We had a fabulous first weekend at the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival, and there’s still more to come. Here are some highlights. Tell your friends, fellow club members, other kayakers, etc….

GET SOCIAL…
Join other paddlers for free food and drink at 5 p.m. Saturday – yes, that’s Halloween but you should come here first – at The Sun & The Moon Inn in Matlacha. It’s a hospitality event on the water and we want you to enjoy it with us. (Thanks to Costco for the food and Budweiser for the rest.) Paddle to the dock or drive there. Be sure to get a raffle ticket (free as well) for great prizes.

Ever wonder how to pack a kayak for camping? Come at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to the Hilton Garden Inn at College and Summerlin to hear a guest speaker, enjoy free desserts and coffee and mix with other paddlers. It’s free and we’d love to see canoeists and kayakers from clubs, from in town, from out of town, from everywhere attend. West Marine will be there with treats; we have great raffle prizes.

Need to kick off Halloween weekend in style? Join us for the Calusa Costume Ball this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Tarpon Lodge. Call 239-432-2163 for tickets or purchase them at the door. You get food, drink, story telling (thanks Calusa Ghost Tours!), raffle prizes, a guided moonlight walk and the chance to win a kayak. Yes, only 60 tickets are being sold and one of those people will win a free kayak that evening. Details are online.

WHAT ELSE?

Come Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to Randell Research Center at Pineland for speakers (every hour on the hour), activities, guided hikes of Calusa mounds and more. It’s free. Special note: Mote Marine’s mobile lab will be there with a touch tank and activities.

Fish Saturday in the catch-and-release tournament. Entry forms are still being accepted and the captain’s meeting is Friday night at Prawn Broker.

Don’t forget the Paddle of the Pass regatta for canoes and kayaks Sunday at 9 a.m. with a 10 a.m. start at Matlacha Park. Entry forms online or you can register there.

Bluegrass for a Blueway is 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sunday at the park. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy music by the McIltrot Brothers as well as A Taste of Matlacha, which will serve up restaurant food and raise funds for the Pine Island Food Pantry.

AND THERE’S MORE ….

Join the Gulf Coast Backwater Paddling Club on Tuesday for a tour of Yellow Fever Creek in North Fort Myers. Bring your own boat. Find details in the online schedule.

Learn about manatees, Conservation 20/20 preserves, ECHO and Paddle Creek Outfitters on Friday morning at Upriver RV Resort in North Fort Myers. The program and guided trips afterward are only one dollar.

Join an outfitter anywhere in Lee County on guided trips. Check out the offerings on our schedule.

THE WEATHER LOOKS GOOD …

We’re expecting highs in the mid-80s with blue sky and no rain. Come join us!

FIND US
• www.calusabluewaypaddlingfestival.com
• Fan us on Facebook (Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival)
• Follow us on Twitter (calusapaddle)
• Info line: 239-823-6335