Bluegrass River Run Returns to Kelley’s Landing
In June, more than 60 paddlers pushed off from Kelley’s Landing for the return of the Explore Kentucky’s Bluegrass River Run paddlesports festival, bringing the event back to the Kentucky River after a one-year hiatus caused by flooding.
The 4.5-mile paddle began at Kelley’s Landing and traveled upriver through the Kentucky River Palisades toward Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, turning around near the Kentucky American Water intake facility before returning to the park. Along the way, paddlers experienced the steep limestone cliffs, forested slopes, and quiet stretches of river that make the Palisades one of central Kentucky’s most distinctive landscapes.
The day was designed around more than completing a paddle. It was about experiencing the Kentucky River as a place.
Every participant received an Explore Kentucky hat along with a field recording of the natural sounds of Kelley’s Landing. Together, the paddle and recording offered two ways of experiencing the same landscape, one while moving through it and another that participants could carry home.
The Bluegrass River Run also put Kelley’s Landing and the Kentucky River in front of audiences beyond those who participated. Check out the news coverage below!
Bluegrass River Run in the News
FOX 56 | Live From Chevy Chase
Gerry Seavo James joined the hosts Leigh Jordan and Tamara Schneider of Live From Chevy Chase at the park to talk about the Bluegrass River Run, the park’s growing role as a gateway to the Kentucky River, and the opportunities ahead. Then they took the conversation onto the water, launching paddleboards from the park for a short excursion on the Kentucky River.
WKYT | Everyday Kentucky
Gerry Seavo James stopped by Everyday Kentucky, WKYT’s morning lifestyle show, to chat with hosts Dave Baker and India Jones about the return of the Bluegrass River Run, what makes paddling this stretch of the Kentucky River so special, and what’s taking shape at Kelley’s Landing.
LEX 18 | Covering Kentucky
LEX 18 joined the Bluegrass River Run at Kelley’s Landing, capturing paddlers on the water and highlighting the event’s connection to the Kentucky River and the growing public use of the park.
The vision now is to build from that return. The goal is to grow the Bluegrass River Run into the region’s premier river event: an annual gathering that brings people to Kelley’s Landing to paddle, spend time along the river, learn about the landscape, and celebrate the communities and places connected by the Kentucky River.
