[jfsatlbldr]

An Atlanta DJ's challenge to a GaTech fraternity quickly became a campuswide event that mushroomed into a major annual Atlanta event. 'The Great American Ramblin Raft Race' billed as the largest participating sporting event in the nation gave recognition and birth to what is now the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The controversial event ended in the early 1980's after having grown into a national event drawing rafts and participants from across the nation. The following scanned duplicate slide images, of somewhat poor quality due to aging, are from the 1979 edition.
The start of the race at Morgan Falls Dam about a mile or so above Johnson Ferry rd.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/003a.jpg
The city of Atlanta even entered a raft, intended to help with trash disposal
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/004a.jpg
Dress attire was 'optional'
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/007a_edited-1.jpg
Our raft was a submerged house, the red brick chimney held the keg! Note the construction company's 'crane raft' behind ours
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/008a.jpg
Approaching I-285 near Riverbend Apts, the race headquarters for the week
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/009a.jpg
Spectators at Riverbend shoreline
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/010a.jpg
Spectators at Powers Ferry Landing, site of Ray's on the River. Riverbend was approximately the halfway point of the roughly 6 mile run to the current river takeout location.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/011a.jpg
The take out location at the end of the race course at US41 Cobb Pkwy, now called Paces Mill section of the NRA
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/012a.jpg

[tennreb]

Wow, that looks like a lot of fun. I guess the anti-fun crowd got upset and had it banned.

[sabino86]

I was born about 30 years too late...

Got any more? :D

[BardSeed]

Whoa! Awesome!

[atl2phx]

that submerged house float is nothing short of awesome! what actually killed the event? i recall hearing the river became too dirty to support the event -- people became leery of floating down the river with other "sewage floaters"?

[Fiorenza]

what actually killed the event?

The culture changed. Boozing in public was no longer correct. Boomers' bodies took a turn for the worse.

[Teshadoh]

Tubing on the Chattahoochee still was common even in the early 90's when I moved to the area. But I think also the stigma of the river being dirty made it less popular, not to mention fiorenza's comment regarding public boozing.

[cabasse]

ah... consider the ability of natural bodies of water to bring people together...

thanks for sharing this joe, it looks like it had to be fun as hell. sean rowed for state last year, and has stories about how he got out on the river every morning at 5am to practice. it is beautiful in that it's been able to remain in a relatively natural state compared to rivers in other cities.

[Randy Sandford]

I enjoyed the pics, Joe! Here's a link for more detailed information about the event:

http://www.jaybusbee.com/river.htm

[atllocal74]

There was a tubing rental place near columns drive, where Johnson's Ferry crosses the river not too long ago. It was probably only 5-6 years ago that you would see hundreds of people tubing down the river with a cooler of beer on a sunny weekend, though nothing on the scale this event. Unfortunately too many weekends where E-Coli warnings were issued hurt business and they shut down.

There is still a tubing rental place in Buford closer to the Dam.

[whoDean]

I had never heard of this, looks like a ton of fun!

[jfsatlbldr]

I enjoyed the pics, Joe! Here's a link for more detailed information about the event:

http://www.jaybusbee.com/river.htm
Randy, thanks so much for showing me that article. I hope everyone will take a moment to read it because it so accurately and colorfully describes the nature of the event and the times.

[tennreb]

Tubing on the Chattahoochee still was common even in the early 90's when I moved to the area. But I think also the stigma of the river being dirty made it less popular, not to mention fiorenza's comment regarding public boozing.

I've posted previously about Atlanta losing its Southerness, and this is a good example. In most areas of the South it is still perfectly acceptable to booze in public. A typical Saturday on the river between Austin and San Antonio doesn't look much different than this (minus the awesome floats). The river is full of floating coolers, though. In Mississippi, it's also very common, and I bet it is in Alabama and rural Georgia too. People need to fight to keep these things alive before all the South is is a bunch of strip malls and McMansions decorated with plastic magnolias.

[Teshadoh]

^ Drink booze in public? I had only heard about that being common in 'sin city' New Orleans. Remember - the south is home of the bible belt, & where I'm from - SC it is completely unheard of to drink in public civic places. The only places I saw people drinking in public growing up was at NASCAR races.

Otherwise, drinking in public is unfortunately VERY COMMON in parts of the city - Atlanta as well as low income areas of Dekalb & Clayton counties. Not just drinking in public, but drinking publicly in cars - such as cruising on Peachtree Street.

