Saturday, May 1, 1999 -- Albright
Fifth Annual Cheat River Festival
Story & Pictures by Julie Bertsch

[Article w/Pics] [Picture Set 1] [Picture Set 2]

Close camping quarters at The Cheat Fest

The Fifth Annual Cheat River Festival followed the exciting Cheat downriver race, The Cheat Massacr-ence. For the first time in many years the Cheat Festival was missing one thing...RAIN. The number of paddlers attending the festival nearly doubled in size on Friday night when the official festival fun didn't even start until Saturday! Camping quarters were very close, and if you weren't friends with the people you camped next to on Friday, then by Sunday you were best buddies.

The River Sharks were in the river on Saturday

The paddlers may have been praying for the rain, but no such luck. Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day. The river level was a low 2 feet, but that made it a day for play boaters to get out the squirt boats and show off! Whether you were watching from the river's edge or enjoying the water by surfing a wave, there was plenty of action going on in the river and out of it. The night air turned chilly, but the music of Joint Chiefs seemed to keep everybody warm. With so many boats for sale at cheap prices and top notch paddles to choose from, everyone seemed to walk away with a new toy. We can't wait to see if the rain will come back for next year's festival!