GILL — After two consecutive years of weather-related cancellations, organizers of the Gillbilly Paddle are hoping for fair weather to take to the water on Saturday, July 13.

The Gillbilly Paddle has been a summer tradition since 2018 when Gill Recreation Committee Chair Isaac Bingham brought forward the idea for a community bonding event featuring a boating trip on the Connecticut River followed by a bike ride back from Barton Cove to the launch point at Munn’s Ferry.

“It was a pretty good success, and it was a great town get-together,” Recreation Committee member Ray Steele recalled.

Although the Gillbilly Paddle went dormant for a few years after the 2018 and 2019 events, organizers were looking forward to the 2022 event after getting permission from Northfield Mount Hermon School to use its docks once again. That year, though, heavy rain raised river levels enough to make a trip down the river dangerous, forcing organizers to cancel.

This setback meant more motivation to plan the Gillbilly Paddle for 2023.

“We set it up again for the next year, and sure enough we got heavy weather, and it got canceled,” Steele recalled. “So we started the push for it and got it for this year.”

Steele is hoping for a successful launch this time. He noted that a similar event may be planned for October due to paddlers’ interest in enjoying the autumn scenery that time of year along the river.

The name for the event, “Gillbilly,” comes from Gill Agricultural Commission member Gary Stevens, whose daughter put the term on a T-shirt several years ago. Steele had asked Stevens if they could sell T-shirts with the term on it. Steele recounted, “He and I went in half-and-half and bought 100 T-shirts with ‘Gillbilly’ on it, and popped them up for sale.”

“Gillbilly” has stuck as a term of endearment for community members, and has been used for this event since the first paddle in 2018.

This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, July 13, with boats launching at 10 a.m. at the NMH docks. Participants are encouraged to arrive at 9:30 a.m. The roughly 6-mile trip will take boaters south underneath the French King Bridge and into Barton Cove.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.