Arkansas Canoe Club
Fourteenth Annual Rendezvous
September 14-16, 2007 Camp Couchdale on Lake Catherine near Hot Springs, AR
Sanctioned by the American Canoe Association
NOTE: NO PETS ALLOWED! This is a Camp Couchdale rule, and they will be enforcing it. Violators will be asked to leave. Please comply. There are no exceptions other than service animals.
Registration Information
Check-in and registration will be at the front gate of Camp Couchdale. Everyone must check-in and sign a waiver. Registration will be open at 4pm. on Friday and all day on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. If you are part of a group, please leave information concerning where you’ll be camping/lodging at the front gate. The latest news on clinics, etc. will be available along with a message board in the Dining Hall.
After you have registered, please proceed to the dining hall and buy your meal tickets if you plan to eat breakfast and/or lunch prepared by the camp. The staff needs an accurate head count for both days (especially Saturday).
COST
A minimal admittance fee is charged to cover the cost of the campground rental for the weekend. The cost for each adult is $15. Kids aged 6 - 12 are $5 each with kiddos 5 and under FREE! The maximum charge for a family will be $30. This price break is intended to make this a family friendly event. Please don’t take advantage of this and claim that everyone in your vehicle is family if they are not!!! For what we get this is a very reasonable price. Everyone needs to pay his or her fair share.
Camp Couchdale Information
The Arkansas Canoe Club rents the entire Camp Couchdale facility for the Rendezvous weekend. There is ample camping area available for car/tent camping or small pop-up campers. There is not a lot of space nor hook-ups for motor homes. NO PETS.
Camp Couchdale has several air-conditioned cabins (some newly renovated in addition to the more private and lodge type) and rooms in the air-conditioned dorms that are available for rent from the Camp Director Eva Fletcher for an additional charge. The cost for the group dorm is $20 per person per night. Rental for the air-conditioned cabins varies. Contact Eva directly (After August 15) at 501-262-1326 for more information or to reserve an air-conditioned cabin or a bunk in an A/C Dorm. You may have to call several times to catch someone in the office, as there is no answering machine. Bring your own bed linens and towels.
PLEASE NOTE: The old cabins that were free have been renovated to have air conditioning. Those will now require reservations with Ms. Fletcher.
Camping will be allowed in two main areas. One area, near the front gate, has traditionally been the gathering spot for the campfire. Don’t camp here if you want to go to bed early! The area near the swimming pool has traditionally been the quiet area. Quiet time will begin at 11 p.m. for the entire campground. Earplugs will be available at the Registration desk for light sleepers.
PLEASE NOTE: Camp Couchdale no longer allows tent stakes to be used due to issues with shallow underground wiring. Please make other arrangements for anchoring.
Campfires will be permitted IF THERE IS NO BURN BAN in effect but practice safety! No fires are allowed on the baseball field. You may bring your favorite adult beverages or purchase them nearby, but please no glass. We expect a large crowd and many families. Please keep the main road in front of the Dining Hall clear to facilitate traffic flow. There is ample parking near the swimming pool. Also, please try to control your children around the Dining Hall. In the past, we have had children playing in the basement. No food or loitering in the Dining Hall Basement.
In the event of a Medical Emergency , Call 911 then immediately contact our Event Medic, Shannon Parsons and Event Director/Chair Tom Burroughs Cell # 479-595-1655. We can be reached through the registration booth by radio or by asking any of our staff. After hours Tom will be available at the VIP cabin.
Emergency Numbers:
Note that Couchdale is in Garland County and Rockport is in Hot Spring County. Both Counties have 911 Emergency numbers.
FFA Camp Couchdale Office: 501-262-1326
Camp Director's home: 501-262-2796 (Real Emergencies Only!)
National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs: 501-321-1000 Nearest to Couchdale
Hot Spring Co. Memorial Hospital in Malvern: 501-332-1000 Nearest to Rockport
Tom Burroughs: Rendezvous Chair, Cell phone # 479-595-1655
Meals
Breakfast and Lunch are available in the Dining Hall on Saturday and Sunday (breakfast only). The cost is $5 per meal. You must pre-purchase your meal tickets on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning so the staff will know how much food to prepare. Tickets will be on sale in the Dining Hall on Friday evening and Saturday morning. Coffee at 6:45, breakfast at 7:00.