[Sketching]

Very cool to see these photos. Thank you for pulling them out of your archives and sharing them with us.

I was just a youngster then but I can remember hearing about the raft race. Atlanta and the culture in general was much more carefree back then.

[mayhem]

^ Drink booze in public? I had only heard about that being common in 'sin city' New Orleans. Remember - the south is home of the bible belt, & where I'm from - SC it is completely unheard of to drink in public civic places. The only places I saw people drinking in public growing up was at NASCAR races.

Otherwise, drinking in public is unfortunately VERY COMMON in parts of the city - Atlanta as well as low income areas of Dekalb & Clayton counties. Not just drinking in public, but drinking publicly in cars - such as cruising on Peachtree Street.

What's the big concern with drinking publically? Obviously drinking and driving is an issue, one that's can't be argued, but what is the difference from drinking inside a fence at The Vortex on Peachtree vs walking down W Peachtree with a beer on the way to a club?

[Teshadoh]

^ Perhaps things have calmed down, but when I lived in Midtown it was very common on the weekend for broken bottles of cheap beer & liquor to litter the sidewalks. I recall even in the light of day when Starbucks first opened, watching someone throw a bottle of beer out of his car. Not to mention in poor neglected neighborhoods, public drinking sends a strong negative message to it's inhabitants that lawlessness is tolerated.

I'm certainly not a tee-totaler, and I've drunk alcohol & been drunk in public places - but not everyone can be expected to control themselves or respect others & public / private property.

[Pillsbury Doughboy]

Wow that's great. A friend of mine used to live in those apartments back during that time. He and his wife used to swim in the Chat River all the time.

As far as public drinking: I think we've all taken that Saturday night walk around the neighborhood with a little more in our cup than sweet tea or gotten the to-go cup of Irish Coffee from the restaurant for the long walk home.

Public drinking is one of those things that is okay as until one person screws it up for everyone esle. And all it takes is one person. For the longest time Augusta lacked an open-container law, which meant to-go cups were standard at restaurants and bars, especially downtown and on the Hill. Of course, this stopped when the rednecks and thugs started bringing their drinks and hanging out on the sidewalks drinking and getting unruly.

[john3eblover]

that looks amazing. i think we've all been tubing on the chattahoochee at one point or another right?

[zodiac]

I saw the title of this thread and could have sworn you was talking about Freaknik!!!! LOL
That is until I saw the pics!

[LizellaJacket]

Atlanta looked like a much better place back then...more fun.

[ATLian12]

you can still float on the Chattahoochee its fun! alot of parks to do it at too. Its like our ocean (that and lake Lanier!) but public boozing is not as accepted and its kinda like how pools dont have diving boards any more because of liability.

[(four 0 four)]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jfsatlbldr/special%20events/007a_edited-1.jpg

Who is that between Amy and Billy Carter?

Thanks for sharing the pictures Joe! It looks like a good time was had by all.

[chubbydecker]

When I saw the title of this thread I thought it would be about the Bye Bye Buckhead celebration this past weekend.

[RedFoo]

I was searching for the documentary/movie made of the 1972 race and found your pics. What a trip back in time. I've read it was a French documentary of the river, what I remember is the movie showed at Westgate Theater in Atlanta. I was in the movie and have tried for years to get a copy of it. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks for the pics and post!:notacrook:

[scguy]

LOL at first glance I thought those were pics from the Hotlanta River Raft Races....anyone old enough to remember that?

[Sketching]

LOL at first glance I thought those were pics from the Hotlanta River Raft Races....anyone old enough to remember that?

:tup: I remember that and I doubt we'll see any photos from Hotlanta get posted on this forum. LOL

[Andrea]

But I think also the stigma of the river being dirty made it less popular, not to mention fiorenza's comment regarding public boozing.

Yeah, plus people were just having too much fun. We can't have that in Atlanta.

[bibbit]

Here's the video recap of last weekend's Downhill Challenge. It isn't exactly a river event, but I think it has the same spirit as the Great American Ramblin Raft Race.

Last year it went from initial idea to 18 cars in three weeks. This year, there were at least 42 entries (It seems like less on the video since it focuses on the really fast ones and the wipe outs). It seems likely to keep growing just like the Raft Race.

And yes, that is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich flying down the hill one minute in.

