LEWISTON — The people who gathered at Simard-Payne Park on Friday were there to celebrate the mighty Androscoggin River. They were not the type of people to be intimidated by a little thunderstorm. 

Not too intimidated, anyway. 

“I hid in the truck,” said Judy Hall of Lewiston, “because I’m afraid of thunder and lightening.” 

An intense, fast-moving storm swept through the area around 1 p.m. just as some vendors were setting up for the 2nd annual RiverFest in the park. 

As the skies went dark and the wind started to pick up, some of those vendors had to rethink their strategies. 

“I was thinking it would blow over,” said Mark Rodrigue, who, along with Hall, runs Rogue Wear in Lewiston. “It didn’t.” 

One nearby tent went flying off in the suddenly fierce wind, but Rodrigue saved his own by grabbing onto the roped that secured it. 

“We took everything and piled it in the truck until it was over,” said Hall. 

It was a feisty start for RiverFest 2022, but the storm cleared quickly, the sun came out and folks started trickling in. Good weather returned just in time for the popular Uplift LA Kickball Tournament, for which Hall and Rodrique provided the T-shirts. 

“The kickball tournament definitely drew in a crowd and it got busy from there,” said Delan Fulgham of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve got the food truck that also brought people out and we have a band starting at 5. That will bring in more people, and then tomorrow we’ve got the River Regatta. It’s going great.” 

The festival is two days of non-stop activity, focused on and around the Androscoggin River. 

The event is aimed at celebrating the river and the way the people of Lewiston and Auburn interact with it. Many of those who turned out on Friday weren’t content to stand on the banks and gaze out upon the Androscoggin. 

Several got out on the water for practice rows in advance of the Saturday race. Others rented canoes or paddle boats to get more intimate with the river. 

“I love the set up down here with the new docks,” said Tanner Webb, who runs Webb & Sons Paddling Rentals out of Readfield. “I’d never been able to use one of those kayaking docks so that’s a first.” 

Webb said a few people had called ahead to rent boats for the After Hours Paddle. Others showed up in the afternoon and took kayaks or canoes out ahead of the group paddle.  

All in all, it was smooth sailing as the festival got off the ground. 

Except for one small diversion. 

“I got a little scared when that thunderstorm came through,” Webb said. “That was a lovely one.” 

Saturday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny weather with no storms in sight. 

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