Cruise the Neuse welcomes hundreds of kayakers, canoers
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on June 5, 2016 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/ALAN CAMPBELL
Russell Stephens, the athletic superintendent with Goldsboro Parks and Recreation, helps Sheila Price while she was getting into a kayak Saturday during the fifth annual Cruise the Neuse at the Neuse River boat launch near Wayne Correctional Center
Consider the Neuse thoroughly cruised.
A sizeable crowd took part in the fifth annual Cruise the Neuse canoeing and kayaking event Saturday, as about 200 people made the more than three-mile journey.
After parking their cars next to the Whiskey Dicks' Saloon at 2101 U.S. 117, the participants traveled by bus to a boat ramp near the Center for Environment Farming Systems small farm unit off Old Smithfield Road.
They traveled in two heats, with the first getting on to the water around 10 a.m. and the second heading out at 1 p.m.
Goldsboro Parks and Recreation organized the event with help from organizations such as the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park.
Stasia Fields, with Parks and Recreation, said that Cruise the Neuse is a very accessible attraction.
"It's a lot of fun. People need to feel comfortable on the water, but there's no experience needed," she said.
Adam Knight, who coordinated the event at the put-in site, said that the experience of traveling down the Neuse is largely what you make it.
"The only thing you need to know is, don't stand up in the boat," he said.
"But other than that, you can just float down the river if you like. It's about an hour, hour-and-a-half, depending on how fast you paddle."
Knight said that the river is something of a hidden gem for Wayne County.
"I think the Neuse River is fairly under-utilized as a resource, people don't come out and use it much. It's a good thing to be able to show people more of the river," he said.
One person doing just that was Chris Dail. Dail, who grew up in LaGrange, recently moved back to Goldsboro after spending 24 years in the military. He said that he wasn't about to pass up a chance to show his two kids what the area has to offer.
"I just wanted to let my kids experience eastern North Carolina for this first time," he said.
"Their mom signed us up, and then she wasn't able to come, but I wasn't going to make them miss it."