Note: Wait to watch until you can turn on the sound. The music really sets the tone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6v8PxsAMxk

[scania]

Looks like it could have been fun but considering the time period where is the color in the crowd? Those pictures seem to portray a negative stereotype of the south and with the confederate flag being flown it should be banned. For those of you who enjoyed the pictures you show your true color; no color. If you disagree with me, thats fine but you're probably racist...but thats just my opinion. :notacrook:

[LizellaJacket]

Looks like it could have been fun but considering the time period where is the color in the crowd? Those pictures seem to portray a negative stereotype of the south and with the confederate flag being flown it should be banned. For those of you who enjoyed the pictures you show your true color; no color. If you disagree with me, thats fine but you're probably racist...but thats just my opinion. :notacrook:


LOL. No one's opinion but you're own. Isn't it entirely possible that some people who fly the Proper Banner do so because of a family lineage of soldiers who fought for the South? 13 soldiers to be exact and exactly ZERO of them owned slaves. Don't let facts like that get in the way of a witch hunt. You're probably right though. I'm just racist, I hate my black roommate and best friend:tup:

[tennreb]

Looks like it could have been fun but considering the time period where is the color in the crowd? Those pictures seem to portray a negative stereotype of the south and with the confederate flag being flown it should be banned. For those of you who enjoyed the pictures you show your true color; no color. If you disagree with me, thats fine but you're probably racist...but thats just my opinion. :notacrook:

He posted a video that happened to have a Confederate flag in in, so you made vast assumptions about his race and political opinions. And he's the one that is racist?

[scania]

IT'S OFFENSIVE!!!!!!! I'm definately not the only one that feels like this. Think about the old Georgia flag and the controversy it caused. I along with plenty others would not move to a state that had that emblem apart of their flag.

[cabasse]

one interestingly funny fact is that it wasn't even ga's state flag until 1956! (when certain people likely got a bit pissy about brown vs. board of education)

http://sos.georgia.gov/museum/images/gaflag3.GIF

[MarketsWork]

It is offensive if you want it to be, but a little perspective might be helpful when looking back at history. To the kids who wore and flew the old Confederate flag back in the 1970s, it had nothing at all to do with race. I'm equally certain that all the Black kids who wore "X" shirts back then weren't advocating the killing of "white devils" just because they wore a trendy shirt. Though it might be hard to believe in today's hyper-sensitive PC environment, rebel flags and X shirts were harmless symbols of youthful rebellion and nonconformity in the 70s and 80s. Rafting down the Hooch with a case of beer was just plain fun, and the "rebel" flag matched the rebellious attitude of the event.

[MarketsWork]

one interestingly funny fact is that it wasn't even ga's state flag until 1956! (when certain people likely got a bit pissy about brown vs. board of education)

And what's even funnier is the fact that -- after all the grief on both sides -- our "new" Georgia flag is every bit as Confederate as the recent version that people got so worked up about. The recently-abandoned flag included the better-known Confederate battle emblem, which was the CSA version of the Scots flag of St. Andrew. But the pre-1956 flag (shown in your Post #34) and our "new" flag are both only slight variations of the Confederate "Stars and Bars" standard, with the Georgia seal added to the blue field. It's just history.

[bibbit]

Looks like it could have been fun but considering the time period where is the color in the crowd? Those pictures seem to portray a negative stereotype of the south and with the confederate flag being flown it should be banned. For those of you who enjoyed the pictures you show your true color; no color. If you disagree with me, thats fine but you're probably racist...but thats just my opinion.

You know, I never even noticed a Confederate battle flag in the video before posting. I've watched it again a few times and I still don't see it.

I did see:

- Two American flags: lots of homeowners associations want them banned now.

- One Jolly Roger: Arrr, matey! Time to rape and pillage.

- The Simpsons: Definitely a bad influence on our youth. They destroyed the values of a whole generation. I remember when people were suspended for wearing Simpsons shirts.

- One German military helmet: Don't know whether to be oppressed by Prussian dominance or terrorized by wild bikers.

- Lots of Beer: Clearly a bad influence on society.

Offense is where you find it, and there are way too many things that offend people these days to worry about sanitizing every little thing before interacting with others. Sometimes you just have to live life and not go looking for reasons to be put out.

As for color in the crowd? There was indeed some. The guy at 0:38 definitely seemed to be having a good time. If there was less color than you liked, Scania, please ask the community why they decided not to come. All were welcome.