2008 Gauley Fest Presented by Subaru Wrap-up

Wow, what a festival!

Not only was it the 25th anniversary of the Gauley Fest but ask almost anyone who was there and you'll hear the same thing "It was the best Gauley Fest ever!" Not only was there beautiful weather with clear blue skies but throw in the industries biggest and best vendors with whitewater enthusiasts from all over and you've got a recipe for an outstanding event!

With the proceeds of the event being used to support the stewardship work of American Whitewater, the success of the big "G Fest" means more resources are available to go towards river conservation, access and safety. This year's event was bolstered significantly by generous donations from Clif Bar, Dagger Kayaks, Fluid Kayaks, Immersion Research, Jackson Kayaks, Kayak Session Magazine, KEEN, Kokatat, Liquidlogic Kayaks, Outdoor Play, Pyranha Kayaks, Rocky Mountain Kayak, Subaru, Wavesport, and Werner Paddles.

Additionally, Gauley Fest flat out would not happen if it wasn't for the tireless help of over 150 volunteers and our volunteer coordinator Stacey Johnson of Hood River, OR. This year's volunteers worked in every facet of the event from early arrivals helping out with field setup to the last men and women standing doing their part with cleanup on Sunday.

This year every joining or renewing AW member got a great swag bag from IR with some cool goodies and automatically got entered into a raffle for three brand new kayaks. In addition, every current AW member had their shot at over $6,000 dollars in gear and goods in a giant rock, paper, scissors game hosted by Woody Callaway of Liquidlogic Kayaks.

Of course, this year's event saw a wealth of on river fun too with each day seeing well into the hundreds of festival goers enjoying the incomparable Gauley River. Anna Levesque of Girls at Play and North American River Runners hosted the annual "Ladies of the Lower G" event with the proceeds going to AW as well.

American Whitewater would like to wholeheartedly thank each and every festival attendee, our many dedicated volunteers, our host the town of Summersville and Nicholas County Veterans Memorial Park and of course the many outstanding vendors for making this such a successful event.

See you there next year!