Mississippi Speed Record Film to Screen in Los Alamos, Community Event
A new documentary about the Mississippi Speed Record will be screened at SALA Event Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, giving Los Alamos residents a front row view of a Guinness World Record paddling feat. The screening offers an affordable chance to meet a team member, learn about ultra endurance logistics, and support local cultural programming.
The film Mississippi Speed Record, An Epic Adventure will be shown at SALA Event Center on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. The documentary chronicles the Mississippi Speed Record team as they paddled the entire length of the Mississippi River and set a Guinness World Record by completing the route in 16 days, 20 hours and 16 minutes.
The record effort involved four men who paddled around the clock from the river headwaters in Minnesota to the mouth in Louisiana. The journey required breaking through ice on Lake Winnibigoshish, running rapids in St. Louis, portaging around dams in the middle of the night, dodging six foot bow waves from barges and taking turns sleeping in the canoe. The film also documents the work of the support crew on land and in escort boats and portrays how the team coped with physical and mental exhaustion. Visuals were shot by film studio Wilderness Mindset and highlight both wilderness scenery and navigational hazards.
MSR canoeist Judson Steinback will be at the SALA screening to introduce the movie, answer audience questions and sign autographs. Admission is $10. Tickets will be available at the door or online at sala.losalamos.com. A trailer for the film is available online for those who want a preview before the screening.
For Los Alamos residents the event is notable on several fronts. It brings a Guinness World Record story to a local venue, adds to the county cultural calendar in early December and provides an accessible evening program that may appeal to outdoor recreationists, students and families. The presence of a team member for a question and answer session gives local paddlers and youth a direct line to lessons about endurance training, river safety and teamwork.
Beyond entertainment value, screenings like this support the SALA Event Center as a community hub and contribute modest revenue to local arts programming. The event also creates a single night opportunity for nearby restaurants and shops to capture dinner time business from attendees.
