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A kayaker heads toward River Bend farm on the Blackstone River Canal during the Greenway Challenge.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
Bradley Sadd, 6, and Jamie Sadd, 1, of Uxbridge, look at baby turtles rescued from a parking lot and put into the river.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
Spectators on the bridge over the Canal cheer on kayakers and canoeists in the Greenway Challenge.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
The Rice City bridge frames a kayaker in the Greenway Challenge.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
Kevin Plouffe exits his kayak, ready to hand over the race to a bicyclist in the Greenway Challenge.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
Greenway Challenge bicyclists wait for kayaking team members to hand over the challenge to them.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
A cyclists in the Greenway Challenge is on his way to Douglas.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
A kayaker on the Blackstone River Canal.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
Kayakers on the Blackstone River Canal.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
A kayaker portages over Rice City Dam and into the Blackstone River Canal.
Photo Credit: Deborah Gauthier
BLACKSTONE VALLEY, Mass. - The Blackstone River and Canal played an important role in the development of the Blackstone Valley, from Providence, R.I. to Worcester, Mass.
Its role is different today, one of recreation, which was highlighted Saturday, Sept. 24, during the 11th annual Greenway Challenge sponsored by UniBank, headquartered in Whitinsville.
More than 70 teams, composed of more than 450 athletes, ran, biked, canoed or kayaked 56 miles from Lincoln Park in Lincoln, R.I., to Douglas State Park in Douglas, Mass.
The challenge touches upon all of the Valley's historic locales and recreational assets which make the area - the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution - what it is today.
The event brought participants from Rhode Island into Blackstone, Mendon, Uxbridge, and Douglas, and spectators from all over the Valley.
The Unibank Greenway Challenge "is a project of the non-profit organization Corridor Keepers which works with other non-profits to promote healthy communities, environmental revitalization and historic preservation. It works in partnership with the John H. Chafee Blakstone River Valey National Heritage Corridor Commission.
Which way does the "Blackstone" flow? On the map it shows the river going from North to South,, that is from the top of the map to the bottom so it must flow south? right. I must have a very interesting race seeing people kayaking 56 miles up stream.
Sincerely yours,