‘Betty’s Bash Paddle Race’ celebrates Riverside Park in Evans

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - If you have ever been to Riverside Park, you may have spotted Betty Branch.

It is a tributary to the Savannah River and home to the annual Betty’s Bash Paddle Race.

To show you how much fun it is, we picked up an oar and hit the water for a skills test with the event’s organizer.

Amy Colbert and her husband are getting ready to throw Betty’s Bash, an event featuring kayak races and a free music festival.

“We’re really excited to be having an all-local showcase,” said Colbert, co-owner of Outdoor Augusta.

In the afternoon, local musicians and comedians will perform. But in the morning, it’s all about the water.

She says almost 50 people from across the southeast have signed up to race.

“People come in all different kinds of vessels, recreation kayaks, big long 14-foot paddleboards, you see a lot of variety of racers,” said Colbert.

They’ll race the six-mile plus loop around German Island.

We challenged Colbert’s husband, who has decades of kayaking experience, to a drag race.

And this should come as no surprise, it’s no contest.

Well let’s make it interesting, we took a massive head start.

And just like “The Freeze” at an Atlanta Braves game, Colbert tracked me down.

As we came to the finish, we were paddling so hard that our camera was knocked into the river. Oops.

We lost the race but didn’t lose the camera. He found it and celebrated his win.

“I couldn’t believe he was able to do that, but I am excited to see that kind of competition on Saturday,” said Colbert.

That competition might be just a little faster.

The kayak races are timed and there is a fee to enter.

You can watch it for free starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The music festival happens at 4:30 p.m., and it’s also free to watch.

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