Water Adventures on Kittanning Big Screen Saturday

by Jonathan Weaver

A Canadian media group is bringing their dose of water adventures to Kittanning this Saturday.

Rapid Media has provided films so that Kittanning can be one of the world’s 120 sites of the Reel Paddling Film Festival.

Rivers Edge Canoe and Kayak Owners Neill and Evelyn Andritz have owned the business along River Road in Leechburg for 10 years, and are sponsors of the screening.

The pair from Avonmore grew up on the river saw portions of the film festival in New Jersey about five years ago during a two-day trip.

“That’s how we got interested in the festival,” Neill said. “We were contacted by (coordinator) Ray Bretzlof to actually be a host, (but) we felt that the Armstrong County Tourist Bureau could do a better job promoting it and pulling off the event.”

Still, the Leechburg business sponsors this weekend’s festival and will be in attendance.

“Because of our company, I was hoping to draw paddlers from all over Western Pennsylvania to come to Kittanning to see the movies. Our paddling community is growing quite-rapidly,” Neill said. “We’re excited to have a great community of paddlers out there (and) hoping they’d be interested in this festival and what it has to offer.

“We’re hoping to make it an annual thing.”

The pair even knows one of a film’s “actors” personally.

Nick Troutman, a world-champion white-water kayaker from Ontario Canada, is featured in the film “Go Big or Go Home: In Search of the Perfect Wave.”

In the film’s online description, it states that Troutman and a trio of friends search from Africa to North America to find that adventure.

Troutman’s wife, Emily Jackson, is also the reigning female white water world champion. The pair owns a kayaking company and the Andrtiz’ visit the family and have become friends each October.

A long-running festival site, the PaddleSport New Jersey show (where the Andritz’ gained interest) has since held its last showing.

After a short film festival introduction, nearly a dozen short films will be shown in Kittanning Riverfront Park Saturday evening.

Movies will focus on – from kayak fishing to whitewater to canoeing and stand-up paddle boarding, Neill said.

“It covers a lot of different styles,” Neill said.

Armstrong County Tourist Bureau’s Linda Pennington said the organization had nearly two dozen films to choose from but former Tourist Director Kevin Andrews chose the ones recommended – including “Nature Rx” – a nearly two minute series of spoof commercials, “Stories of Survival,” and “The Path of Grey Owl – when audiences follow through the wilderness of Ontario with woodman Ray Mears.

In a news release, Andrews was excited to host the event because of Armstrong County’s access to lakes and rivers for paddle sport enthusiasts.

Another regional film festival showing was held in May at Outkast Paddlers in Wexford (Allegheny County).

The longest films – “Big Fish Stories: Expedition Hauka” and “Voyagers without a Trace” – are two of the final four films to be shown.

Organizers hope the movies will start at 9PM. If the movies are not able to be shown outside like other “Movies in the Park” events, films will be shown on the flat screen television at the Kittanning Elks Lodge along North Water Street.

Trailers for all the films are available online.

While attendance is free for Saturday are available at the Tourist Bureau, along Market Street in Kittanning, free tickets will be required in order to be eligible for door prizes and to reserve a seat at the backup location.