Audio: Updates from the Sunflower River

If you don't follow me on Facebook or Twitter then you didn't get these audio updates from the Sunflower River. If you do follow and missed them, here they are again all in one place.

February 26, 2011. Day One on our tour of the muddy and wild Sunflower River:


February 27, 2011. Day Two from Downtown Clarksdale as we ready for our second leg on the Sunflower River:


February 27, 2011. An update from the Sunflower River a half mile from the takeout point at Hopson:


February 27, 2011. Final words on the Sunflower River trip from Downtown Clarksdale at Stone Pony Pizza:

Alzheimer’s Paddler to Be in Clarksdale for Sunflower River tour February 26-27

Flora, MS. February 25, 2011—Keith Plunkett, Mississippi paddler and organizer of Lucy’s Revenge, will be in Clarksdale for an excursion on the Sunflower River this Saturday and Sunday. The event will raise money and awareness for the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, and is timed to coincide with Sunflower River Month. Local group Friends of the Sunflower River is a sponsor of the trip. Plunkett, along with his wife Sharon, will be joined by fellow paddlers at Quapaw Canoe Company for a pre-launch meeting at 9:00 am Saturday morning. The group of paddlers will paddle from Eagles Nest to Clarksdale on Saturday, and continue to Hopson on Sunday.

The effort will continue in the Delta in March before moving into waterways in Southwest Mississippi in April. The full list of rivers and dates are available online at http://www.lucysreveng.com/.

During the trips the Yazoo County native and Flora resident will meet with Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers in each region, and will highlight ongoing efforts by the Alzheimer’s Association and medical professionals to defeat the disease.

Plunkett will also speak with groups across the state to raise awareness and money to aid families affected by the disease with support services. He expects to complete 876 miles by the end of the project in early July. Stories, videos, and photos are posted regularly to the website, www.lucysrevenge.com .

The project is named in memory of Plunkett’s Grandmother, Lucy Plunkett, who suffered from Alzheimer’s before succumbing to the disease in 1993. The matriarch of the Plunkett family reared six children, and oversaw the upbringing of 9 grandchildren. She was a housewife and an active member of her church and the rural community of Little Yazoo in Yazoo County.

Audio Update: Project heading to Sunflower River this weekend. Come join us!

Details on upcoming trip:

Overnight on the Sunflower River with Keith Plunkett guided by John Ruskey. Sponsored & hosted by the Friends of the Sunflower River. Have fun and support a good cause! Contact john@island63.com for details.

25% of Quapaw’s guiding & outfitting fee donated. Go to http://www.lucysrevenge.com/ to donate directly. All donations go directly to the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association

Route: Eagles Nest, Backdoor Bl...ues Tour, Hopson, Roundaway. 25-30 miles on the strange & wonderful Sunflower River!

Meet: 9am Saturday, Feb 26th, Quapaw Canoe Company in downtown Clarksdale.

Quapaw Canoe Company
291 Sunflower Avenue
Clarksdale, MS

Camp One night. Park your car & shuttle. Bring your own equipment or Quapaw can provide.

1) Guiding & Outfitting: $65/person/day includes everything for canoe outfitting, including paddles lifejacket, ropes, bailer, rescue rope, 1st Aid Kits, drybags, etc.

2) Meals: bring your own food or we can provide:
$35/person/day

3) Shuttles:$35 (drop off & pickup)

Total per person = $165
Total per person w/meals = $235

Optional Items for Rent:
NRS Boundary Shoe: $35
Sleeping Bag + Pad: $35
Tents: $35
Wetsuits: $35

Got more questions? Let us know. See you on the river!

Greenwood Commonwealth: Kayak Quest



Thanks to the Greenwood Commonwealth for the coverage of the paddle on the Yalobusha River. It was a thrill to round the bend and see around 30 people with signs and balloons welcoming us to Greenwood.



Lucy's Revenge got front page treatment from the Greenwood Commonwealth in the Tuesday edition.



Garden Park Director Cyndi Bassie signs Keith Plunkett’s kayak. Plunkett lets his fellow kayakers, sponsors or anyone who’s been affected by Alzheimer’s sign his boat during his yearlong project.



Keith Plunkett, who is kayaking more than 800 miles to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association, stopped in Greenwood Monday afternoon after finishing another 52 miles. He was greeted by participants and staff from Garden Park Adult Day Center. The welcoming crew with Plunkett included, from left, Cyndi Bassie, Sidney Boldening, Earnestine Lymon, Arlean McCain, Plunkett, Milton Williams, Cherry Daves, Glenn Malone, Terry Malone, Barbara Biggers, Dorothy Glenn, Gail Fondren, Cassie James, Shirley Garrett and Sheree Sherod.



Alzheimer’s Paddler to Be on Yalobusha River for 52-Mile Trek February 19-21

Flora, MS. February 18, 2011—Keith Plunkett, Mississippi paddler and organizer of Lucy’s Revenge, will be launching the Spring/Summer Tour of Mississippi waterways this Saturday in Grenada, Mississippi. Plunkett, along with his wife Sharon, will be joined by fellow paddlers at The Bait Shop at 22106 Highway 8 in Grenada for breakfast and a pre-launch meeting at 7:00 am. The group of 13 paddlers will launch at the Grenada Lake Spillway at 9:30. The 52-mile trip down the Yalobusha River will take 3-days and 2-nights and end at the Fulton Street Bridge in downtown Greenwood at approximately 3:00 pm Monday afternoon.

