Cañon City’s Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival has come a long way heading into its 13th annual edition this weekend.

The festival Friday and Saturday at Centennial Park along the Arkansas River is a fundraiser for the city and organizations that assist with river beautification and recreation growth.

Chris Moffett has been “elbows deep” in whitewater since 2007, when he started working as a river guide. A four-year stint in the Navy and a decade later he’s still at it, now as the water events coordinator for the festival and the president of Royal Gorge RIO, a nonprofit group that supports river projects.

“It was just the build your own boat race that first year” he recalls.

Moffett has volunteered at the festival since its inaugural run in 2009. “Now it’s the signature event for the community. It just won’t stop growing.”

The celebration offers a plethora of events, including several United States Rafting Association (USRA) regional races, free river floats and parades, live music and mountain bike competitions around Centennial Park.

While there is a competitive aspect to the festival, it makes room for all levels of adventure enthusiasts.

Entry for adults is $5, and kids 12 and under get in free.

There are several non-river events, too. Who doesn’t want to watch a Weenie Dog Race? Yes, that is an event. A trail run and mountain bike races are also scheduled.

“You can’t miss the surf comp,” Moffett says . “All the local kids come out and ride the surf feature. It’s judged by a policeman, a fireman and a city council member.”

Moffett moved to Cañon City in 2002 and is amazed at the changes he’s witnessed in the past two decades. “The outdoor recreation here has improved so much,” he said. “We’re now a Front Range mountain biking hot spot.”

“This is a great place to live,” Moffett said. “I want people to see that. I want people to understand that Cañon City is more than just a stop on the highway with a bunch of prisons next to it.”

Moffett has done his fair share of work to make Cañon City a family-friendly whitewater mecca, and the journey hasn’t been a simple one as the river has evolved from industrial to recreational use.

Even 20 years ago, the Arkansas River was a shadow of its former self, “a place no one dared to go.”

The city has since spent significantly to improve its river corridor, as has Moffett’s Royal Gorge RIO, installing river features and working to ensure safe, easy river use.

“The Arkansas is absolutely critical for our creatures,” Moffett said. “From our fish to our rafters. … It’s everybody’s river. We should fight for it, it needs to be taken care of.”