October 7
Another Great Regatta!
After a week of rain, the sun came out and we enjoyed a perfect day for paddling! There were some really fast paddlers out there, some folks out to clean up the bayou, and some paddlers enjoying a day in nature, but everyone seems to have had a good day on Greens Bayou!
Greens Bayou Coalition plans the Regatta each year to showcase Greens Bayou and draw paddlers out to a wonderful recreational jewel in urban Houston. Our mission is to improve the quality of life in the watershed. We host cleanups, plant trees, promote and look for funding for parks, trails, & boat launches, and advocate for flood mitigation and resilience. We also monitor water quality and have an environmental education program for kids. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit and we are funded through donations, grants and sponsorships. The regatta serves as a fundraiser, an awareness campaign and a cleanup effort, all at the same time! This year, paddlers cleaned up almost 700 lbs of trash from Greens Bayou!
We couldn't do this without our many sponsors, listed below, or our volunteers! We thank everyone who sponsored, donated and participated, from Katz Coffee and Precincts 3 & 4 who donated Corporate Cup canoes to start us off, to TEXSAR and our sweep boat volunteers on the water, to Rico Torres of AR's Entertainment Hub and Bayou City Adventures who rocked the after-party and Coca Cola SWB who rehydrated us with fabulous beverages. The Barry Ross family, with help from North Belt UD, again cooked up our famous "Best Lunch on the Bayou" and St. Arnold's provided the beer. And finally, METRO got everyone back to their vehicles at the end of the day with their usual excellent service.
Tom Helm, our Race Director, made sure the day was safe and fun. He's the one who put out the bridge signs for us, got us off to a great start, and with the help of his awesome assistant, Senia Ziegler, kept up with all the boats!
Our volunteers helped the Regatta run so smoothly this year! Many thanks to all of them: Karen, John, Jacqueline, Beth, Lorene, Betty, Stephen, Fangyi, Shannon, Ella, Jackson, Dale, Fran, Christy, Allen, Nate, Michelle, Darrell and Karla and the North Shore Anchor teens!
We look forward to seeing you soon on Greens Bayou! Join us in our efforts to make the watershed a wonderful place
to live, work and play!
The Greens Bayou Coalition Thanks Our Sponsors!
Presenting Sponsors
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc.
KNCS Constructors Services, LLC
Fangyi Lu - SWA Group
Many Thanks To:
Houston Parks Board, Houston Parks & Recreation Department, Harris County Flood Control District, City of Houston, Houston Police Department; The Mayor's Office of Special Events; Keep Houston Beautiful
Greens Bayou Coalition offers sincere appreciation to the Paddle Trail/Regatta Committee who put in so many hours of their own time into something that they love. Thanks for your guidance, Doug Coenen, Barry Ross, Rico Torres and Grady Hicks. This event wouldn't happen without you!