Mini Pool 2

Hundreds attend Red Bluff River Park festival; residents for city's swimming pool

RED BLUFF — Hundreds of people lined the west bank of the Sacramento River at Red Bluff City Park on Saturday to witness wakeboarding, barefoot water skiing, kite boarding and helicopter stunts.

The demonstrations accompanied the food, beverages, live music, and arts and crafts spread throughout the park.

It was all part of the first River Park Festival, a three-day, citywide party to benefit the McGlynn Pool, Red Bluff's only city-run pool.

The PJ Helicopters Water Ski and Wakeboard Extravaganza dazzled the crowd as five helicopters opened the show by flying low enough to set off a few car alarms in the parking lot.

The choppers then lined up over the river and hovered mere feet above the water, cooling off the crowd with some river mist in the process.

The afternoon reached nearly 90 degrees, and the cloud cover cranked up the humidity. The park's trees provided plenty of shade to help escape the heat.

Local watersports pros arrived after the helicopters, performing tricks and stunts to the crowd's delight.

"We're so blessed to able to get them," festival director Mark Neebling said of the watersports team.

Neebling was one of nine people who originally formed the idea of the festival as a way to help save the pool, which is in financial peril as the tough economy is forcing local government to cut back, he said. "It's all about saving the pool," he said.

The festival began Friday night with a kickoff party at Wilcox Oaks Golf Club that featured a fashion show, music, fireworks and an outdoor deck cinema with family-friendly movies.

Saturday's park fair featured bands One Night Only, the River Rock Band and the Blackletter Brothers playing throughout the day as visitors enjoyed a variety of food, shopping and information booths.

Children had an opportunity of hitting the very pool the festival was designed to save. Kids also had their own fair full of activities.

The fair was followed by a block party behind Tips bar featuring beer pong and tri-tip steak, and then a dance party at the Tehama District Fair grounds. Sporting events, including bowling and mini golf, also were part of the festivities, which continue today with a fun run and golf tournament.

Although fundraising totals won't be available until after today, Pat Ewald, entertainment chair, said even before the kickoff party the festival already was a success.

"There's hope it will become an annual event," he said.

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