Riverfest makes a splash in Middlebury
Aug. 29—MIDDLEBURY — The education and entertainment opportunities were flowing at Riverbend Park in Middlebury Saturday morning as the community gathered to celebrate the 12th annual Riverfest celebration.
"Today we're having our Riverfest, and this is just kind of a celebration of the Little Elkhart River," said Andrew Edlund, an employee of the Middlebury Parks and Recreation Department, which hosted Saturday's event. "We like to teach people all about what's actually in the river, because it's amazing how many fish and insects are actually in the river that a lot of people don't know about. So, we just like to celebrate, and kind of bring light to how clean this river is, and how much wildlife there actually is in it."
According to the department, Riverfest is billed as a fun, interactive event designed to showcase the value of freshwater, all of life's dependence on it, and more specifically the value of the Little Elkhart River, upon whose banks the festival takes place.
"So, the overall goal of the festival is entertainment plus education, but I think there's a little more emphasis on the education part, just because there are a lot of people that have lived here — I know people who have lived here all their lives — and they're like, 'There's that much stuff in this river? I never see anything in this river!'" Edlund said with a laugh. "So, it's just amazing what they get to see and do out here."
Attendees of the annual festival are greeted with offerings including nature-based art and craft projects, games, natural resource educators and informational booths, as well as plenty of opportunities for what the department calls "edutainment" surrounding fresh water and the wonders of the natural world.
"There are just a lot of education opportunities here," said Barb Spice, a member of the parks department's board who was on welcome duty during Saturday's event. "Educating people is a huge part of why we do it."
Among the festival's more popular events are an electro-fishing demonstration by the city of Elkhart's Natural Resource Division, a live animal program presented by Indiana Wild, and the Regatta of Recyclables boat race, where contestants craft miniature boats out of provided recyclable materials and then race them along the Little Elkhart River for a shot at glory and cash prizes.
And of course, what would a festival be without plenty of delicious food options?
"I mean, there's games for little kids, crafts, food vendors — we really try to have something for just about everybody," Edlund said of the festival. "And just about every year it seems to grow. We've been doing this for over a decade, and it's just amazing how many vendors we have every year, and how many more people come to the event every year. So, it's just cool to see it grow. It's awesome."
While entertainment was definitely plentiful during Saturday's event, Middlebury resident Audrey Crist — a big proponent of recycling — said she was particularly fond of the Regatta of Recyclables competition.
"We've been to Riverfest before, but it's our first time doing the regatta," Audrey said while helping her son, Michael, put the finishing touches on his boat prior to the start of the race. "We usually have sports, so we're not able to make it to this. But this year, we rushed over and were actually able to make it to the race.
"It's just so awesome," Audrey added of the annual festival. "This is a small community, so it's fun that they offer this for everyone to enjoy. It's kind of entertainment and education all in one. So, we love it."
Sponsor's of Saturday's festival included: Jayco; Tri-State Bovine; Little Elkhart River Chapter of Trout Unlimited; Hawkins Water Tech; Forks County Line Store; First State Bank; Middlebury Optimist Club; and Varns and Hoover Hardware.
