1 minute read
witchy waters
SINK OR FLOAT: WITCHY WATERS
Locals gathered for a magical afternoon of paddling the Columbia in full witch garb this past Halloween Sunday. Why? We reached out to co-organizer Janie Noviello to find out.
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The bewitching Janie Noviello and a river of trouble makers. Photos by Douglas Anderson.
By Ron EVans
How did the witch paddle event
come together? How many people showed up?
Noviello: I had shared a picture last Halloween from Portland Stand Up Paddleboard Witches on the Willamette. My friend Beth Marotta saw it and texted me a couple of weeks ago and said let’s do it. She had a few friends lined up. I volunteered to make a Facebook event page. We ended up with 17 participants that showed up for the event and we recruited 3 more at the park.
What was the idea behind a collection of witches on the water?
Plagiarism. I mean, if you believe the Wizard of Oz narrative, witches and water is not a great idea. Essentially, it just looked like a blast. It turns out that floating down the river dressed as a witch is as fun as it looks, especially when the whole coven shows up.
Was it all women that participated?
We had two warlocks representing, and due to their larger than life personalities it felt like more.
Why do you think witches and witchery things have become so ubiquitous in the past decade or so?
Has it just been the last 10 years? I grew up watching Bewitched, so... Okay, that response dated me. I don’t know, maybe it’s fun to believe in magic when so many things seem outside our control. Or maybe the idea of sage nature goddesses is the hip fairytale we need for a modern era.
Was there any Stevie Nicks being played through a boombox?
No boomboxes were activated during the witch flotilla. Maybe next year we can recruit paddleboarding musical witch accompanists.
So there’s a plan for more of this in the future?
Yes! Beth Marotta immediately designated the last Sunday in October as the official date. So mark your calendars for October 30, 2022, leaving Confluence Park at 2 pm and alighting at Pybus. C
