This year’s Little Apple Paddle Festival kicked off without a hitch, but it wasn’t quite the record breaker people had hoped for.
The goal Saturday was to break the world record for longest parade paddle, a record held by Poland since Sept. 1, 2018 with 329 vessels. A total of 339 people signed up for this year’s event put on by the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department, but fell short by just 12 participants.
Angela Cardella said this is was her second time at the event.
Ken Burton was also back for his second time on the water and explained his thoughts on the experience.
Despite the venue change and disappointment with not breaking the record, many participants including Burton and Cardella said they planned to return to the Little Apple Paddle next year.
The Little Apple Paddle is held annually along the Kansas River. Due to high water levels on the river, this year’s event had to be relocated to the Tuttle Creek State Park River Pond.
