkin said the event is good for the local economy and boosts tourism, saying the community has been extremely welcoming to rowers this year.