For the past few years, witches have been spotted paddling across Pelahatchie Bay around Halloween, their appearances turning up in photos and social media posts from people lucky enough to catch the unexpected sight. But behind the pointed hats is a group of friends, a tradition timed around the full moon, and a simple goal of giving people something to smile about.
The witches aren’t arriving by broomstick, and they aren’t putting on a big public production. They’re local paddlers who found a way to combine their love of the reservoir with a little Halloween fun. What started with three friends five years ago has grown into a returning gathering, bringing familiar faces back to the bay and giving passing motorists a reason to wonder whether they really just saw what they think they saw.
Camille Richards, one of the original organizers, answered our questions about how the tradition began, the reactions it gets, and what it takes to join the witches on the water.
How did the idea for a witches’ paddle come about, and who organizes it?
Three members of the Mississippi Paddling Mafia kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboard group decided to dress up as witches and go out on Pelahatchie Bay five years ago. There are several other locations around the country that have huge events where people come out on their stand-up paddleboards dressed as witches, and we wanted to create our own! While our event has not gotten that popular, it is so much fun every year.
The original three members that started this event are Camille Richards, Shanna Head, and Amanda Griggs. We have made so many new friends and have several new members return every year.
The group also does a Christmas kayaking parade on Pelahatchie Bay, which started about 15 years ago, so the group loves having fun activities like this for the public.
When and where does it take place? Is there a particular schedule each year, or does it depend on the weather?
We try to time it around the full moon closest to Halloween. We’ve had the event sometimes two weeks prior to Halloween. If we miss the full moon by a day or two, it is typically because too many people were not available to join.
We have been a little reluctant to promote this too much as we don’t want to have an official organized event with all of the approvals and rules. Plus, we love the element of surprise it provides when people are driving by on the causeway and definitely do not expect to see witches on the water.
What’s your favorite part of the experience? Have there been any funny moments or memorable reactions?
We love being able to see people slow down in their cars and turn around and drive back-and-forth on the causeway just to get a good picture or to wish us a happy Halloween. That is absolutely the best part of it.
We’ve had several families meet us at the park boat ramp when we are finished so they can get pictures with us. And that’s not just the kids that come to meet us!
We actually have had real witches come by and ask us if we were a Coven. I think they were a little disappointed to find out that we were just dressing up and pretending to be witches!
We had one person who joined us who lost the fin on her paddleboard and ended up just paddling in circles. We have had people end up in the water but thank goodness the reservoir is still pretty warm this time of year. Everyone is extremely safe and always wears their lifejacket.
Can others join? Do they need experience and their own equipment?
We keep the invitations within the Mississippi Paddling Mafia Facebook group just so we can make sure that everyone is safe. Because it is in the evening and by the end of the paddle it is dark, we strongly encourage only experienced paddlers to join us.
If people are interested in joining the Facebook group, there are a few questions they can answer in order to join. If they’re interested in doing the witches ride next year, we would be happy to work with them on getting a paddleboard or kayak and learning with the group.
We love to encourage people to get out on the water and want to show how fun it is to be in a kayak or on a paddleboard. There’s so much negativity in relation to our waterways with alligators and bacteria, so this is a nice way to promote water sports.
What safety precautions do you take, especially with costumes, weather and other boat traffic?
In every kayaking event we are part of, we ensure everyone has a lifejacket. A headlight is also a necessity since we are coming in after dark. We follow the channel markers and try to stay out of the channel to avoid boat traffic.
It’s never been a big issue, but we did have one year where a couple of jet skis got very close and it seemed like they were trying to create a lot of wake.
We also have members who have pontoon boats that will come and join us. It’s always nice to have a support vessel available just in case, and they usually provide music for us as well. That has been a much welcome addition in the last two years.
The weather is usually the biggest factor. We have never canceled due to weather, but we have rescheduled. Most of us don’t mind a little bit of rain, but since we plan around the full moon, we definitely prefer to be able to see the moon while we’re paddling.
The paddlers include Nicole Bradshaw, Joanna Prince, Camille Richards, Carla Cascio, Shawn Rossi, Brandi Harper, Brooke Foster, Elizabeth Morris and Carrie Wailer. Anyone interested in learning more about the group or building experience ahead of a future witches’ paddle can request to join the Mississippi Paddling Mafia Facebook group.
For those who have only seen the photos, there’s finally an explanation for the witches on Pelahatchie Bay. Behind the Halloween spectacle are friends who enjoy being on the water and sharing a little of that enjoyment with people on shore. Five years after three paddlers first put on their costumes, the tradition still runs on the same simple magic: a moonlit bay, good company and the delight of being someone’s unexpected story on the way home.
