River Sports Outfitters Raises more than $6,500 for Legacy Parks

Contact: Ed McAlister
Phone: 865-523-0066
Email: ed@riversportsoutfitters.com




River Sports Outfitters Raises more than $6,500 for Legacy Parks Foundation


KNOXVILLE—River Sports Outfitters this spring helped raise $6,535 for the Legacy Parks Foundation, a non-profit organization that preserves open spaces in the Knoxville area for recreation.

River Sports raised $6,057 by hosting the 2nd Annual Urban Wilderness Adventure Race in April, and the store raised an additional $478 through an in-store Pint Night event held May 3.

“River Sports is proud to assist Legacy Parks in their fundraising to procure and promote the south Knoxville corridor, where people can enjoy boating, biking, hiking, walking and more,” said Ed McAlister, owner of River Sports Outfitters.

Since July 2007, Legacy Parks Foundation has raised more than $3 million in private donations for parks and open space. One of its main projects now is establishing the Urban Wilderness and Historic Corridor, a 1,000-acre forested area in Knoxville that includes a nature center, three Civil War forts, a state wildlife management area and 10 city parks.

To raise awareness of the Foundation’s forest corridor project, River Sports Outfitters hosted the Urban Wilderness Adventure Race, which attracted 27 teams for a four-hour race, and 19 teams for an 8-hour race.

River Sports also raised money for Legacy Parks by hosting a Pint Night gathering. During this casual get-together at the River Sports store, attendees purchased beer and pint glasses, with proceeds going to Legacy Parks. From spring through the fall, River Sports will host a series of Pint Night gatherings to support a wide range of non-profit organizations.

“River Sports Outfitters is an incredibly beneficial and supportive partner,” said Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation. “The work they put into producing such successful events as Pint Night and the Urban Wilderness Challenge generates funds that go directly toward creating a 1,000-acre recreation destination in the heart of our city.”

For more information, contact River Sports Outfitters at 865-523-0066; www.riversportsoutfitters.com.

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About River Sports Outfitters (www.riversportsoutfitters.com)

For more than 25 years, River Sports Outfitters has operated as an independent outdoor specialty store in Knoxville, Tenn. Owner Ed McAlister and the expert staff at River Sports Outfitters provide outdoor enthusiasts of Knoxville with the highest quality equipment for camping, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, road biking, mountain biking and trail running. River Sports Outfitters operates a state-of-the-art climbing facility at its Sutherland Avenue store and also offers bike, boat and equipment rentals at three locations in Knoxville. River Sports is also a leading online seller of outdoor equipment, and has developed the social networking site OutdoorKnoxville.com to bring together the Knoxville outdoor community to discuss products, trails and events.

About Legacy Parks Foundation (www.legacyparks.org)
Legacy Parks Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to assure that our community enjoys exceptional recreational opportunities, natural beauty and open spaces, and that those assets exist for generations to come. More than 200 acres of parkland in Knox County has been acquired through the Foundation, and nearly 1,000 acres of land in East Tennessee has been conserved by Legacy Parks Foundation.