Great Raft Race adds Sand Sculpture Contest, rental crafts, and School Challenge

The Great Tulsa Raft Race hosted a press conference Friday morning to announce four new additions to this year's event.

The Sand Sculpture contest that ran for more than a decade through the 1980s and 1990s will return. The contest reportedly drew a thousand competitors at its peak and was featured on Good Morning America in 1991. World Champion sand sculptor John Gowdy is expected to present a Tulsa-themed piece at the race's finish line and will judge the competition.

Kayaks and inflatable rafts will also be available for rent for the first time through the Raft Race website. Registration for the event ends August 15th for both contestants and renters. In addition to renting a craft for the full race, participants will also be able to rent kayaks at the finish line.

Three weeks prior to the event there will be a pre-party presented by the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation at Fuel 66. Full details on that event are yet to be announced.

American Airlines Government Affairs liaison Chase Beasley announced a new STEM Challenge for area schools. The Regional STEM alliance will create a curriculum around raft building, while American Airlines Engineers will partner with KKT Architects to assist ten schools in the construction of their vessel. American Airlines will provide the entry fee for the student teams, but raft materials will not be provided. 

Raft Race officials will aim to select a diverse group of schools, including Tulsa Public Schools, Sand Springs, and other neighboring districts. Student teams must include five to ten participants including one adult. All students must be 12 years or older. 

The Tulsa tradition ran from 1973 to 1991 before being resurrected in 2015. The Labor Day race will launch in Case Community Park in Sand Springs and will end at the River West Festival Park in Tulsa.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum spoke at the event and announced his intentions to participate in the race. "We're doing so much right now to make this revitalized as the defining natural asset that we have here in Tulsa...For generations people were able to utilize the Arkansas River as a point of recreation, and last year the citizens overwhelmingly said 'we want that again.'"

"This is one day out of 365 that we get to use the river for recreation. Think about what it's going to be like here in a few years when you can use it any day of the year," said Bynum.

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The official T-shirt for the event was also announced. The mermaid design will be the official shirt received in the registration package, but the runner-up design will also be available for purchase.

Participants can register for the race and find more information at www.tulsaraftrace.com.

Pokemon Go! Machop nest confirmed in Sand Springs River City Parks

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

I have been hearing rumors for weeks of a Machop nest at River City Park in Sand Springs and finally got to confirm Sunday morning.

The flagship of the Sand Springs Parks Department, River City is the "Gathering Place" of Sand Springs and can frequently be found packed with families and sports teams any day of the week.  

The park features a nine-basket disc golf course with alternate tees for eighteen holes. There's a (mildly overgrown) horseshoe pit, a skate park, a splash pad, boat ramp access to the Arkansas River, numerous great fishing holes, and a large stretch of scenic paved walking/biking trails.

The park's Inez Kirk Soccer Complex is home to the Sand Springs Soccer Club recreational league and the West Side Alliance competitive soccer league. The Jerry Adair Baseball Park is the home of the Sand Springs Little League and boasts some of the nicest facilities in the region. The Will Ramsey Softball Park, Case Community Center, Sand Springs Round Up Club rodeo arena, and Sand Springs BMX Association are also found in the massive park.

The soccer complex, ballparks, community center, and park entrance are all Pokéstops and the playground is a gym. However, due to the sheer size of the park, it's not a good place to go without a solid stock of pokéballs. The stops are spread out with zero overlap and unlikely to be lured on a normal day. 

Case Community Center

The Pokémon selection is solid, however. It's not as dense of a hunting ground as downtown Tulsa by any means, but it beats your average neighborhood park by a long shot. The best spot for diversity is the Case parking lot. As soon I pulled in, I was confronted by Diglet, Nidorina, Pidgey, and Ekans. After circling around the building I added a Tauros and Eevee. From there I went to the baseball park and found Exeggcute, Zubat, and multiple Krabby. Magikarp and other water type are throughout the area.  For the Machop nest, you have to travel all the way into the park to the BMX track. Some will spawn as far out as the disc golf course, but the deepest concentration is within the BMX fence. No worries though; the track has free admission for spectators! Head over to www.sandspringsbmx.com for their schedule and enjoy some racing while you hunt! 

A great opportunity to do some hunting will be on Labor Day when the park is swarmed with participants and spectators of the Great Raft Race. River City is the launching point for the race and there will likely be hundreds of spectators playing and I would be surprised if there's not at least one or two lures running. ​

Did I mention the outstanding concessions stand that's open all week long raising money for the soccer leagues? It's located right next to the splash pad and serves an above average array of food and drink including the famous Harper's Hut gourmet Shaved Ice!

So whether you're just working towards the elusive Machoke or Machamp, or you want a fun area to enjoy some fresh air with friends or family, River City is a five star destination for any Pokémon trainer!