Two towns, two river carnivals

Inspired by museum archival black-and-white photos of the 1908 Healdsburg Water Carnival, director Liz Keely and the Sonoma County Regional Parks agency decided to revive the festival not only as a way to bring people back to the river, but also to raise money in a flailing economy to fund the temporary annual Memorial Bridge dam that turns the low-flow Russian River into a mellow swimming hole every summer.

“It’s all about bringing people back to the river,” Keely says. “This hasn’t happened since the Rat Race days (a popular biker party on the river) in the ’70s. It’s a resource that we’re trying to protect and fix, and I think if we don’t focus on it and bring people out into it, they can’t ever learn why it’s important to protect it in the first place.”

Last year, at least 5,000 people showed up for the carnival revival and organizers raised $30,000 through sponsors.

A replica of the original swan, constructed partially of recycled water bottles is floated downstream with the 2011 Mr. Healdsburg, Tejpal Singh Sekhon, during last year's Healdsburg Water Carnival. (Kent Porter/PD)

A floating boat parade led by Sandy the Swan (a massive replica of the giant swan float from 1908) dazzled riverbank spectators. This year, there will also be a fully mechanized replica of the Titanic. Also look for a rubber-ducky dash, where people place money on the first duck to cross the river, along with a vintage bathing suit contest, wine-barrel races, a whiskeroo facial-hair showdown and a Jazz Mafia concert in the evening.

In Petaluma, the third annual River Revival is just starting to reverse the architectural bias that has cursed the town for more than a century.

“We’re a town that built its back to the river,” says festival director Kelin Backman. “We never built a river walk and all the storefonts have their backs to the river, which is so ironic because we were established as a river town and we wouldn’t be here without the river as a gateway to Sonoma County.”

So three years ago, she came up with the idea of throwing a massive party for the “Greatest Slough on Earth” at three-acre Steamer Landing Park at the end of a less-traveled, meandering dirt path that leads from East D and Copeland streets.

Last year, the festival attracted more than 8,000 festival goers. This year, they’ll upgrade to three stages for music with bands such as The Crux, Alison Harris and the Barn Owls, John Courage and the Hub Bub Club.