People gathered Monday at Prairie Oaks MetroPark to splash a paddle in the Darby Bend Lakes for a free paddle event hosted by Franklin County Metro Parks.
Dozens of people an hour lined up on the breezy, sunny day for the chance to pilot kayaks, canoes and paddle boards on the lakes.
"We've been doing this the last several years," said the park system's outdoor adventure supervisor Caroline Wagner-Frey. "It's grown a lot in the last few years, but for every summer holiday we are out here. We have our tandem kayaks for all for families of all ages. We have a stand up paddle boards for ages 10-plus, and we have a solo kayaks for ages 10-plus. We also have a few canoes we like to throw in there as well for all ages."
Wagner-Frey said the Memorial Day event marks the beginning of a slate of summer programming that promises stress-free ways of spending time on the water.
"We're offering approximately four paddling programs per week. They're always going to be free, we always provide everything, staff is always going to be there for you so it's a good opportunity if you can't afford a kayak or you don't want to tow a kayak," she said. "We do this throughout summer we're here at Darby Bend Lakes. We're also at Quarry Trails. And we're also at Scioto Audubon and Scioto Grove."
She said it is a good way to learn how to navigate the water in a safe environment.
"I'd say about 70% of people -- this is their first time paddling or they've only paddled one other time in their life. So we will show them all paddle strokes. We make sure everybody everybody wears a life jacket. We even have dog life jackets," she said.
Visit metroparks.net to look for events. Some require preregistration, but they're all free.
