One of a series featuring activities during River Awareness Week, July 12-20.

This is the second year for Hudson’s weeklong “Party With a Purpose.” The group says:

This year’s event has been expanded to include a wider range of activities designed to allow people of all ages to actively enjoy the Lower St. Croix River and all that it provides.  Several local organizations and individuals have colaborated to make “RiverFest:  A Party with a Purpose” a success.  The six-day event celebrates the river while also recognizing the need to preserve its health and beauty.

The festival’s mascot artistic is a fishy creation named “Scrappy,” designed by sculptor Mary Johnson and adorned with trash collected during river clean-ups. Scrappy will attend many of the events and activities, and be redecorated after this year’s clean-up.

Two clean-ups will take place the morning of Tuesday, July 15th, one at Hudson’s Lakefront Park, and one in North Hudson at Ferry Park.

The annual river cleanup is a core activity of the Hudson RiverFest. Community volunteers form teams (bags and gloves are provided) get out on the river collecting trash and working to help cleanup the river. While the goal of RiverFest is to get people out to enjoy the river, the river cleanup is the “Purpose” for the celebration.

Things kick off with a canoe and kayak competition on Saturday, June 12th at YMCA Camp St. Croix. Other events during the festival include a performance by Native American youth dancers, a non-denominational “inspiration celebration” on Sunday morning and followed by guided bike rides, stand-up paddleboard demos, and an educational bunch of activities dubbed “RiverFest 101” on Tuesday and Thursday.

Check out all the happenings on the St. Croix RiverFest website.