Jaycees gear up for second annual Splash & Dash

Published 6:00 pm Friday, July 8, 2016

The Milledgeville Jaycees invite the community to beat the heat this Saturday.

The group’s second annual Old Capital Splash & Dash event will take place at 9 a.m. at the Oconee River Greenway, with registration beginning at 8.

Attendees will take part in a lazy river float down the Oconee River to Central State Hospital to keep the Georgia summer at bay, as well as a raffle benefitting the Milledgeville Jaycee’s charitable endeavors.

“We started the Splash & Dash last year as a fundraiser for the Milledgeville Jaycees in an effort to get the community together,” said former Jaycees President Danielle Fields. “It’s kind of a silly thing, but everything we do we want to try and create some unity in the community. We thought it would be a fun way to get people together and also raise some money for some of the projects we do throughout the year.”

Since the Jaycees’ Milledgeville re-chartering in 2014, the organization has held dozens of charitable events and projects for the benefit of Milledgeville residents in need. This past year they hosted a prom for people with special needs at John Milledge Academy and gave full scholarships to four students to attend Camp Dream, a summer camp for disabled children that allows attendees to experience a summer camp in a way that would not be possible otherwise.

Splash & Dash participants are invited to bring their own tubes, canoes, kayaks and rafts for the river float. Several local businesses have signed on in support of the Splash & Dash, including local sports and outdoor supplier Oconee Outfitters, which has completely exhausted its supply of rental kayaks ahead of the event. The event drew well more than 100 people in its first year, and this year the organization expects that figure to grow closer to 200.

“Last year we started at 1 and it was blazing, so we decided to push it to the morning,” said Fields. “So hopefully it will be a little bit of a better situation for the heat.”

In the event that people may prefer to stay on dry land rather than brave the waters of the Oconee, the Splash & Dash raffle will provide more than enough enticing prizes. This year’s items include a kayak, a Yeti Hopper cooler, whitewater rafting tickets, a bounce house, and various items from all of the groups’ local sponsors.

“We’re super grateful for the community for embracing the event and for helping us with the prizes and sponsorships,” said Fields.

The float itself will cover a straight and calm four-mile section of river down to the Central State boat ramp, where shuttles will be waiting to transport waterlogged participants back to the Greenway (the shuttles will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). In addition, Oconee Outfitters will also shuttle kayaks and other small watercraft back to the Greenway. Attendees are free to float the river at their own pace, as last year’s times for navigating the Splash & Dash’s four miles were as varied as the people who recorded them.

“It depends if you’re paddling, or if you’re floating, or if you’re tubing, if you’re stopping, if you’re drinking. Some people last year actually got down in about an hour and a half, a little under two hours, and some people were like six hours. Those people were having a good time,” says Splash & Dash chairwoman Allison Wilkinson.

The Jaycees hope that the Splash & Dash will be a positive force for Milledgeville and its residents. Proceeds from ticket sales and the raffle will be put toward worthy causes in the future, while the event itself will help foster unity and togetherness in the Milledgeville community.

“It’s not done to be flashy,” said Wilkinson. “It’s just to say ‘we’re doing this because we want Milledgeville to be great’. For my husband and [me], we have a 2 ½-year-old and a 16-month-old, and we want our sons to see that you’re supposed to give back to the community to make it great.”

The Milledgeville Jaycees ask that all participants of the Splash & Dash bring a life jacket and shoes. Tickets are $20 per person age 13 and up and include a T-shirt, a raffle ticket, and transportation back to the Greenway.