A solemn note was sounded on Saturday during Franklin’s Rock In River Fest as competitors, tournament officials and spectators remembered and honored longtime competitor Aaron “The Kracken” McKracken, who passed away in December.
Mike “Airtight Alibi” Williamson led a memorial immediately before the start of the professional division of the stone-skipping tournament, in which all the pro competitors lined up along the river and skipped stones in memory of Aaron, and Williamson scattered some of Aaron’s ashes in the river.
Last year, McCracken took second place in the professional division with what he said was his “personal best” throw of 46 skips — incidentally, also more skips than any previous Rock in River Fest champion.
“His grandma brought him to his first competition here when he was very little, in grade school,” Aaron’s aunt, Jamie McCracken, said on Saturday.
Jamie competed in the amateur division for the first time this year along with her boyfriend, Matt Robinson, in honor of Aaron.
“He loved it, he had a skipping family,” said Sammantha Willmeth, Aaron’s sister. “We have a wonderful picture of him and Ronnie from last year.”
Several of Aaron’s family members and close family friends were at the festival, many wearing T-shirts reading “The Kracken Crew” or “Aaron Strong.”
“We’re not missing it — it’s a tradition,” said Aaron’s mother, Angel McCracken. “We’re here for everybody, here for all of them,” she added, gesturing to the rest of the contestants.
“We will come down every year to support them, because they were his family. He had a skipping family,” Willmeth said.
Before the pro division started, event emcee and tournament High Commissioner Matt Beith also asked for a moment of silence in memory of Aaron and Ronnie.