The effort will continue in the Delta throughout February and March before moving into waterways in Southwest Mississippi in April. The full list of rivers and dates are available online HERE .

During the trips the Yazoo County native and Flora resident will meet with Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers in each region, and will highlight ongoing efforts by the Alzheimer’s Association and medical professionals to defeat the disease.

Plunkett will also speak with groups across the state to raise awareness and money to aid families affected by the disease with support services. He expects to complete 876 miles by the end of the project in early July. Stories, videos, and photos are posted regularly to the website, www.lucysrevenge.com .

The project is named in memory of Plunkett’s Grandmother, Lucy Plunkett, who suffered from Alzheimer’s before succumbing to the disease in 1993. The matriarch of the Plunkett family reared six children, and oversaw the upbringing of 9 grandchildren. She was a housewife and an active member of her church and the rural community of Little Yazoo in Yazoo County.

WLBT: Kayaker raises money to fight Alzheimer's Disease

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Kayaker Keith Plunkett was joined by supporters at St. Dominic Wednesday afternoon to gain support for the "Lucy's Revenge " fundraiser.

Plunkett began paddling across the state last July to help raise money for Alzheimer's Disease. He hopes to attract more paddlers and supporters for the next stretch of his paddling expedition which begins this weekend.

Plunkett says kayaking can be difficult at first, but it gets easier.

"When I started paddling in Mississippi I did 25-30 mile runs and thought I was going to die" said Plunkett. "A month later I did 45 miles from the start of the wolf river all the way down to Bay St. Louis."

For more information about the upcoming kayaking schedule, click here.

Mississippi Paddler Announces Remaining Dates in Alzheimer’s Awareness Tour

Keith Plunkett speaks to the media and an audience of 45-50
in attendance for a morning press conference at
St. Dominic Centre on Wednesday morning, February 16.
Plunkett will complete a year-long journey to paddle
Mississippi waters in July of 2011, amassing 847 miles.

Jackson, MS. February 16, 2011—Mississippi paddler and outdoorsman Keith Plunkett announced today the remaining schedule for a year of paddling Mississippi’s waterways. The effort began in July 2010 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and has taken Plunkett on 336 miles of state waters that are both popular destinations and underutilized opportunities. During the trips the Yazoo County native and Flora resident continues to tell the stories of Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers in each region, and will highlight ongoing efforts by the Alzheimer’s Association and medical professionals to defeat the disease.

Over the next five months of paddling, Plunkett expects to paddle an additional 539 miles. He will continue speaking with groups across the state to raise awareness, and securing donations for the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. If his plans hold, he will shatter his original goal of 600 miles by 276. Plunkett expects to tally around 876 miles by the time the project finale is held on the Ross Barnett Reservoir.

Plunkett was joined during the 10 am press conference at St. Dominic Centre by St. Dominic President Sister Mary Dorothea Sondgrath, Dr. George Patton, Director of St. Dominic’s St. Catherine’s Village, and Meva Butler Director of Campbell Cove. Campbell Cove is a wing of the facility that deals directly with elderly Alzheimer’s patients.

Plunkett also issued a challenge to political donors in this year of hotly contested campaigns.

“We have just recently seen the latest campaign finance reports from the Secretary of State’s office. If you take just the amount of money raised by the announced candidates for state-wide office alone, it is probably in excess of $8 million,” Plunkett said. “Give me one percent, just one percent, of that for the Alzheimer’s Association through Lucy’s Revenge, and we will begin the ball rolling towards creating a project that seriously helps Mississippi families in need. That is my challenge to those who have given political donations, whether they are companies or individuals.”

Dr. Patton believes with the addition of the Mind Center at University Medical Center, and continued efforts from people to raise money; Mississippi is well positioned to be a leader in Alzheimer’s research.

The new research organization: the Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center has a campaign underway to raise $9 million for the center’s personnel and program costs through private donations.

“UMC also received $26 million in grants for that project,” said Patton. “Dr. Tom Mosley will be the head of that facility, and he is known around the world for his work in the field.”

The Medical Center and four collaborating academic medical centers received the grants from the National Institutes of Health to identify risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of cognitive decline in July of 2010.

Plunkett said he is now looking ahead at ways to continue the project with annual events in one of each of five designated regions across the state.

“The idea is that we can build on the Memory Walk model the Alzheimer’s Association already has in place for annual events to keep the dollars rolling in,” said Plunkett. “I have already spoken with sponsors interested in being a part of that.”

Plunkett added that there is also an economic development and tourism benefit from the promotion of small river towns across the state.

“Some of the very places these events will be held are the ones that need a shot in the arm,” he said. “Not to mention some of these small towns and cities are the backbone of our state’s history.”

