Splash-In for Play it Safe on the Poudre

City of Fort Collins Logo

Hailey Groo, Poudre Heritage Alliance

FORT COLLINS (August 20, 2018) – What do you get when you partner a National Heritage Area and a Federal Credit Union – an increased awareness of river safety and heritage!

In support of the “Play it Safe on the Poudre” initiative, the Poudre Heritage Alliance and Blue Federal Credit Union are hosting the first “Splash-In.” The event will be held at the Horsetooth Reservoir, South Bay Swim Beach and Pavilion on Friday, August 24, 2018 from 6:00PM to 11:00PM. www.poudreheritage.org/splash

At 6:00PM the FREE water safety festival kicks off. Activities will include: swimming, cornhole, face painting and henna tattoos, cool trivia games with hot prizes, and the Buzz Brothers Band playing summertime tunes to get toes tappin’. To please the palettes of attendees, vendors such as Average Joes, Blazin’ Woodfired Pizza, and Revolution Pops will be serving up ales, burgers, brats, funnel cakes, pizza, sandwiches and kettle corn, artisan popsicles and more!

As the sun goes down around 8:00PM, folks are invited to head to the beach to watch cinema’s greatest Great White – JAWS – showing on a giant inflatable screen. Tickets to the movie are available online: poudreheritage.org/splash. Private raft tickets are all sold out, but shared raft seats and plenty of beach tickets are left for only $10!

FREE shuttle bus transportation for ticketed moviegoers will be provided. The shuttles will depart from and return to the CSU Transit Center during the hours of 6:00pm to 11:00pm.

The “Play it Safe on the Poudre” initiative is designed to empower people to be as safe as possible while recreating on our rivers and lakes. Program partners include: Fort Collins’ Natural Areas Department, Poudre Heritage Alliance for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Larimer County Emergency Services and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The Cache la Poudre River offers abundant opportunities for a broad spectrum of river users. The scenic river runs from wild to mild, attracting people from around the country. A day of recreation along the Poudre River is a quintessential summer fun in Fort Collins – especially during the hottest days of summer.

However, most people do not understand the potential dangers of what can be a deceptively cold and fast running river. And, they might not be aware of hazards presented by low-head dams or fallen branches sunken just below the surface.

The increasing population and visitation to Northern Colorado has sparked a rise in river users, and a corresponding rise in river-related assists, rescues and fatalities. While river-safety work has gone on in our community for years, it was after two river deaths in summer 2017, that multiple agencies came together to launch the “Play it Safe on the Poudre” initiative. The initiative includes outreach, safety and river hazard signage, developing a personal flotation device program, capacity building for emergency responders, and a River Access Map.. www.poudreheritage.org/splash

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