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A river runs through it: While Riverfest is a feast for the senses, it's also a tribute to beauty and nature.
Hungry yet? The Friends of the Rappahannock's Riverfest is a treat for visitors every year.
Riverfest is a crab lover's delight--but there's lots of other deliciousness on the menu, too, including baby back ribs and rotisserie chicken. |
Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, music, fellowship and
The event will be held at Farley Vale Farm, situated on a bluff overlooking the tidal Rappahannock in King George County.
Riverfest features live music, an open bar and two auctions--and helps fund education and advocacy efforts to protect and celebrate the Rappahannock River.
Rebecca Kurylo, FOR's development director, said Riverfest funds about one-third of all the organization's activities during the year.
While lots of planning goes into Riverfest each year, FOR Executive Director John Tippett says the opportunity to make a difference fuels his involvement.
"The biggest reason I do what I do is a grassroots organization like this presents an incredible opportunity to make a difference everyday," he said. "We've got a remarkable river and our goal is to keep it clean and scenic."
Kurylo, for her part, said she is honored to be a part of a group like FOR.
"With such a small budget, they do amazing, wonderful things--that's why I work for them," she said.
FEEL CRABBY!
Riverfest's main draw is an all-you-can-eat crab feast.
"Part of Riverfest is celebrating the bounty of our rivers," said FOR Executive Director John Tippett. "We make it a point to get the biggest and best crabs we can."
In keeping with the event's environmental theme, Friends of the Rappahannock only buys sustainably harvested crabs.
Riverfest gets only large male crabs that have already bred, Kurylo said. Additionally, FOR does not purchase dredged crabs. Dredging is a harvesting method where fishermen drag a cage along the bottom to trap crabs.
"Dredging is detrimental to the environment in general, and particularly all other living resources in [the harvested] area," Kurylo explained.
ODE TO THE RAPPAHANNOCK
While crabs may be the event's biggest draw, Riverfest also features top-notch local musicians.
This year, the fundraiser features music from Lori Rose Griffith and Peter Mealy, the Glass Onion Band, the Riverside Four and, as always, local folk singer Bob Gramann.
"Bob is a tradition at Riverfest," Tippett said.
At the culmination of the evening, Gramann performs "Whack Whack Whack," a song about the destruction of the Embrey dam in 2004, encouraging the crowd to sing along using their crab knockers.
"One year I decided the song had run its course, so I didn't do it that year, and we got complaints," Gramann said.
To celebrate the destruction of the dam, Gramann built a custom acoustic guitar from wood used in the original dam, built around 1850.
"It was fascinating wood to work with because when you counted the rings, the wood was 150 years old [even] then--so I was building an instrument from wood that [at that time] was older than the republic," Gramann said.
The instrument later sold at a Riverfest auction for $1,500.
Gramann's wife, Mary Lou, runs the event's two auctions. Items up for bid this year range from a one-week vacation in Nags Head and golf packages to car washes and restaurant vouchers.
"The auction is a chance for people to get involved and show their support for the efforts of FOR," she said.
This year, the auctions also feature a silk hand-embroidered kimono and a canoe.
An important note for interested readers: Tickets for this event are available in advance only online until Friday, and then by phone until 2 p.m. on Saturday. There will be no tickets sold at the gate.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Riverfest began in 1990 as a way of funding the then-fledgling Friends of the Rappahannock. Fredericksburg lawyer Thom Savage helped organize the early Riverfests.
According to Savage, the original concept for the fundraiser came from the local Ducks Unlimited chapter, which had held a similar event for years.
"[Riverfest] was a lot of work, but it was one of the easiest fundraisers I've ever been involved with," Savage said.
The group received a grant of $50,000 over two years that required FOR to become self-sufficient in two years, set up a citizens' water-quality monitoring program, extend the Rappahannock's scenic river designation--and double membership.
The grant allowed FOR to have an office with a paid staff and a phone line for the first time. With a permanent home for its offices secured, the group needed a way to continue to fund itself.
Riverfest began small, with catering from the local Elks Lodge. For the first couple of events, attendance stayed at about 250.
"The fundraiser at that time thought it was best to keep [Riverfest] small and manageable," said Marcia Keener, former chair of the FOR executive board.
Riverfest costs FOR about $50,000 to put on each year, but usually draws in between $100,000-$130,000.
"It pays for itself and then some," current director Tippett commented.
In 2008, Riverfest brought in about $65,000, Kurylo said.
"It's great that [Riverfest] is supporting FOR," Gramann commented. "But I think people are happy to come together and have a nice big party."
Aaron Richardson: 540/374-5000, ext 5617
Email: arichardson@freelancestar.com
| What: Friends of the Rappahannock's 19th Riverfest Where: Farley Vale Farm, 12475 Farley Vale Drive, King George When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 5-9 p.m. Cost: $85 per person Info: riverfriends.org; 540/373-3448 NOTE: Tickets are available in advance only, until 2 p.m. on Saturday by phone or online by Friday night. There will be no tickets sold at the gate. Visitors should order online or call the office. |
