July 4 paddle on the Schuylkill River to watch the fireworks - BYO SUP/kayak

THIS IS JULY 4 WHICH MEANS plan for TRAFFIC AND PARKING, although last year really wasn't too bad
will cancel for rain

This is BYO …bring your own…which means you need to have your own kayak or standup Paddleboard to join us. There are no rentals available

If you want to try this and you don't live in the city, please plan ahead for getting into the city and parking. Get there early. Get a spot on Walnut Street bridge or on Locust Street

The plan:
We'll put in at the Walnut Street dock
Meet at 6:00, in the water by 6:45
We'll paddle down river first, taking our time, enjoying the evening
stopping now and then to just float (we won't go all the way to Bartram's Gardens, but you can if you want)
then we'll paddle back up river to the Fairmount Dam
We'll paddle as close as we can, there will be a police boat that limits how far we can go, drop anchor (bring an anchor if you have one), watch the fireworks, have some drinks and snacks, then float back to the boat ramp after the fireworks
*must have patience for the fireworks...they are supposed to go off around 9 or 9:30 but they could be delayed

What to bring:
LIGHTS! we'll be paddling after dark so you'll want headlamps and boat lights - you NEED some kind of light with you since there'll be a bunch of other boats on the river this night and you'll want to make sure they can see you
Water, snacks, tasty drinks
Mosquito repellent - it will probably be buggy!

Parking on Walnut Street Bridge or Locust Street:
Walnut Street dock is underneath the Walnut Street bridge. We'll be the ones blowing up paddleboards or kayaks
If you park on Walnut Street bridge, you'll have to bring your kayak/SUP down the stairs that are there - make sure to plan for that. See the pics I posted.
If you park on Locust Street, you could walk to the dock without using the stairs but it's like 2 blocks worth of walking.
There are no restrooms by the dock or storage available while we're on water. We should be able to use the restrooms at Human Robot brewery on the bridge if needed.