Plunkett’s grandmother was Lucy Plunkett. The matriarch of the Plunkett family reared six children, and oversaw the upbringing of 9 grandchildren. She was a housewife and an active member of the rural community of Little Yazoo in Yazoo County.

“I see this project as a symbol of me taking back what Alzheimer’s and Dementia took from her.”

The remaining dates for the Lucy’s Revenge Tour are as follows:

Spring/Summer Dates

Saturday February 19-Monday February 21: 3-day, 2-night trip on the Yalobusha River from Grenada to Greenwood.
52 miles.
Sponsored by Lifehelp Region 6 Mental Health Center-Garden Park Adult Day Center.

Saturday February 26-Sunday February 27: Overnight trip on the Sunflower River in celebration of Sunflower River month from Eagles Nest to New Africa.
20 miles.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Sunflower River.
For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale, Mississippi (662)627-4070

Saturday March 12: The second running of the Battle on the Bayou on Old Fort Bayou Ocean Springs. 9.5 miles.
For more information go to http://www.battleonthebayou.com/

Saturday March 19: Coldwater River.
Mileage TBD
Highlighting the conservation efforts of the Upper Coldwater River Watershed.
For more information go to http://www.coldwatertrail.org/

Saturday March 26-Sunday March 27: Overnight on the Mississippi River Muddy Waters Wilderness.
100 miles. Quapaw Landing to Warfield Point.
Sponsored by Quapaw Canoe Company
For more information contact Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale, Mississippi (662)627-4070

Saturday April 16-Sunday April 27: Overnight on Bogue Chitto River.
27 miles. McComb to Dillon Bridge

Saturday April 23-Sunday April 24: Overnight on Bayou Pierre
50 miles. Dentville to Port Gibson

Saturday April 30-Sunday May 1: Overnight on the Yazoo River
43 miles. Satartia to Steele Bayou.

Saturday May 7-Sunday May 8: Overnight on the Homochitto River
36 miles. Eddiceton to Rosetta

Friday May 13-Sunday May 15: Overnights on the Leaf River
64 miles. Taylorsville to Old River Road

Saturday May 21-Sunday May 22: Overnight on the Red Creek
45.5 miles. Perkinston to Vestry

Saturday June 4-Sunday June 5: Overnight on Bear Creek
23 miles. Golden to Hwy 30.

Saturday June 11: Day trip on Chunky River
10 miles. Stucky Bridge to Enterprise

Saturday June 18-Sunday June 19: Overnight on the Bowie River.
26.5 miles. Highway 589 to Leaf River at Hattiesburg

Saturday July 2: Day Trip on the Pearl River
20 miles. Lefleurs Bluff through Jackson to Byram at the Swinging Bridge

Saturday July 9: Finale at the Ross Barnett Reservoir
13 miles. Tommy’s Trading Post to Madison Landing

Total Mileage for Spring/Summer Dates: 539.5 miles

Total Mileage since July of 2010: 336.5 miles

Grand Total Goal: 876 miles

MISSISSIPPI PADDLER TO ANNOUNCE 2011 TRIP DATES FOR ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT AT ST. DOMINIC PRESS CONFERENCE

Flora, MS. February 14, 2011—Keith Plunkett, Mississippi paddler and organizer of Lucy’s Revenge, will be joined by sponsors, health officials, the staff of the Mississippi Alzheimer’s Association, and representatives from MS Tourism and the Department of Mental Health for a Press Conference on Wednesday February 16. The event will be held at the St. Dominic Centre Building at 3800 I-55 North in Jackson, Mississippi at 10:00 am.

“We have put together a very good list of trips of some of Mississippi’s best waterways,” said Plunkett. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to share this with the public and give others the opportunity to join me and many of Mississippi’s outdoorsmen in the coming months to show what wonderful things our state has to offer.”

Plunkett began the project in July of 2010 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and has paddled areas all over the state to amass 336 miles on Mississippi waters while raising money and awareness to help fight Alzheimer’s disease.

The project is named in memory of Plunkett’s Grandmother, Lucy Plunkett, who suffered from Alzheimer’s before succumbing to the disease in 1993. The matriarch of the Plunkett family reared six children, and oversaw the upbringing of 9 grandchildren. She was a housewife and an active member of her church and the rural community of Little Yazoo in Yazoo County.

WHO: Keith Plunkett
Ian McDonald (Development Director-MS Alzheimer’s Association)
Representatives from St. Dominic Health Services
Representatives from Mississippi Tourism Department
Representative from MS Department of Mental Health
Project Sponsor Representatives
Mississippi Alzheimer’s Health Care Facility Directors

WHAT: Announcement of upcoming fundraisers and paddling trips for February through July 2011.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 16, 2011
10:00 AM

WHERE: St. Dominic Centre Building
3800 I-55 North
Jackson, Mississippi 39216

Second Member in Alzheimer's Toxic Duo Identified

Like two unruly boys who need to be split up in class, a pair of protein molecules work together to speed up the toxic events of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio February 4 announced the discovery of the second molecule and said its identification could lead to drugs that disrupt the interaction, and thereby block or slow Alzheimer's onset or progression.