The first-ever Columbus Riverfest featuring the Columbus Ya Gotta Regatta Presented by Cummins made a big splash at Mill Race Park, bringing together businesses, nonprofits, volunteers and community members for a day of creativity, competition and community impact.
Twenty-six teams accepted the challenge of building and racing cardboard boats across the Mill Race Park North Pond. Some flew across the water. Some took a more leisurely approach. And some discovered exactly how long cardboard can remain cardboard once it hits the water.
But the real winner was our community.
Through team participation and the People’s Choice dollar-for-dollar voting competition, the event raised more than $50,000 to support United Way of Bartholomew County’s work to reduce poverty and make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.
And the Winners Are...
Fastest Hull to Glory: Float Around and Find Out
Persistence Award: Ivy Tech Buoyancy Battalion
United We Rise & Float Award: Float Around and Find Out
Brilliant by Design: Overdraft Raft
Go Big or Go Ashore: The InternSHIP
Titanic Award: Green Hornet
Judges’ Choice: Soggy Bottom Boys
People’s Choice: Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice captured the People’s Choice Award after raising an incredible $3,657 through the voting competition.
On the water, Float Around and Find Out lived up to its name, taking the top racing spot with a time of 3:00.35, followed by Green Hornet at 3:14 and The InternSHIP at 3:16.03.
Powered by Volunteers
Behind every great community event is a team of people willing to dream big and then do the work to make it happen.
The inaugural Riverfest and Regatta was made possible by committee members who gave countless hours to planning, problem-solving and creating an entirely new event for Bartholomew County.
A special thank you goes to Dallas Grider, leader of Women United, and Kathryn McCarthy, leader of LEAD United, for their leadership, energy and dedication throughout the planning process.
Festival Team: Dallas Grider, Abby Stone and Sara McAninch
Regatta Team: Kathryn McCarthy, Jeff Crouse, Michael Kinder and Tim Howard
Production Team: Michael Burdekin and Erica McFarland
Their work helped turn an idea into a community celebration that we hope will continue to grow for years to come.
Full Race Results
- Float Around and Find Out — 3:00.35
- Green Hornet — 3:14
- The InternSHIP — 3:16.03
- C-Arrr — 3:29.37
- State Farm — 3:34.00
- CRH EMS Lifesavers — 3:46.25
- Soggy Bottom Boys — 4:00.64
- Forvia Pipe Dream — 4:16
- Coca-Cola of Columbus — 4:17.30
- The Uncomfortable! — 4:18.91
- Row Patrol — 4:20.78
- Unsinkable II — 4:27.45
- All Together for Good Ship Lollipop — 4:28.76
- Team Waterhog! — 4:34.45
- The Castaways — 4:43
- Team Starfish — 4:47.37
- The Wheel Deal — 4:57
- 3 Hour Tour — 5:03.62
- The Overdraft Raft — 5:18.67
- Cummins Amp-hibians — 5:20.31
- Three Blind Mice — 5:37.66
- U.S.S. Networker — 6:02.91
- Above C Level — 6:49.50
- Ivy Tech Buoyancy Battalion — 9:56.88
Forvia Full Throttle — DNF
Send Help — DNF
It Took a Community
An event this big doesn't happen because of one person, one committee or one organization.
Thank you to every paddler who climbed into a cardboard boat, every volunteer who gave their time, every sponsor who invested in the event, every food vendor and community partner who joined us, and every spectator who came out to cheer.
Thank you to our judges, emcees, photographers, safety teams and the many people working behind the scenes before, during and after the event.
And thank you to Cummins, our presenting sponsor, for helping us bring the inaugural Columbus Riverfest featuring the Columbus Ya Gotta Regatta to life.
Thousands of photos were taken. Twenty-six boats hit the water. More than $19,000 was raised. And one thing became very clear:
Bartholomew County knows how to show up, have a little fun and come together for a great cause.
Thank you for making our inaugural Regatta one to remember. We can't wait to see what floats next.
