Team Moxie Outdoor Adventure competes Aug. 1, 2019, in the bed races at River Fest in Skowhegan. This year’s festival is scheduled to begin Sunday and run through next week, with the always-popular bed races set for Thursday evening on Water Street. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel file
SKOWHEGAN — River Fest kicks off Sunday, beginning a week of activities and events to include the popular bed races through downtown Skowhegan.
Hosted annually by Main Street Skowhegan, River Fest is a celebration of recreation and “life on the Kennebec,” according to organizers. Events throughout the week are designed to please a variety of interests, including outdoor recreation, arts and theater, food and outdoor games.
River Fest also serves to focus attention on and showcase local outdoor recreation opportunities, as the Run of River whitewater park proposed for the Kennebec Gorge continues through the planning and permitting processes.
When complete, the multiphase Run of River project is expected to offer features to should attract boaters, kayakers, surfers and tubers to the area.
Events are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Sunday with a fly fishing clinic at Lake George Regional Park East. Skowhegan Outdoors, a project of Main Street Skowhegan, is working with Fins & Furs Adventures to present the clinic. Participants must be 18 or older and equipment can be borrowed from the Skowhegan Outdoors Community Gear Library.
River Fest will continue throughout the week, including a National Night Out from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Coburn Park, hosted by community organizations and the Skowhegan Police Department.
“Drinking Alone” will begin showings Wednesday at Lakewood Theater and run through the weekend. Tickers can be bought online.
On Thursday, the Hight Protection Center, owned by the Hight family, will open at 250 Madison Ave., adjacent to the Hight Ford dealership. The store will offer Line-X bedliners and vehicle accessories. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Bed races will be returning to downtown Skowhegan as part of a Moonlight Madness event during River Fest. Beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, teams will push beds on casters down Water Street.
Bed races are a longtime tradition at River Fest, dating back at least 20 years. Teams include five members, with one person on the bed and four pushing. Participants must register online in advance for the event.
Festivities are scheduled to wind down the following weekend, with a fireworks display scheduled over the Great Eddy at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7. The display can be viewed from downtown, the eddy or the pedestrian bridge. The rain date is set for Sunday.
River Fest winds down on Sunday, Aug. 8, with live music by Double Entrende, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Bigelow Brewing Co. at 473 Bigelow Hill Road.
Live music by Set in Stone is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. at Coburn Park as part of the Concerts in the Park series, organized by the Wesserunsett Arts Council, the Coburn Park Commission and Skowhegan Savings Bank.
A full list of events can be found at runofriver.org.
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