Crazy Raft Race

The Ravenswood Ohio River Festival is excited to host the Crazy Raft Race again this year.  The raft race will be held at Riverfront Park on Sunday, August 2nd at 3pm.  This is a fun activity for clubs, teams, youth groups, families, and friends!  Please be sure to read the rules listed below in it's entirety to ensure the safety of all involved.  If you have any questions you can reach out to Kassie Lawless at ravorfpageant@outlook.com or phone/text 304-914-9838.  

Cost to enter is $10.  Checks made payable to City of Ravenswood with ORF Crazy Raft Race on the memo line.  Check's can be mailed to P.O. Box 116 Ravenswood, WV 26164.  Deadline to register is July 29th. Payment must be received by July 31st. 

Raft check-in will be at 2:30pm with a Captains Safety Meeting at 2:45pm. You must arrive on time to check-in or you will be disqualified from participating and there will be no refund. Each team will be allowed 1 car entry pass into the festival on Sunday to bring the raft into the north end of the park for unloading.  

The race will take place off of the sandy beach area on the north end of the park.  The race course will be a short distance off of the shore, turn around, and back to the shore line.  We will have the Ravenswood Fire Department on site for safety purposes. 

We will be giving away 3 awards: 1st Place, The Sinker, and Most Creative

RULES

• There will be a maximum of 3 team members allowed on the raft and a required minimum of 2 team members
• All team members on the raft must be atleast 10 years of age or older
• Every participant is required to wear a coast guard approved life jacket, that must be worn at all times 
• All crew members must wear appropriate footwear 
• All raft entries must be human powered/self propelled and make use of poles, oars, paddles, paddle wheels, sails, flippers, or a combination thereof
• The raft must be hand crafted (no kayaks or canoes)
• Inner tubes or inflatable devices are not allowed
• Minimum raft size must be able to support the weight of the crew
• The rafts deck must be securely fastened to a frame and the frame securely fastened to the hulls or flotation devices
• All raw sheet metal edges must be turned over and taped
• The use of nails below the waterline is prohibited
• Any protruding longs bolts to be sawed off, filed, and taped
• Be creative, use materials such as cardboard, duct tape, cardboard tubing, Styrofoam, 2 Liter bottles, pool noodles, wood, plastic barrels
• All rafts must be inspected prior to launching and may be subject to the modification at the discretion of the committee
• No animals allowed on the raft
• All crew members must remain on board throughout the duration of the race
• No glass containers allowed at any time
• Anyone exhibiting unsafe behavior will be disqualified and could be permanently banned from future events
• No diving or jumping off of the vessel into the water, unless for safety reasons
• All rafts must be removed from the river at the end of the race
• The consumption of alcoholic beverages before or during the race is strictly  prohibited
• Participants shall not hold the Ohio River Festival or any member of its committee, City of Ravenswood, or Ravenswood Parks and Recreation responsible for any accidents, injuries, and/or loss or damage of any personal items. All team members understand they are voluntarily participating in this activity and there are risks associated with their participation in the raft race. 

Each team member is required to acknowledge and sign the liabilty waiver below.  Failure to complete this step will prevent your team from being able to participate in the race.

I understand that I shall not hold the Ohio River Festival or any member of its committee, City of Ravenswood, or Ravenswood Parks and Recreation responsible for any accidents, injuries, and/or loss or damage of any personal items. I understand that I am voluntarily participating in this activity and there are risks associated with parcipating in the raft race. I assume all risks of my participating in this activity, whether known or unknown to me. I certify that the information I have provided above is truthful and correct information.  I have read and agree to comply with the rules listed above.