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Would it be a good idea to …
… launch an event similar to the “Fanny Float” – a summer tradition in the Williamsport area – on a local segment of the Susquehanna River?
During the float, usually held as a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization, participants clad in swimsuits or shorts recline on inner tubes and drift, or paddle, about a mile or so downstream in what amounts to an aquatic parade. Sunscreen is encouraged. Beach balls are optional. Silly costumes appreciated. And the event usually concludes with a community picnic.
Each sun-kissed, soggy entrant ideally goes home with fond memories and a commemorative T-shirt with words such as “I floated my fanny in the Susquehanny.”
A “Fanny Float” North Branch version, conducted here in the Wyoming Valley, perhaps could coincide with the annual RiverFest held each June in Wilkes-Barre. Or maybe, as a civic club’s signature event, it could stand on its own merits. Does “Fourth of July Float” sound good to anyone?
No matter its timing, this sort of quirky activity could give area residents a reason – or excuse – to congregate by the river, still an underused and underappreciated resource despite the multimillion-dollar River Common project. The amphitheater and other amenities on the river’s bank in Wilkes-Barre don’t get the heavy usage they warrant. So far, scheduling lots of concerts and other activities remains cost-prohibitive.
A massive float might be just what the area needs to dip its toe, so to speak, in the pool of riverside entertainment possibilities. (No disrespect intended to the dragon boat races, which have been a welcome addition here in recent years.)
If water quality concerns prevent people from taking part near the city, head upstream. Might West Pittston suit? How about Harding?
As yet another alternative, look to what the people in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, do to commemorate that town’s 1980 flood. Boaters on the Ganaraska River compete each April in the “Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny.” The event is split into two categories: a race for canoes/kayaks and a “Crazy Craft” division, featuring all manner of floating vessels. Spectators get treated to boats captained by people in pirate garb, Viking hats and other get-ups befitting a bizarre gathering by the water.
Could we capture some of that spirit on our portion of the Susquehanna? Or are these ideas all wet?
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