Kayak park to capitalize on popular sport

Auburn's plans to begin construction on a downtown kayak park next year come at a time when interest in "park-and-play" freestyle kayaking has experienced tremendous growth.

Park-and-play kayaking allows boaters to spend the day playing on a major river feature rather than launching upstream and paddling miles downstream to a take-out point.

This growth in interest has spurred many communities to build public whitewater parks that include features like strategically placed boulders.