Kick off Paddlefest 2014 — the annual outdoor festival at Coney Island to celebrate, promote and protect the beauty of the Ohio River — with the Kids Outdoor Adventure Expo on Friday, featuring hands-on naturalist activities for kids, and an Outdoor Expo on Saturday, full of exhibits, classes, fishing, paddling and hanging out. After the expo on Saturday, the Roots on the River Music Festival takes over two stages at Coney featuring Roots music until midnight, with headliner Lydia Loveless. On Sunday, everyone’s invited to Paddle the Ohio — or at least the 8.2 miles between Coney Island and Sawyer Point — with 2,000 others in America’s largest paddling event. The weekend ends with the Finish Line Festival, featuring live music from the Hot Magnolias at Yeatman’s Cove.
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, June 20; 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday, June 21; 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, June 22. Fees for Paddle the Ohio, camping and parking. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, ohioriverpaddlefest.org.
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2014.