We had fantastic weather and a huge turnout on short notice for the inaugural Smith River Fest, held on Saturday, August 23rd 2008. We hope to be able to make this an annual event. From surveys we completed we were able to establish some economic impact figures. It really showed how much this type of activity can mean to the local economy. Visitors traveled from distances as far away as Richmond and Charlottesville to participate.
There were over 240 boaters on the water that day and the most popular section was Philpott Dam to the North Bassett river access ramp. Special thanks to all the Dan River Basin staff and volunteers, the Franklin County Creek Freaks, Edible Vibe Cafe', the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department, and the Franklin County Swift Water Rescue Team. Thanks also to Congressman Virgil Goode and County Administrator Benny Summerlin. A very special thanks to Dominion and the Army Corp of Engineers for allowing a Saturday release of water from Philpott dam to make this event happen!
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Martinsville Bulletin Articles
Water release draws crowd- Mike Wray
A green sales pitch- Johnny Buck
1 comment:
Let's do this again next year!!
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