Water Carnival returns on Aug. 13
Memorial Bridge dedication at 11:30 a.m.
Dating back to 1905, the Healdsburg’s Water Carnival will return to the waters of the Russian River and Veterans’ Memorial Beach on Saturday, Aug. 13, after a two-year hiatus.
Event director Liz Keeley wants the water carnival to appeal countywide and turn out a large crowd to the fundraiser event. “It’s for everybody in the county,” said Keeley. “It’s everybody’s river, it’s everybody’s beach.”
In 2014 and 2015 the water carnival was cancelled while work was done to Healdsburg Memorial Bridge.
The Water Carnival will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to Keeley, the day’s events will officially kick off with a celebration of the bridge at about 11:30 a.m. Local dignitaries, including Healdsburg Mayor Tom Chambers, will lead a vintage car parade along Healdsburg Avenue and pause for a ribbon cutting at the new bridge. They then will proceed to Veterans Memorial Beach for a celebration of the new bridge and remarks.
Expect the bridge to be temporarily closed to regular traffic for a short time before, during and after the car parade.
Healdsburg City Councilman Shaun McCaffery, an engineer, will bring back his tribute to the original days of the water carnival. Sandy the Swan is modeled after a float that was photographed at the 1911 water carnival. In 2011, a display at the Healdsburg Museum included a photograph of a large swan float being towed by a rowboat. McCaffery was challenged to recreate the swan for the newly resurrected water carnival; he accepted the challenge.
McCaffery built Sandy on a wood frame and filled the bottom with over 400 two-liter soda bottles to “make it unsinkable,” he said.
The body was carved from styrofoam, which was then covered in fiberglass. The styrofoam, which came from packing material used to ship wine barrels, was carved using a heated wire stretched on a bow. “I had seen it in a magazine,” said McCaffery, who built the specialized tool.
Local artist and tattooist Adam Burns was tapped to use his cake-making experience to “carve” the swan. Burns said McCaffery came to him and said, “I did the engineering part, now you have to do the art part.”
Burns described the process of carving the Styrofoam with the heated wire as “like taking a one of those wire cheese slicers and shaving off little bits,” but on a giant scale.
“It was really fun to be a part of that project,” said Burns who added that he looks forward to the next art project.
“It was great we had different people in town build floats,” but this year they are not doing that.
This year’s activities will also include a large water slide, dubbed the “Zoom Flume,” built on the on the beach, utilizing the natural landscape. The Zoom Flume emulates the “duck dash” water slide that was built for the water carnival in 2013. “That’s where the inspiration came from for the water slide,” said McCaffery, who is designing and building the Zoom Flume.
This years’ event will be different from years past. The float parade will be scaled down. The remote controlled “Titanic” float will be chugging around and Sandy the Swan will be giving rides. Admission is free but a wristband will offer all-day access to activities offer. Some activities will have ala carte pricing.
Sonoma County Regional Parks will sell wristbands for $10, which allow all‐day fun on the Zoom Flume, Water Park, Sandy the Swan boat rides, face painting and paddleboard jousting. The wristband also allows participation in floating wine barrel races.
Parking is $7 or free for Regional Parks members with their parks pass.
Historically a crowd pleaser, the Great American Rubber Duck Dash will be held on the Zoom Flume. Participants sponsor a duck for $3 each or 10 for $20. Prizes will include a variety of gift baskets from Shelton’s Natural Foods Market, and the grand prize is a $250 shopping spree at Shelton’s.
In addition, a wide variety of free activities will be available at the Water Carnival, including the City of Healdsburg Mobile Recreation Unit, Sonoma County Free Bookmobile, and exhibits and activities by the Pacific Air Museum, Healdsburg Historical Museum, Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods and the Sonoma County Water Agency.
