In the 1970s, Paul Fogal worked as a commercial river guide - among the first hired- on West Virginia's Youghiogheny River, an occupation which was not for the faint of heart. He loved everything about it except for one thing - it wasn't home.

But why couldn't he show the folks back home in Jim Thorpe how much fun it was to ride a river? He went to his father Doug Fogal for some financial support. In 1976, renting space in the basement of a Route 903 restaurant then called The Bavarian, they opened Pocono Whitewater Adventure Center. In a few years, the property adjacent to the Bavarian became available and Doug Fogal purchased it.They'll celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pocono Whitewater and Skirmish, the family-owned and operated business, on May 21, with rafting trips plus a post-trip celebration with food, cake and a champagne toast (800-944-8392)."When the movie Deliverance came out, that was huge," said Paul's son, Sky, the current owner. "People wanted to experience recreation on a river, and rafting was a safe way to do it. Plus you can have a lot of people in a raft, and the social aspect of it is a big reason for its popularity."Paul Fogal had also opened three other rafting companies, in West Virginia, New York and Quebec. During a trip to the Quebec business, he saw a Paintball game and had to try it."He played and came back and opened a Paintball business here, and we're now the world's largest Paintball facility, with 700 acres," Sky said. That business has operated for 33 years. "My dad also helped fund the development of a new Paintball gun, which helped make the sport expand."In addition to Paintball, they also opened Pocono Biking, with locations in Jim Thorpe and White Haven. During the 1990s, the Fogal's sold the other rafting businesses. At about that time, the Army Corps of Engineers operation of Francis E. Walter Dam were being discussed by fishermen and conservationists. How could the resource be used for the benefit of all?"We were able to get them to store water for summer rafting releases on weekends," Sky Fogal explained. "With the advent of summer dam releases, the rafting business began thriving again."Rafting in Lehigh Gorge State Park benefits many businesses, and people, locally, said Pocono Whitewater and Skirmish marketing director Nikki Hurley."When the tourists come the stores are full," Hurley said. "We have some guides who have been with us for 40 years, and during the season, we hire 126 part-time people for the rafting and biking business."Both said they are looking forward to the anniversary celebration, and many more years to come of offering recreational activities to locals and visitors."On a hot, beautiful weekend in the summer, there's no better place to be than on the river," Sky Fogal said. "More people are finding the Lehigh River than ever before."