Friday Night BBQ Benefit Dinner (ACC Instructor Education Fund)
Tom Burroughs and Eric Esche will be preparing the Friday Night BBQ dinner. We will be making pork BBQ and BBQ chicken (vegetarian options will be available). The meal will include several side dishes. Bring your own beverages. We will be smoking the meat on site so stop by the big cooker and say hi. There will be enough food for the first 100 folks, tickets can be purchased for $5.00 at registration and at the dinner if there are still any available. Hang around for the USGS talk and Howdy Party afterwards.
USGS Streamgauge Talk
Jaysson Funkhouser, a Surface Water Specialist with the USGS in Little Rock, will be presenting an update at 8:30 Friday night about local river gauges of interest to paddlers so this will be a great time to hear first hand how the system is operated and maintained. Jaysson is a fellow paddler and has been a big help in providing gauge information so plan on showing your support by attending!!
Howdy Party – Hosted by the River Valley Chapter – Friday Night
This year the River Valley Chapter has agreed to host a get together on Friday night to get Rendezvous started off on the right foot. . Bring your cooler and musical instrument. 9pm – ? The location will be posted at the registration booth
Potluck Dinner Saturday Night
Bring your favorite dish to feed your family plus one other camper. The kitchen will be available to warm food and provide drinks. Please bring your contribution to warm up starting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Bring your own plate and utensils. We will set up two separate serving lines to speed up the process. Diners must stay out of potluck line until all is ready. Please make sure to bring your contribution. Your dish should be at least six servings. A Bag of cookies does not qualify. We will be hungry by Saturday night! Serving will begin at 7:15ish p.m...
Silent Auction
The Silent Auction has been a huge success in the past and we are working to keep the tradition going. This is a great opportunity to pick up some bargains on paddling gear and other neat stuff. Proceeds benefit the Club’s Ron Gilham Conservation Fund and are used to sponsor conservation and environmental causes in our area. Charlie Dunn and Mike Byrum are handling this important fund-raiser for the Club this year.
Auction items will be on display in the Dining Hall on Friday evening and all day on Saturday. Bidding in $1 or more increments will be open on both days. Some items may have minimum bids so please look over the bidding sheet carefully before making your bid. This year we will be using bidder numbers to speed up the close out process. You must sign in and receive your bidding number in order to bid!
This year we will again close the bidding in shifts (please note that Charlie may change the times in this process). Bidding on items in the Yellow group will end promptly at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Items in the Blue group will close out on 7:30 p.m. Saturday and those in the Red group will end at 8:00 p.m. Each bidding sheet will be clearly marked with a colored sticker so you will know which items are in which group. Bring lots of money or your checkbook. We cannot accept credit cards. Get ready for some fierce, yet friendly bidding!
Bell Canoe Raffle
Bell Canoes and Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters have joined together to provide a beautiful new Bell Yellowstone. This year’s canoe color is red. This 15’-6”-foot canoe is great for flat water and mild whitewater. It is perfectly suited for overnight camping floats! Many thanks to Don Jackson and crew and to Bell for help in procuring this canoe. You can see the Bell Yellowstone at:
http://www.bellcanoe.com/products/canoes/index.html
Donations will be accepted for $3 per ticket or 2 tickets for $5. This year the proceeds from the drawing will go to the Instructor Development Fund. This fund has been used by the ACC to increase its pool of volunteer instructors by offering training, certification and continuing education opportunities. Drawing will be Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. Presence is not required to win. SO BUY A LOT OF THEM!!!!!
