It’s that time of year when the river rats come out of their winter lairs, the kayakers and rafters descend upon the Upper Arkansas Valley when the racers get ready to beat the odds and the Hooligans ready their creative craft. In other words – it’s FIBArk time in Salida! The time when the city, the valley and our out-of-town guest are ready for four days of fun and games on the river that is the life-blood of this valley.
For the uninitiated, FIBArk is an illustrious acronym that goes back some 70 years. It stands for “First in Boating on the Arkansas” While the actual festival dates back to the 1950s, the history began in 1949 when two friends bet each other as to which of them could win a kayak race on the Arkansas River between Salida and Cañon City.
Some 56 events are planned, spread from the Arkansas River through downtown Salida, west to Poncha Springs and north up the Arkansas River. Festivities kick off on Wednesday night when the Salida Chamber of Commerce presents a locals cocktail-hour celebration at the SteamPlant.
The Saturday morning FIBArk parade is as old as FIBArk itself. The first community parade celebrating FIBArk was held in 1949. Photo by Jan Wondra.
Thursday at 4 p.m. marks the ceremonial first beer at the Riverside Park Beer Garden, and at 6 p.m. the Tenderfoot Hill Climb begins at the F St. bridge. The next morning, the festival begins with a pancake breakfast, moving through qualifying events that attract a global audience.
Friday marks a day-long schedule of qualifying preliminaries and ends with the junior freestyle awards, and the 8-ball rally, all at the Salida Boat Ramp. Saturday morning includes the 10 a.m. FIBArk parade down F Street to Riverside Park, where the booze bar opens at 10 a.m., followed by a full day of competition slalom races, a kids fun-run at Thonhoff Park, skate park competitions and even chain drain disc golf championship at the Poncha Springs Disc Golf Course.
Saturday daytime events include the BMX skate park competition, the FIBArk 10 K run, the downriver races and the Crazy River Dog contest. This year, due to the exceedingly high water levels, it looks as if the Hooligan Race will be canceled. But there is still fun for everyone who has a pulse and a sense of adventure.
While the official FIBArk schedule is available here www.fibark.com/schedule, a few highlighted times and events are in order:
Thursday
4 p.m. First ceremonial beer with the Commodore, Riverside Park Beer Garden.
6 p.m. Tenderfoot Hill Climb, starting at F Street Bridge
Friday
7 a.m. FIBArk Pancake Breakfast, Community Center at 3rd and F St.
11 a.m. Freestyle Prelims, Salida Board Ramp
3:30 p.m. Freestyle Finals Junior/Cadet M&W, Salida Board Ramp
Saturday
7 a.m. FIBArk Fly Qualifying Round (location TBD)
8 a.m. 5 and 10K running races in Thonhoff Park with Kids Fun Run at 8:30 a.m.
10 a.m. FIBArk Parade on F St.
11 a.m. Chain Drain Disc Golf Competition in Poncha Springs
1 p.m. SUP Cross, Colorado SUP Championships, Salida Whitewater Park
3 pm. Freestyle finals, Salida Boat Ramp
4:30 pm. Slalom Finals, Salida Boat Ramp
5:30 p.m. Hooligan Race, CANCELLED DUE TO WATER LEVELS
7:00 p.m. Freestyle PRO Finals, Salida Boat Ramp
Sunday
8 a.m. FIBArk 10K Trail Run, F St. Bridge
10 a.m. FIBArk Downriver SUP, Salida Boat Ramp to Rincon
10 a.m. Downriver Race Intermediate Start, Stone Bridge to Salida Whitewater Park
10:30 a.m. Downriver Race Heavy start rafts, Hecla Junction to Salida Whitewater Park
11:30 a.m. Downriver Race Heavy Half Start Kayaks, Hecla Junction to Salida Whitewater Park
12 noon Crazy Dog Contest
3 p.m. FIBArk Fly Finals Triple J Ranch
3 p.m. Downriver Awards ceremony, FIBArk Awards Platform
It wasn’t always such a hoopla. In fact, according to the Salida Library Archives, what has always been a sort of international event began in a much quieter fashion.
There were two merchants drinking coffee on a cold February day while looking at the river. They challenged each other to a race: 56-miles down the Arkansas through the Royal Gorge from Salida to Cañon City. (It was February, so spring was a long time away). People began to hear about the challenge and a few folks got together to organize a parade and a local festival.
It appears that others wanted to join in. Then, before the event could be held, two lads from Switzerland, Robert Ris and Max Romer, in America running other rivers, heard about the challenge. So they arrived in Salida and entered their small, folding boats, making the race an international affair from the start.
That first year in 1949, there were 23 entrants in the race. But 56 miles later, only the two Swiss boys reached the finish line. The rest is history – and a lot of water down the river.
Cover Feature photo: Courtesy of the Salida Regional Library
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