All are invited to join Hearty Roots for the third annual Paddle for a Purpose community fundraiser event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 8. 

Proceeds from the event will benefit the mindful work of Hearty Roots, a Lincoln County-based non-profit, as they foster community wellness through connection, adventure, and reflective experiences.

The paddle will launch from Glidden Point Oyster Farm at 11:15 a.m. and paddlers will navigate upriver during an incoming tide as they make their way to the Damariscotta Town Landing. Paddlers are encouraged to create teams, wear costumes, decorate their watercraft of choice, and make their way upriver at their own speed.

The festivities will continue starting at noon at Shuck Station where food will be available for purchase and attendees can enjoy refreshments donated from Whaleback Cider, Bissel Brothers, and Oxbow Brewing Company. 

Live music from Primo Cubano will bring the energy and get the crowd dancing. A Live Auction will be held with pieces from local artists and sculptors Joseph Dimauro, Laurel Averill, Dan Ucci, and more!

Ali Stevenson, Hearty Roots board president, describes the event best, “As an organization built on the principle that we are all happier and healthier when we let time outside nurture our spirits and bodies, a fundraiser that includes paddling on the Damariscotta River is a perfect fit! Throw in oysters, live music, and an auction full of unique donations, and how could the Paddle for a Purpose be any better?”

Tickets for the Paddle are $100 for adults and $35 for kids age 12 and older, and include a shuttle from town to Glidden Point Oyster Farms, a morning snack and coffee, a Paddle For A Purpose cup, one drink ticket, entrance to the party, and a base donation to Hearty Roots. 

Tickets to the Party are $25 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and over. Kids under 12 are free. 

Stevenson adds, “Paddle for a Purpose puts the ‘fun’ in ‘fundraising’ and allows Hearty Roots to offer even more of our community's kids the opportunity to get off the grid and into their hearts.”

Hearty Roots extends its gratitude to event sponsors The AKLU Foundation, The Knickerbocker Group, The First National Bank, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, Bred in the Bone, Maine Behavioral Health, and Riverside Butcher.

For more information, go to heartyroots.org/paddle-for-a-purpose.