Living Lands & Waters to Hold Annual Barge Party Featuring New Teamwork Barge

Davenport, IA / July 16, 2012 - Local residents will have a chance to tour Living Lands & Waters' new Teamwork Barge Thursday, August 9^th from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m at the Lake Davenport Sailing Club at Oneida Avenue and River Drive.  The 150-foot long barge features a handicapped-accessible classroom, which can host up to 60 students at a time, as well as sleeping quarters for an 8 person Living Lands & Waters crew.  The LL&W crew will be providing tours of the new classroom during the annual Barge Party, a celebration and appreciation event for volunteers and supporters of the environmental group.  Chad Pregracke and his Living Lands & Waters' staff and crew will be on hand to celebrate fifteen years of river cleanups, environmental education workshops, the MillionTrees project and engaging communities in river stewardship. 

The menu for this year's Barge Party will feature a fish fry & shrimp boil and Root Beer floats featuring River Rat Root Beer and Whitey's Ice cream.  The Barge Party will also feature live music by Alan Sweet and Justin Morrissey and a silent art auction, featuring the works of nearly a dozen regional artists who donated river-inspired pieces, including salvaged material sculptures, mixed media painting, folk art, driftwood pieces, quilts and glass art.  Chad Pregracke will update guests on the progress they've made this year. "We couldn't keep these barges running, making the river a cleaner place, without the support of Quad-Citians who volunteer and support Living Lands & Waters. It all makes a difference and we are so grateful," said Chad Pregracke, Founder & President of Living Lands & Waters. Tickets for the event are $35 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the office at (309) 496-9848 or going to their website www.livinglandsandwaters.org. Spots are limited, so please make your reservation soon to guarantee a seat.

Teachers interested in exploring a workshop for their students should contact Tammy Becker at LL&W:  tammy@livinglandsandwaters.org. "We have had over 1,600 teachers in our Educational Workshops dating back to 2003.  The new barge will create an opportunity for thousands of students to experience the river first hand" said Pregracke.   Also on display at the barge party will be LL&W's new one-thousand horse power tow boat which is needed to push the new floating classroom.  The floating classroom was made possible by the generous support of five of LL&W's long-term partners:  Cargill, ADM, Caterpillar, AEP River Operations and Ingram Barge Company, as well as hundreds of area union carpenters and skilled tradesmen.

The Living Lands & Waters Barge Party is held in appreciation of volunteers, supporters and fans of LL&W's efforts, as a celebration of the power of committed staff, volunteers and sponsors working together to meet an important need.

Chad Pregracke started Living Lands & Waters in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the beautification and restoration of America's major rivers and to the education of people about environmental issues. From his single boat beginning, LL&W has grown into an internationally known organization with a fleet of barges and workboats.  LL&W engages thousands of volunteers each year in river cleanups, hands-on environmental education workshops, the Great Mississippi River Cleanup, Adopt-a- River-Mile programs and the MillionTrees Project.