(CAÑON CITY, Colo.) — The 14th Annual Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival (RGWF) kicked off on Friday welcoming all ages for a weekend of fun right on the Arkansas River. The festival started back in 2009 and over the years has grown with new activities for all to enjoy.

“I absolutely love it and the one thing that I think people don’t realize is this foundation, this festival is for everybody from the little ones all the way up, even to your fur animals,” said Jessica Unruh with the Fremont Community Foundation.

All proceeds from the festival directly support the community whether it is from the entry fees to purchasing beers.

“This is really important to us because we have three different nonprofits who put on this group, the Royal Gorge Chamber Alliance, Fremont Community Foundation, and RG RIO,” Carla Braddy, Member of Royal Gorge Chamber Alliance, said. “All of the money we gather this weekend will go back into the community through those nonprofits.”

The event organizers stressed how no matter one’s age there is something for all to enjoy.

“There’s something for everyone here,” Braddy said. “There’s something for the kids. There’s something for the people who love the river. There’s something for people who love to have a drink and listen to their music.”

For those coming to the festival, it allows them a chance to experience all the city has to offer.

“People come here, they have a great time during the day,” Unruh said. “Then our main streets are just one street away, so they can be there for all the shopping and dining and great activities we have just locally in general.”

A match made in heaven, as the festival has helped to restore the river and welcome all water babies to enjoy it.

“So this river section right here suffered from an industrial past,” Whitewater Events Coordinator, Christopher Moffett, said. “There’s a lot of rip wrap and debris thrown alongside the river and our organizations have worked over the years through this festival to raise money to remove that material and make it a whitewater park for the whole community to enjoy.”

The festival will be going on all weekend long and you can find the times of the events online. Event coordinators say the Build Your Own Boat event is creative with every boat unique as their creators.

“So our two most popular events, the Build Your Own Boat Race and the Raft Rodeo happen on Saturday evening,” Moffett said. “Those we have kept the same over the years. They are the crowd favorites. They are just fantastic events.”