Post by The Admin on Jun 7, 2022 14:27:09 GMT -6
Tulsa's Great Raft Race canceled again this year
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A combination of factors has led to the cancelation of this year's Tulsa's Great Raft Race, the event’s director said Tuesday.
“The raft race is a daunting undertaking,” said Seth Erkenbeck. “It’s been 2019, pre-Covid, since we’ve had the event and life obligations have changed.”
Erkenbeck said the race’s event committee and River Parks staff simply did not have the bandwidth to put on the race this year.
“We may pivot, and the event may look different” next year, Erkenbeck said. “It could possibly change dates. We look forward to working with River Parks going forward, but also if there are other partners out there, we would be open to those conversations."
The event, which began in 1973, would typically start in Sand Springs Case Community Park and end 8 miles downriver at River Parks West Festival Park. After a 24-year hiatus, the Labor Day tradition was revived in 2015.
The raft was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and again last year because of construction of a turnpike bridge over the Arkansas River.
Erkenbeck noted that overhaul of Zink Dam and the construction of a new pedestrian bridge above it are scheduled to be completed in mid-2023, potentially opening up new possibilities for the race.
“There are just going to be exciting new possibilities for the event and just for recreation on the river in Tulsa,” he said. “We are going to see something we have never seen before when that construction project is finished.”
Matt Meyer, executive director of River Parks Authority, said the organization at one point had discussions with raft race organizers about taking over the event.
“We just didn’t feel like we had the staff capacity to do it,” Meyer said.
He added: “Now, if some service club or organization wants to take it up, we can probably do what we’ve done in the past, help with the take-out point. I think it is a really cool event, but we just don’t have the capacity to organize it and put it on.
“The raft race is a daunting undertaking,” said Seth Erkenbeck. “It’s been 2019, pre-Covid, since we’ve had the event and life obligations have changed.”
Erkenbeck said the race’s event committee and River Parks staff simply did not have the bandwidth to put on the race this year.
“We may pivot, and the event may look different” next year, Erkenbeck said. “It could possibly change dates. We look forward to working with River Parks going forward, but also if there are other partners out there, we would be open to those conversations."
The event, which began in 1973, would typically start in Sand Springs Case Community Park and end 8 miles downriver at River Parks West Festival Park. After a 24-year hiatus, the Labor Day tradition was revived in 2015.
The raft was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and again last year because of construction of a turnpike bridge over the Arkansas River.
Erkenbeck noted that overhaul of Zink Dam and the construction of a new pedestrian bridge above it are scheduled to be completed in mid-2023, potentially opening up new possibilities for the race.
“There are just going to be exciting new possibilities for the event and just for recreation on the river in Tulsa,” he said. “We are going to see something we have never seen before when that construction project is finished.”
Matt Meyer, executive director of River Parks Authority, said the organization at one point had discussions with raft race organizers about taking over the event.
“We just didn’t feel like we had the staff capacity to do it,” Meyer said.
He added: “Now, if some service club or organization wants to take it up, we can probably do what we’ve done in the past, help with the take-out point. I think it is a really cool event, but we just don’t have the capacity to organize it and put it on.