Each member receiving the September Paddler newsletter should also receive a packet of 10 tickets to sell. Please bring your ticket stubs and moolah to the Rendezvous. If you aren’t going to make it to the Rendezvous you can mail the ticket stubs and checks (please don’t mail cash) to Tom Burroughs at P.O. Box 135 Winslow, AR 72959. If you need more tickets, let Tom know. He made plenty! ozarktom@gmail.com
Bulletin Board/Message Board/Lost and Found
The Bulletin Board with Master Scheduling Information will be near the main entrance to the Dining Hall. All schedule changes will be posted here. We will have message boards at Registration and in the Dining Hall for individual communication. There will also be a Lost & Found pile in the Dining Hall. All lost/stray children will be put to work in the Kitchen.
Canoe & Kayak Clinics – Saturday Morning on the Lake Front
To participate in these classes please sign up at registration unless otherwise noted. There are a limited number of spaces in all of these classes and it will be “first come first served”
For canoeists:
We have several offerings on Saturday. ACA Instructor Arthur Bowie is heading a multi-part educational event starting at 9AM at the lakefront. It will begin with Richard McFaddin of Conway will presenting ideas and methods for canoe camping. This will be followed by Arthur showing the differences between canoe designs and applications. After lunch, ACA Instructor John Pearce will be offering a chance to try out the canoes that are available from Mohawk Canoe.
For Canoeists desiring instruction in technique, ACA Instructors T Yamashita and Steven Elbein will be conducting classes at 9AM and 1PM to help you with strokes and other paddling skills.
For Kayakers:
ACA Instructor Kim Tucker will be teaching a woman’s kayak stroke clinic at the lakefront at 9AM Saturday.
ACA Instructor Ryan Center and Bill (Fish) Herring will be teaching a class on whitewater kayaking techniques starting at 12:30pm Saturday beginning at Porterfield’s. This class requires the participant to already be familiar with paddling in fast moving water and to have at least a solid wet exit and self rescue. The ability to roll is preferred.
ACA Instructor Liz Caldwell will be teaching a whitewater kayaking introductory class beginning at 9:30 at the lakefront. The minimum age for this class is 12 years old. For this class we are requesting that you pre-register. E-mail Liz at Lizcaldwell2000@yahoo.com to reserve your spot.
ACA Instructor Sabrina Mellor will be offering a kids kayaking class (6-12 years old) at Saturday at Porterfield’s. For this class we are requesting that you pre-register. Call Sabrina at 501-627-3472 to reserve a spot
Clinics will be held on the lake, in the pool, and at Rockport (starting off at Porterfield’s) on the Ouachita River. You need to bring own gear or make arrangements to borrow suitable gear. Many of our members bring extra gear and will gladly loan it out. Life Jackets (PFD’s) will be required to be worn for all events on the lake and river. Helmets are required for any participant that is in a moving water kayak or strapped into a canoe.
BoatBall!
Once again we have the infamous NW Chapter Boatball crew leading a Boatball competition on Sunday. This is a game for everyone and every boat type. If you’ve played it before, you know how much fun this is, and if you’ve only heard about it, well here’s your chance to see what it is all about.
Stretching and Flexibility for paddlers
Exercise specialist Anne Katherine (AK) Campbell will be offering the opportunity for us to be professionally assessed and then help us determine what we can do to become more comfortable and effective in our boating and in our day to day lives.
The ability to move fluidly and to be flexible is essential to our paddling, and she will be helping us with her knowledge and expertise in this area.
What a great way to start off your day!
This will begin at 8:30 AM at the canteen. Sign up will be available at registration. Bring a towel or mat to sit on.
Touring Kayaks
Jim Kreuger will be leading a tour of Lake Catherine on Saturday. Meet him
at the Dining hall at 10:30. You will be surprised at the size of the lake we
are camped next to!
Youth Activities
This year we are continuing our program for the youngsters in our Club. We have planned several activities on Saturday for youth aged 5 to 12 to include arts and crafts as well as water activities. Kids participating in water activities need to be comfortable in the water and must have their own life jacket (Type III PFD)
Saturday afternoon “Kids will Rule the Pool” with a supervised Free Swim from 4 - 6 p.m. in the swimming pool.
Saturday Night Film Festival
Steve Runnells of Paddledog Productions of the Northwest Chapter will be hosting the Saturday night film festival after the potluck supper. This event showcases the club’s talented videographers catching not only the “they make it look it easy” moments but also the always popular carnage clips. For more information visit the website at http://www.paddledogproductions.com/rendezvousfilmfestival.
