The news release attached provides the basic details and we have volunteers ready to meet with reporters and
provide photo ops and more details.
Just contact Bill Currey, Chairman and Founder of the Coal River Group- the sponsor of the Tour De Coal.
We look forward to you and your staff attending the event on the 18th. We start at Meadowood Park in Tournado, WV and the paddlers float 12 miles to the take out at Gateway Shopping Center in St.Albans, WV.
Great photo opportunities from the start at 9:00 am until the last paddlers come in at Gateway around 6:00 pm.
Call us with questions. 304-419-441
Have you registered for the 2022 Coal River Tour De Coal? It’s on June 18, 2022. The host, Coal River Group, expects thousands to show up in Tornado, WV to participate in the 19th iconic Community Float.
Bill Currey, one of the original founders of the float trip said, “We are so proud that our little float trip event we put together has grown steadily over the years to the point that it is now considered the largest flatwater kayak event in the U.S.
Currey also says, “We were just starting to clean up what was then called ‘the dirtiest river in the US.’ We decided to try to clean up and restore the rivers. The first Tour De Coal was held in 2004. We were so excited about being able to convince 44 paddlers to join us in the first 12-mile float trip from Tornado, WV at Upper Falls to downtown St. Albans near the Kanawha River.”
“To say the Coal Rivers are different now is an understatement,” adds Currey. “We are now considered one of the cleanest rivers in the Eastern U.S. and we have a wonderfully diverse fish population and one of the fastest growing kayak-based water trails in the U.S.”
The 2022 Tour De Coal will be a wonderful respite from the past two years of Covid-19 scares and limitations. Registration for the event can be done in advance online at www.coalrivergroup.com.
The Tour De Coal will begin at 9:00 am at the Meadowood Park/Coal River Center headquarters located near Tornado, WV. Participants are urged to bring their kayaks to the site on Friday after 1:00 PM to drop them off. There is a $5.00 fee to cover Security.
Meadowood Park has recently undergone a major roadway paving and widening project. The changes, according to Currey, will enhance the arrival and parking for well over 1,000 paddlers that are expected. Currey says “Every year we have had a very difficult time managing the traffic for the event but the new roadway in the park will help us provide our visitors from over 18 states a much better experience coming in and out of the park.
“The TDC is a hoot,” says Currey. “We look forward to helping the City of St. Albans to promote its weekend event, Yak Fest, which is a separate two-day event on Main Street with music, food and craft beer, and this year, fireworks.” Together the two events bring thousands of people to the region and provide lots of business for local merchants. The TDC is a major fundraising event for the non-profit Coal River Group which uses the funds to continue its work to restore the rivers and bring new economic growth to the region. For more information you can contact Bill Currey at 304-419-4417.
