Wild Winter Wednesday to feature Canadian native’s paddle adventure Feb. 5

FULTON – The Windmill Volunteer Educators at the Windmill Cultural Center in Fulton invite the public to attend the next morning program of Wild Winter Wednesday on Feb. 5.

Dana Starkell grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city in Canada known for warm summers and long, cold winters. From an early age, his life was filled with adventures. Summer holidays included canoe trips, hiking, sand dune treks, rock climbing and lake swimming.

A year after completing high school, he undertook the two-year canoe trip his father had been planning since Starkell was 9 years old. They paddled through 13 countries from Winnipeg to Belem, Brazil. The story about their adventures became an international bestselling book, “Paddle to the Amazon,” and won them a Guinness World Record for longest canoe paddle.

Starkell now lives in the Quad-Cities with his wife, Stacey, and son, David.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for coffee, hot cider and Mill treats. The free program begins about 9:20 a.m. The building is disability accessible and open to the public.

If River Bend schools are delayed or canceled because of weather, Wild Winter Wednesday will be canceled.