Join us to Cheer on the Chicago River Swimmers

Come cheer on the swimmers and celebrate the Chicago River. On Sunday, September 20, Friends of the Chicago River will gather along the Chicago Riverwalk to cheer athletes competing in the second annual Chicago River Swim. Join us from 6:30 to 9 a.m. at The Jetty, between Wells and Franklin, and help celebrate an incredible milestone in the river’s transformation. Registration is requested but not required.

The Chicago River Swim is a powerful example of how far much healthier the river is after decades of work by Friends and many partners, and what is possible when people work together to protect and restore it.

Friends’ cheering section at The Jetty is a special spot since Friends pioneered the installation of floating habitat along the Riverwalk, creating new opportunities for plants and wildlife along the river’s edge. In 2005, Friends installed the Fish Hotel, the first floating garden in the river system in front of our McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum that provided an oasis for fish and wildlife in an otherwise habitat-poor stretch of the river. The colorful floating habitat also offered thousands of visitors a glimpse of what was possible for the river. Most importantly, it demonstrated that fish habitat could be established in places where natural riverbanks are lacking. In 2015, the City of Chicago opened Phase 2 of the Chicago Riverwalk, including The Jetty, where permanent floating habitat brings the Fish Hotel concept to life once again.