Downriver canoe run set to return in August

Mel’s Charities is resurrecting the Grafton downriver canoe run that has been defunct since the early 1990s.   

The event will take place along the Milwaukee River on Saturday, Aug. 14, beginning in Waubedonia Park in Fredonia and ending at Veterans Memorial Park in Grafton.

The Grafton Parks and Recreation Committee on Wednesday, March 17, approved event plans, which also include live music, food and beverages for the public at Veterans Memorial Park.

Tom Stanton, executive director of Mel’s Charities, said it has been a long wait to bring back a cherished event in the area that used to have hundreds of people participate.

“We really thought this can be a fun time for people to enjoy being outside, and we wanted to bring back an old-time tradition to the area,” Stanton said, noting the event will follow social distancing and other health protocols.

Stanton said he was asked by former Grafton resident Bill Bierman, who lives in Cedarburg, to relaunch the event, which was previously presented by the Grafton Jaycees.

Bierman said the event was memorable for his family and he wants the legacy to continue.

“I remember people having barbecues in their back yards along the river and throwing us burgers and hot dogs as we paddled,” Bierman said.

“It really brings the community together,  and we need to have this come back.”

Stanton said proceeds from the canoe run will go to causes that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and provide grants to other causes.

“We want to make this an annual tradition,” he said.

In 2020, Mel’s Charities donated more than $200,000 to local causes, about a 10% increase from what it gave the previous year.

Stanton said he wants to draw more awareness to his organization and is grateful that the Village of Grafton is backing his mission.

“We are a community and need to have activities that support each other,” he said.