| Witch paddle | |
|---|---|
 Event participants in 2019 | |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Willamette River |
| Location(s) | Portland, Oregon |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 6–7 |
| Founder | Ginny Kauffman |
The Portland Stand Up Paddleboard Witches on the Willamette (SUP WOW), [1] more commonly known as "Witches on the Willamette", or simply the witch paddle, is an annual witch-themed standup paddleboarding event in Portland, Oregon. [2] Ginny Kauffman organized the first event in 2017.
The witch-themed event, traditionally leading up to Halloween in October, [3] involves people wearing costumes while standup paddleboarding in the Willamette River. [4] Participants have dressed as witches, sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, [1] [2] and "aqua-type creatures from the deep". [5] Some participants have also attached skeletons, spiders, and other "spooky" decorations to their paddleboards. [6] Children and dogs have also participated. [5]
There is no fee to participate, but some events have also served as clothing drives [7] [8] or fundraisers. [9] [10] According to KOIN, the event "is open to anyone with a paddleboard and a witch costume". Event organizers have emphasized the need for participants to be experienced with paddleboarding, as lifeguards are not on duty. [9]
Ginny Kauffman organized the event starting in 2017; she was inspired to launch the event in Portland after seeing costumed paddleboarders in Morro Bay, California, in 2016. [11] Attendance has grown from a few dozen Halloween enthusiasts to more than 300 participants. [4]
For the event in 2017, participants launched from Johns Landing. [12] In 2018, KGW called the event "a stroke of Portland genius" and said, "You know you've hit big time when the Portland Fire & Rescue Bureau sends a boat to send up huge water jets usually worthy for a Rose Festival Navy Fleet Arrival." [13] In 2018–2019, paddle boarders traveled from Willamette Park to Tom McCall Waterfront Park and back. [14] [15] The 2020 event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [16] Participants started following the previously used route again in 2021. [2] [17]
In 2024, Kauffman said the event was on a hiatus while a search was underway for a new organizer. [4] [18]
The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall in the northwestern United States, located on the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon. The largest waterfall in the Northwest U.S. by volume, it is the seventeenth widest in the world. Horseshoe in shape, it is 1,500 feet (455 m) wide and forty feet (12 m) high, with a flow rate of 30,850 cu ft/s (874 m3/s). Located 26 miles (42 km) upriver from the Willamette's mouth at Portland, Willamette Falls is a culturally significant site for many tribal communities in the region.
Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. Paddleboarding is usually performed in the open ocean, with the participant paddling and surfing unbroken swells to cross between islands or journey from one coastal area to another.
Standup paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Standup paddleboarders stand on boards that are floating on the water and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was documented in a 2013 report that identified it as the outdoor sporting activity with the most first-time participants in the United States that year. Variations include flat water paddling, racing, surfing, whitewater SUP, yoga, and fishing.
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The 2024 Multnomah County District Attorney election was held on May 21, 2024, to elect the district attorney of Multnomah County, Oregon, which includes the state's largest city, Portland.
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The Witches Paddle is an annual event in Bend, Oregon, in which paddleboarders dress as witches and warlocks on the Deschutes River. The event is similar to the annual witch paddle in Portland, Oregon.