Rockin' The Trinity River With Pictures & Video

I did not know what to expect when I went to Rockin' the River on Thursday.

Few floaters? Lots of floaters? Public drunkenness? Rowdy people?

Well.

There was quite a large number of people floating on a variety of devices, with the majority on plus-sized innertubes.

I saw little alcohol being consumed. No public drunkenness. No rowdy people.

All in all it seemed to be a very wholesome affair with a lot of people seeming to be having a lot of fun.

The only unwholesome part of the enterprise was that they were floating in the Trinity River. Which looks pleasantly blue in the pictures, but looked green and very murky to my eyes.

There was a designated area to enter the river. Sand had been installed so you could enter the Trinity River with no actual contact with the Trinity Riverbed.

The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle loves its signage. The Rockin' the River event had a lot of signs. Signs directed you to the free parking lot. A sign hanging from the Henderson Street bridge. A big sign by the old power plant by the Main Street bridge. The sign you see at the top with the "River Rules." Signs all over the place, including 3 or 4 versions of the sign/poster you see above telling us what the Trinity River means to our children.

This group of floaters was clustered near the Panther Island Pavilion, up against a rope that had been strung across the West Fork as it joined the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

When a TV news helicopter, I think it was Channel 5, flew over, the floaters were told to do some splashing for the camera. I did not get the camera turned on til the splashing was almost over.

I previously said I have not been to any event in Texas where I saw so few obese people as I did at Rockin' the River. I know something like Rockin' the River's demographic sort of selects for a young, healthy crowd that is different than I see when I waddle through my local Wal-Mart.

I thought the Rockin' the River event was quite a well done operation. There were multiple food vendors, including the Yum Yum Truck. The sound system was very good. As was the music, both in radio mode and when it went live.

If only the River that was Rockin' was of the sort that you can stick your feet in the water and actually see your feet, where you don't have to worry about water getting splashed in your eyes.

Anyway, from what I saw last night, I think all us skeptics may have to get used to the idea that there are people willing to get wet in the Trinity River. And that they will continue to do so.

I somehow have trouble taking good video. For Rockin' the River the wind presented a problem, but, even with my videographer shortcomings, the YouTube video below will give you a good idea of what Rockin' the River was like...