Paddlefest puts focus on Berkeley Blueways

Old Santee Canal Park

While Paddlefest will be Saturday, several participating outfitters will lead paddling trips Sunday.

In the spring, the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival is a weekend celebrating all things paddling and has put Charleston on the regional paddling map.

Berkeley County's paddling enthusiasts hope that the second Paddlefest, to be held 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday at Old Santee Canal Park, will do the same for its Berkeley Blueways 175-mile waterway trail system.

"This is modeled after the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival, but it's more local and way smaller," said Bradley Sale, environmental education coordinator for Old Santee.

The event, which is free (even the $3 park admission fee is waived), will include instructional classes, special programs, vendors, live music and outfitters who offer guided paddling opportunities year-round. Part of Paddlefest will include signing up for paddling trips on Sunday.

Besides putting the spotlight on Berkeley's lakes, rivers, creeks and swamps, Paddlefest also will spotlight Old Santee — the first "summit canal" constructed in North America.

The canal, which began operations in 1800, was considered a major engineering achievement in its day.

"Before the canal opened, crops from the fertile uplands were shipped overland by wagon or floated down the Santee River into the Atlantic and along the coast to the busy port of Charleston," according to the park's Web site. "Neither mode of transportation was very cost-effective, and the unpredictability of the Atlantic Ocean made the sea journey dangerous at best."

The 200-acre park, of which most is canal and swamp, offers family-friendly paddling and is home to wading birds, two pairs of nesting osprey and, of course, alligators.

PADDLEFEST SCHEDULE AND VENDORS

-- Events will be Saturday at Old Santee Canal Park at 900 Stony Landing Road, Moncks Corner.

-- 11-11:45 a.m — Butterflies & Insects from your kayak by Dwight Williams of Cypress Gardens.

-- Noon-12:45 p.m. — Web of Water by Ian Sanchez of Lowcountry Environmental Education Program.

-- 1-1:45 p.m. — Kayak Diversity Demo by Kathie Livingston of Nature Adventure Outfitters.

-- 2-2:45 p.m. — Kayak Rescue and Roll Demonstration by Sea Kayak Carolina.

-- 3-3:45 p.m. — Fly Fishing Demonstration by Dee Medders of Luden's Outfitters.

-- 4 p.m. — Kayak Raffle Drawing.

-- Vendors will include Adventure Carolina, Barrier Island EcoTours, Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission, Epic Kayaks, Palmetto Trail Hell Hole Outdoor Center at St. Stephen, KanDo Adventures, Leave No Trace Ethics, Lowcountry Paddlers, Marshgrass Adventures, The Outdoor Shoppe, Pledger's Craft LLC, Sea Kayak Carolina, Sewee Visitor & Environmental Education Center, S.C. Paddlesports Industry Association, S.C. Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement, S.C. Nature-Based Tourism Association, Time Out Sports and UPromise.