Later this month, dozens of paddlers from across north Georgia and beyond will launch on the Etowah River in Dawson County to celebrate the river and raise funds to create a 163-mile-long boating trail stretching from near Dahlonega to Rome. The Etowah River Water Trail Rodeo will feature a 7-mile paddle on the Etowah from the historic Kelly Bridge Road near Dawsonville to Forsyth County’s new Eagle’s Beak Park near Cumming on Sept. 17.