CATSKILL, New York – The 4th Annual Rip Van Winkle's Wacky Raft Race went off without a hitch last Sunday, July 20, 2008 on a hot summer day that brought record breaking crowds to watch 20 homemade rafts make their way from Riverfront Park in Athens to the finish line at Dutchmen's Landing in Catskill.

Organized by the Greene County Tourism Promotion Department, the race raised more than $7,000 to benefit the United Way of Columbia and Greene Counties.

"It was a great day for Greene County," said Daniela Marino, Director of the Greene County Tourism Promotion Department. "Not only did we raise a substantial amount of money for a worthy local charity, we continued to build momentum for what has become one of our signature summer events."

For the third year in a row, The Late Bloomer won first place in the race and was awarded $500 in prize money. The Rednecks of Earlton took second in a camouflage raft, while the Catskill River Cats came in third.

The coveted "Wackiest Raft" award was presented to Cool Runnings. The crew received a hand-carved statue of Rip Van Winkle made by well-known local whittler Dick Brooks.

The "Most Unique Raft" award was presented to SS Rock n Row, which featured nine crew members dressed for a Hawaiian luau.

The "Titanic Award" was won by the Raft of Justice. The eight crew members from the Department of Public Works in Catskill tried to stay afloat even as they launched. Despite capsizing three times, the raft finished 8th over all.

The USS Patri-ark, sponsored by Wal-Mart, won the "Most Spirited Award." Decorated in red, white and blue, the raft was manned by a seven-person crew of Wal-Mart employees. The crew, their co-workers and families spent two weekends in a row selling hot dogs outside of Wal-Mart to raise sponsorship money for the raft. The last-place finish by the raft did nothing to dim the crew's enthusiasm.

Other highlights of the race included the Martinez Hudson River Roadies with its four crew members finishing 7th overall with a raft used in the original race in 1981.
The crew of Heether Darlin’s Duck towed their raft by swimming to the finish line after the current changed. They quickly jumped back on the raft to go through the finish line.

More than 100 people watched the start of the race in Athens, while over 500 people gathered at Dutchmen's Landing to watch the finish of the race, attend the awards ceremony and enjoy the food and entertainment.

"Coinciding with the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the Hudson River, our 5th Annual Rip Van Winkle's Wacky Raft Race next year promises to be bigger and better than ever," Ms. Marino said. "We encourage everyone to start thinking about their rafts now and get working on them early. The competition should be fierce next year," she predicted.

For more information, please call the Greene County Tourism Promotion Department at 1-800-355-2287. For more fun things to do and see in Greene County, visit www.GreeneTourism.com.