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OSSINING, N.Y. To celebrate a newly-built kayak launch, the village and town of Ossining will be hosting an End of Summer festival on Saturday with three stages for live music, sailboat rides, food, local vendors and more.
"The Ossining Recreation and Parks Department has worked for several years to get approval of a kayak launch on the Ossining waterfront," said Amanda Porteus, an Ossining resident who volunteered to do publicity for the event. "We're going to be officially opening to the public this Saturday and in celebration of that, we decided to put on this whole festival."
A kayak launch helps guide kayaks into the water. It can be simply a dirt trail leading into the water, or in the case of Ossining, a ramp that slopes into the water.
Ossining's kayak launch will be open for anybody to use. It is located just north of the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club, with eight kayak racks and kayak storage lockers nearby.
While other neighboring towns, including Tarrytown, already have kayak launches, the advantage of Ossining is that the water quality in the Hudson River off Ossining has consistently tested better than in many surrounding towns, Porteus said.
Paul Gallay, the president of the Riverkeeper environmental watchdog organization, will be speaking on Saturday at a 1:30 p.m. press conference.
Musicians who will be performing at Saturday's festival include Mike & Miriam Risko, owners of the Mike Risko Music School in Ossining; K.J. Denhert, a jazz/blues/folk performer; Terri Larmar, a funky rock musician; Chuck Treppeda, a soft jazz musician; Don Smith, an Irish folk musician; and Liar, a hard rock band.
"We've got a lot of really great bands, it's a great area, a beautiful river and it's all free and open to the public so why wouldn't people come through and hang out?" Porteus said.
The festival is planned to take place from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ossining waterfront. Free sailboat trips on the Ossining Community Sailing Club's 39-foot C&C sailboat will be offered from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
If enough kayakers come down to try the new kayak launch, there may also be a kayak race.
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