Nearly 200 canoes and kayaks will claim the Ohio River at 8 a.m. Saturday for the first Ohio River Run.

        Being held to celebrate the beauty and historic importance of the river and to kick off the Ohio River Corridor Initiative, the event will start at the Four Seasons Marina, 4609 Kellogg Ave., and end at the Cincinnati Public Landing.

        The six-mile excursion will end with refreshments, a Bluegrass band and free pick-up races near the Serpentine Wall.

        “The overall No. 1 purpose is to have a lot of fun,” said Brewster Rhoads, event organizer. “I'm confident people will have a ball.”

        Mr. Rhoads said nobody can remember the last time a large number of paddlers organized a day on the river. He predicted the event will draw about 300 people from Dayton, Columbus and Louisville.

        U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Kentucky Rep. Ken Lucas, D-Ky., will chair the event.

        Eighty-year-old Mike Fremont, of Glendale, will be the leader, or commodore, of the run. Mr. Fremont is president of Rivers Unlimited, a river advocacy group.

        Registration is $10 per person and people may sign up at www.mgacincinnati.org, or the morning of the event.

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