Registration is open for Waterfest IX’s paddling and fundraising contests. More than $2,000 in prizes will be given in the canoe-a-thon, river race and canoe and kayak tug-o-wars organized by the Coosa River Basin Initiative.

Waterfest is part of Rome’s River Days celebration.

The event is set for April 17-18 at Ridge Ferry Park. Register online at coosa.org or call 706-232-2724 to request a registration form. Fees range from $20 to $80, depending on the event. Proceeds will benefit CRBI programs.

The 13-mile Oostanaula River canoe and kayak race will for the first time feature divisions for para-athletes. In 2008, Alan Crawford, a paraplegic from Silver Creek, paddled the course, and this year Crawford is assisting CRBI in promoting the event to para-athletes across the Southeast.

The tug-o-war competitions will be in a portable pool at Ridge Ferry Park. With boats tied stern-to-stern, competitors will try to paddle-pull their opponents across the pool. Kayak events will be April 17, while canoe paddlers will battle April 18.

An environmental fair will surround the pool on April 18. The world’s largest portable aquarium stocked with native fish from the Oostanaula will highlight dozens of exhibits at the fair. Jason Clark of Southeastern Reptile Rescue will present his Snakes of Georgia show, featuring venomous and non-venomous native species, and singer/songwriter/storyteller Andy “Offutt” Irwin will perform his “Environmental Epic” concert for children and families