35th ANNUAL – JUNE 20-27, 2020.
“We have come to an end of an era”, said Bill Trout upon hearing the sad news of Minnie Lee McGehee’s passing. We are sad to announce the passing of VC&NS Lifetime Member, Mrs. Minnie Lee McGehee. Minnie Lee was a lifetime member of the VC&NS. She wrote many articles for The Tiller and wrote many books…
This week, the batteau community joins the Samuels’ family in mourning the loss of the batteau “Rivertime” crew member Justin Samuels. With his booming voice, boundless enthusiasm, and outgoing spirit, Justin was an unmistakable feature of the James River Batteau Festival in recent years. His absence on the river next year will be palpable. While we…
Maiden’s Landing was busy and the parking lot full when I arrived in mid-afternoon and it was starting to get hot and was real hot inside the facilities in the field. It was surprising to see the Mary Marshall at the landing earlier than expected. Andrew Shaw and his crew took the batteau out and…
Cartersville was nice and cool this morning and had a beautiful pink sky as the sun rose up first thing. A group photo was taken a little after 8am. Andrew Shaw gave the Dewey Pole Award to Rob Campbell and his batteau crew. Andrew awarded a JRBF-Trail Atlas to Megan and Beth for all their…
Cartersville was pleasant as we sat waiting on the boats to come in. Bill Trout enjoyed telling the batteau history to several new visitors to the JRBF for the first time. The Lady’s Slipper crew cooked a hot meal for sale and everyone said it was good. Some of the boat crews stayed up a…
Slate River was calm and clear Friday morning. The sun peaked out over the top of the trees and the view over the point was beautiful. Up-river a short distance at a private boat ramp were several batteaux tied off and people still sleeping. The sun creeped up on to them as the morning started.…
The Slate River site was busy with the local Masonic Lodge members preparing Catfish dinners and Hamburgers and Hot Dogs to sell for dinner. A dark cloud and bad storm warnings were seen and it rained for a while. I was lucky to get a boxed Catfish dinner to take to the truck while it…
Scottsville Thursday morning was pretty nice. The rain from yesterday afternoon was gone and a slight amount of fog was on the river. The water is still a little bit brown from the recent rains but not too bad. The batteaux took their time getting ready this morning and the shuttle takes longer too. The…
Scottsville was warming up this afternoon and we could see the clouds building up for a good rain. The rain held off for a good while and only rained some towards the evening time. The batteaux came around the bend and the public enjoyed seeing them come in. When it was raining it was so…
Lisa B. from the batteau Clifton Lee had an accident this morning at Goosby’s rapid. This is the account of the event as told to me by Lisa while sitting outside of the Tavern by the James in Scottsville this afternoon: Lisa said she was getting situated on board the batteau and was trying to…
Howardsville was pleasant Tuesday afternoon. The Howardsville Ladies Club annual watch party was well attended and many familiar faces were there on the bank overlooking the beach where the batteaux line up. It was fun visiting again. Howard Williams and Diane Easley made it off the river ok. I was worried about their float but…
Wingina Tuesday morning was beautiful. Nice and cool and the big rain storms missed us during the night so we were dry! The batteaux crews gradually got going and looked really good approaching the Wingina bridge! Diane Easley and Howard made a raft on old innertubes for Diane and Howard had a Kayak with sticks…
Wingina was calm and turned cool after a short shower. The batteaux gradually came in and had a great camping time in Wingina. The Lady’s Slipper crew was all set up in a perfectly organized campsite as usual. The Mexican food was very nice and tasty. A pretty quiet night at Wingina except for the…
The Galt’s Mill site of the 2019 James River Batteau Festival was great this morning. Another beautiful morning, slightly cool and real clear for taking photos! My dog Jake got to “GO” today to visit the batteaux and other batteau dogs. It’s hard to hold the camera and the dog at the same time but…
The weather was great for the start of the 2019 James River Batteau Festival. It was nice and clear and sunny, the river water was a good color, not muddy and conditions were just right! The batteaux slowly drifted down to Percival’s Island to wait for the official launch as they were announced by Jeff…
Please note that the food available at three sites has been updated as follows: Revised 6-13-19, 7:00-a.m. Galt’s Mill Supper Sat. Night: Three food vendors: 1. Vitos – Burgers Menu & Ice Cream. 2. Food Truck – Philly Cheese Steak & Mexican Food. 3. Food Truck – Shaved Ice. Galt’s Mill Breakfast Sun. AM: Food…
The photos above were taken during the 2018 JRBF at Bent Creek as the State Park batteau was departing. June 10, 2019-Added two photos of Mike’s dog taken after Mike’s funeral in the afternoon. Longtime friend and supporter of the James River Batteau Festival, Mike Lee, has died on June 3rd, 2019. Mike has helped…
We are sad to announce that former Virginia Canals & Navigations Society President and Chairman of the James River Batteau Festival, Buddy High, has died. Robert Michael “Buddy” High, of Valentines, Virginia, 73, died Sunday, May 19, 2019, at VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill, Virginia. Buddy went home to be with the Lord…
It was a fantastic morning at Gail Timberlake’s house in Powhatan, Virginia. John Rothert, one of the JRBF Founders, was there directing how to place people and what to do in the boat flipping process. When John gave the signal we lifted the boat and then we went around several people at a time and…
In preparation for the 2019 James River Batteau Festival, there will be three site cleanup days. Please bring weedeaters and other appropriate equipment to help clean up the sites. Please contact Andrew Shaw if there are any questions or concerns. See the Calendar of Events for maps to the sites. Wingina – Friday afternoon, June…