Rockport Play Time
With the cooperation of Entergy we are looking at a six-hour release on both Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., which puts water at Rockport from noon to 6 p.m. or thereabouts. (Note: The water will start falling around 4:30 p.m.) We have access to the Porterfield property on River Right thanks to the City of Malvern. We must lock the gate at 6:00 p.m. each day so if you plan to stay longer you may want to access on River Left.
This is a great place for playboating and practicing your rodeo moves. Trash receptacles will be provided on both sides of the river and Porta Potties will be available on River Right. Please use the trashcans and show the City of Malvern we appreciate the use of this resource!
Whitewater Rodeo @ Rockport
This is a big event for the Rendezvous. We will host a very informal rodeo event on River Left at upper ledge on Saturday afternoon from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. A panel of very distinguished, err... disturbed judges will critique the best moves and recognize the winners at dinner on Saturday night.
Margaritaville Mix off
Yo’ Quero Tequila? With the Mix Off Master Walter Felton not competing this year the field is wide open so challengers are needed to vie for the title of Champion! Saturday, 5:00 to 6 p.m. at the Cantina. Bring your favorite margarita mix and blender. Join us to see who will be the Margarita Champion for this year. You must be 21 years old. This is always a very popular event and will be headed this year by Lucas Wicker and Ashley Creek
Lodge Dutch oven Cooking Challenge
Mike Byrum will host this year’s Dutch Oven contest to see who can turn out the finest Dutch oven cuisine. It’s shaping up to be a great competition with good turnout and all are welcome to compete. Bring your ingredients, Dutch oven, and charcoal to the Cantina at 3:30 Saturday afternoon. Loose rules, and the chance to proclaim your greatness in camp cuisine is all part of the fun. Come ready for trash talk straight from the camp kitchen!
Ouachita and Caddo River Float Trip(s) Saturday and Sunday!!
This year there will be opportunities to paddle the Caddo and the Ouachita River. Meet with Mike Coogan in the Dining Hall before 8:30 on Saturday morning to make plans for the Caddo.
On Sunday we will float the Ouachita from Remmel Dam to the Rockport Ledge. We will meet in the Dining Hall at 10 a.m. to arrange the shuttle. The plan is usually to caravan all boats, cars and people to below the dam and let our shuttle drivers take our cars to the take out at Porterfield’s place on the Rockport ledge. Bring a lunch, snacks and water and enjoy this Class I – II gem. Take out is at the Porterfield access around 2:00 – 3:00.
NOTE: These trips subject to change depending on trip leader’s decisions and conditions.
New Gear for Sale
Area outdoor vendors and factory reps have been invited to setup shop for the weekend at the Rendezvous. The area next to the swimming pool will be available for the vendors to set up displays. This will be a great opportunity to pick up new equipment or to purchase that piece of equipment that you forgot to bring. Check out the displays and support the merchants that support our Club!
And speaking of supporting the club, this year we will have Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters and Lewis and Clark Outfitters both at our event. OOO will be giving a discount to all ACC members and Lewis and Clark Outfitters will be donating 5% of their sales to our Instructor Education Fund. So support the businesses that are supporting you!
And while Pack Rat Outfitters of Fayetteville isn’t setting up at the event this year, they are providing us with great prizes and other items that help make our event even better.
Used Gear for Sale
Bring your used gear to our Mega Flea Market and Yard Sale. We will set aside an area near the Dining Hall to display used boats and gear for informal swaps and sales all weekend long.
Ecumenical Service
Join us for an early morning non-denominational worship service to start the day, and the week, off right. Meet at the lakefront at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Larry Crane will be leading us in this again this year.
Event Scheduling: Please note that events may be added or deleted due to various circumstances.
Thanks to all the great folks who have done so much to make this year’s event happen!
If you have any comments/suggestions feel free to let me know.
Looking forward to seeing you all there,
Tom Burroughs- ACC VP, ’07 Rendezvous Chair