Ward said after the pandemic initially stopped, people started flocking to the outdoors. The couple set up rental of contactless equipment. It gave Erin an idea.

“People were dying just for that, you know, after being locked up for about a month,” Ward said. “So that’s kind of what really gave me the idea of ​​a longer all-year option for equipment where people can just go, grab a kayak, and get in the water.

Ward, who grew up in Waco, said his family enjoyed being on the water paddling, kayaking and canoeing, but they always did it at Lake Waco.

She said most of her customers are locals for most of the year, but in the summer about half of her customers are tourists. She said she expected the location of Brazos Park East to attract mostly locals, at least initially.

“You know, and with the madness of life, you know, especially this year … I love water because I get away from the chaos of people talking, from traffic, from the noise of life” , said Ward. “And when you’re on the water, you just hear the birds, the people, the sun on your face. I’m just calmed down and focused on it.

Ross Harris, co-owner of Waco Paddle Company, went into business in 2016 with his wife Elizabeth Harris and sister-in-law Sarah Raven. At their location on University Parks Drive, tourists and local families impulsively try kayaking. He said that on Sundays, it’s not uncommon for children to ask their parents to try it on after church, when everyone is still wearing formal clothes.