The much-anticipated Powell River Regatta drew some 57 eager kayakers and canoeists from Tennessee and other parts of the country and they could not have had better weather for the 12-mile long excursion down the pristine waterway on Saturday.

The Regatta, which kicked off National Tourism Week in Claiborne County, drew nothing but praise from participants as they met event co-sponsors Don Oakley and Carl Nichols at the finish line.

Oakley, co-owner of the Wellbeing Conference Center and Regatta planning committee chairman, said he could not imagine being part of a better coordinated event.

A substantial number of participants said they would be telling their paddling friends about the beauty of the area and the Powell River, he said.

“They said they would be back next year and to expect many more people,” said Oakley.

Nichols, director of the Claiborne Tourism Commission, said he and other event volunteers heard nothing but positive remarks as contestants slipped from the water at the finish line.

“They said it was phenomenal, that it is just a wonderful river. They said they wouldn’t change a thing about the event– that everything just flowed perfectly and that it had been superbly organized,” said Nichols, adding praise for Oakley and the Claiborne Geo-Tourism Board, who spearheaded the event.

One contestant, he said, told him that experienced kayakers will not normally participate in a new event during its first few years.

“Because they’re normally so disorganized, they will wait until the third or fourth year of the event to give them enough time to get the kinks worked out of it,” said Nichols.

The ecologically sound Powell River, he said, has been sorely underused in recent years.

“We have this beautiful river that runs through the heart of the county. But, there is not one event that takes place on the river, anywhere,” said Nichols.

One major reason, he said, for planning events like the Regatta has everything to do with bringing tourism dollars into the county. In fact, the latest Economic Impact Report for Claiborne County shows some $17 million in revenue was generated through tourist events.

“Many people don’t realize just how much revenue is brought in through people attending these events – food, gas, hotel stays and other purchases all go toward our tax base,” he said.

Nichols says the Claiborne Tourism Commission and its many boards are working diligently to increase those funds to $20 million by 2020.

In fact, the Tourism Commission and the Claiborne Historical Society will be co-sponsoring a new event to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Tazewell. The Tazewell Civil War Festival, slated for the last Saturday in April of 2017, is expected to bring countless tourism dollars into the county via the number of Civil War enthusiasts from across the country.

Nichols will be submitting the inaugural Powell River Regatta to the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council for consideration in the annual Chuck Davis Tourism Award. He says it would be a real feather in the cap if the event wins the award for its first annual showing.

Reach Jan Runions at 423-254-5588 or on Twitter @scribeCP.