Whitewater Express, Uptown Whitewater approach 100,000-rafter mark

During the fourth season of white water rafting on the Chattahoochee River, outfitter Whitewater Express is closing in on its 100,000 rafter.

And Whitewater Express and Uptown Whitewater Management LLC, the non-profit entity that manages the 2.5-mile urban course, are trying to ensure that it happens sooner rather than later.

They are running a contest from now until the milestone customer runs the river. Called “Play 4 1K,” everyone who rafts the river will be signed up for a raffle in which one person will win $1,000 in a drawing after the goal is hit, which should be in late September.

“We hope to reach the number by the end of September,” said Uptown Whitewater President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Bishop.

Through last weekend, more than 95,000 people have gone down the 2.5-mile run since Memorial Day Weekend 2013 when the nearly $25 million-project opened to the public.

“We are asking the community to help us reach 100,000 rafters,” Bishop said. “We are giving rafters the chance to win $1,000 cash, and all they have to do is go rafting. After you book your trip, your name is automatically entered into the drawing. We hope people will get one more trip in before summer officially ends.”

Whitewater Express owner Dan Gilbert said the 100,000th customer in such a short time is worth celebration.

“Three years ago, that first weekend, we were not sure what to expect,” Gilbert said. “We were needing 3,000 customers that season and thought if we could get 6,000 it would be a home run. We got 16,000 that first season. To me, it is really neat we are about to hit 100,000.”

In 2014, Whitewater Express had more than 25,000 customers and more than 30,000 last year. This year, the number by the end of the year will be more than 35,000 rafters, Gilbert said.

The largest single-day event of the rafting season is set for Saturday, Aug. 27. In partnership with the Georgia Conservancy, a statewide environmental organization, Whitewater Express will try to push 1,000 rafters down the river in a single day. This is the third year the event has been held and it draws local rafters as well as people from across the state.

It will also be a weekend of celebration. There will be a concert on Friday night in the Broadway median and bands playing on the island below the Eagle & Phenix powerhouse on Saturday.

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Whitewater Express, Uptown Whitewater approach 100,000-rafter mark."