CANON CITY — Surf’s up in Canon City
The kind of surf created in a river.
“It's really fun. Just the rivers just fun in general,” said River Surfer, Jasper Crawford.
Eleven-year-old Jasper is at the river mostly to cool off and have some fun.
He is also practicing to compete at the Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival.
He said, “Honestly, my best trick is this--I stand on my board and I jump over on a different side of it. And it's called the switch.”
Jasper is an ambassador for more than river surfing.
He has been coming to the Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival most of his life and promises it is worth the trip.
“You see a lot of crazy stuff there.”
“You have more fun for five bucks--You can't get a cheeseburger for five bucks,” said Whitewater Committee member, Kevin Brown.
The river events are a mix of pro and amateur competitions.
Then on the river’s edge, there are close to 60 vendors offering food and fun.
The other thing a lot of people come to enjoy is live music along the river.
There is a line-up of nine bands.
“We have a wonderful community here and like to celebrate that through the whitewater fest,” said Brown.
The once-small festival grows each year.
This year more than ten thousand people are expected and that also benefits the local economy.
Brown said, “All the lodging is taken up, helps all the hotels, the vacation rentals, downtown is just hopping, the restaurants do really well, the bars are really good.”
Admission is $5.00 each day with proceeds benefiting local nonprofits.
Kids under 12 are free.
The festival is Friday and Saturday, July 21 & 22, and goes until 11:00 p.m. each night.
Click here for more information.
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