5th annual

Witches on the Lake

Where community spirit meets the fight against childhood cancer

10/17/26

What’s it all about?

Ivy Foley,

Oct 5, 2011-Jan 31, 2025

Five years ago, Witches on the Lake began with a simple mission: to combine our community’s love of paddling with a meaningful purpose. When a local family received the heartbreaking news that their young daughter, Ivy, had been diagnosed with a rare cancer (clear cell sarcoma), this gathering was born to turn that purpose into action, love, and support.

As a local neighbor and realtor with Taua Realty Group, I believe strong communities are built on making connections and how we show up for one another. To help ensure other families facing childhood cancer have that same network of care, we partnered with Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance—creating Witches on the Lake to offer hope, resources, and vital support.

Though we said goodbye to brave Ivy in early 2025, her legacy shines bright. Now in its fifth year on Lake Natoma, and last year with roughly 1,000 participants, Witches on the Lake has become a tradition of resilience, remembrance, and community. To those who share your stories of survival and loss, and to all who come to support- you are the heart of this event.

Woman dressed as a witch sitting in a kayak on a river, smiling, wearing a black hat, black outfit, holding a paddle, with trees and a bridge in the background at sunset.
Meet Your Hosts
A young woman dressed as a witch standing behind a table with a sign for Keaton's Child Cancer Alliance at a lakeside park. She is holding a Halloween wreath. The background shows people swimming and playing by the water.

Who can attend?

*

Who can attend? *

Anyone may attend! Register below, grab a paddleboard or kayak, life jacket, and join us on the water, stay on shore, or watch from above on the Rainbow Bridge. Wear a witch/wizard or any halloween costume if pointy hats aren’t your thing.
Meet at Black Miner’s Bar of Lake Natoma from 3:30 pm until Sunset on October 17th.

Come experience fun and community, while supporting the fight against childhood cancer.

THIS IS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY EVENT

October 17th Schedule of Events

3:30 pm

Meet at Black
Miner’s Bar boat
launch area with
your board or
kayaks

3:30-4:30 pm

Trick or Treat on
the water for
children-must
rsvp below. Begin
paddling for all

5:00 pm

Everyone on the
water be near
Rainbow Bridge
area for a group
photo!

How to Participate and Support

This is a charitable donation event relying on the generosity of participants in order to make this event a success. Many hours from many volunteers come together to make this happen. Please help support the cause. Donors will get a yellow ribbon to wear during the event.

Your donation will go directly to our local non-profit, Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance.

MAKE YOUR DONATION

Registration:

To ensure a safe event, and have the continued support from State Parks, please follow registration directions below.

  • A young boy on a paddleboard on a lake, wearing a large black hat for sun protection, smiling and leaning on one hand, with a water bottle attached to the board. In the background, other paddleboarders and kayakers are visible near the shoreline with trees and a bridge.

  • A woman dressed as a witch with a black hat and sunglasses, smiling and making a peace sign gesture, seen from a low angle against a clear blue sky, with her legs in colorful striped leggings in the foreground.

  • Two people wearing pointed witch hats on a boat in a river, with trees and rocks in the background. The woman is smiling and making a hand gesture, while the man is smiling and facing away from the camera.

  • Young girl in a Halloween costume wearing a black witch hat, a pink life jacket, and a yellow skirt, sitting on the ground outdoors near rocks and trees.

  • Two young women wearing large black hats laughing outdoors on a sunny day.

  • People in Halloween costumes paddle on a river in Halloween-themed costumes, including witches, skeletons, and a character with a red cape and skeleton face mask, during sunset.

  • Two people in costumes paddleboarding on a river during sunset, one dressed as a witch and the other as a witch with a red hat and cape.

  • Woman dressed as a wizard with a witch hat and cape, smiling at camera while paddleboarding on a river, with two women in the background also on paddleboards.

  • Woman dressed as a witch, wearing a black pointed hat and a white dress, holding a staff or broomstick, outdoors with a bridge visible in the background.

  • Two women wearing witch hats and smiling, taking a selfie by a lake with paddleboards in the background on a clear day.

  • Person sitting on paddleboard wearing purple witch hat and striped purple and black leggings, surrounded by others on paddleboards under a bridge during daytime.

  • A woman dressed as a witch with a large black pointed hat decorated with feathers and a spiderweb net, featuring a small spider decoration on her face, is standing outdoors near a body of water with a bridge in the background.

  • Two women wearing witch hats, one with pink sunglasses and the other with a smiley face balloon, outdoors in a parking lot with people on paddleboards in the background.

  • Two young girls dressed in Halloween costumes standing outside in a parking lot with trees in the background. One girl is dressed as a witch with a purple hat and broom, and the other girl is dressed as a princess or fairy in a black, white, orange, and yellow dress.

  • Two people, a man and a woman, dressed as witches with large hats, standing on a dock by a lake at sunset. The man is wearing a black shirt, gray shorts, and orange and black striped socks with sandals. The woman is wearing a black dress, green and black striped socks with sandals, and has a pink flower bracelet. The background shows a lake with a boat, trees, and a cloudy sky.

  • Two women dressed as witches on a paddleboard in a lake, with trees and blue sky in the background.

Dream it

•

Build it

•

Grow it

•

Dream it • Build it • Grow it •

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