Dozens “raft the rio,” even with rain

Drizzles of drain did not deter dozens from rafting the Rio Grande on Saturday, a yearly tradition.

“We love the water, so it was really fun,” said Francisca Hakes, on a homemade raft for her family of five. “The kids kept going in and out. We just had the best time.”

“People were calling me at seven o’clock in the morning, ‘Are we going to do it?”‘ John Northcutt of the Kiwanis Club told ABC-7. “I said, ‘Of course.'”

Rain pounded Las Cruces early in the morning, but by 10 a.m., most of it had subsided. However, organizers suspect quite a few people stayed home.

“I think they definitely missed out,” said Isabelle Silva, who rafted with Abraham Rodriguez. “It was really good weather. It actually came in handy that the sun wasn’t out because it wasn’t beating down on us.”

There were quite a few interesting rafts, but what stood out the most on the horizon was a cardboard cutout of “Buddy, the Elf.”

“We’ve been kind of scaring each other with him around the house and thought it would be a fun addition,” said one member of the “Santa’s Sleigh” team.

In total, there were 24 rafts on the Rio Grande. The cost to register was between $25 and $30 and all the proceeds went to charity, Northcutt said. He said there was too much on the line to cancel the event.

“I mean we’re going to get in the river (and) we’re going to get wet,” Northcutt said. “So, what’s a little rain?”

If you’d like to register or volunteer for next year, you can call him at 410-925-9126.