Riverfest Reflections

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Riverfest is over, and as I reflect on the hustle and bustle of the weekend, I am reminded of how much I am truly blessed. From start to finish, my experience at the festival was a positive one, filled with community spirit, friendly faces, and a sense of goodwill from everyone I met. Here’s a run-through of this weekend’s events…

Despite the rainclouds and frequent showers that loomed overhead, I set the booth up for the Humane Society on Friday night. When I arrived at my space, I was greeted by shop owners and other vendors in the area who were eager to see if I needed a hand unloading the truck. A special thank-you goes out to Jessi and Janice Hagood for helping me get our t-shirts and other items out of the boxes and ready for display. Thank goodness Eddie Price had a roll of tape I could use, because of all things I could have forgotten, tape was what I was missing! T-shirts were selling like hotcakes before I could get them out of the box, and once the street filled with people, raffle tickets were selling too! Much to my surprise, my husband and my daughter dropped by the tent to see me and all the activity taking place. (I didn’t expect them to come out until Saturday.) I was also glad to see my friend Jean Ann who came to help work the booth and keep me company for several hours. We raised just under $200 dollars Friday night for the animals, and although I was tired and hungry, I went home counting Friday night a success.

Saturday morning began early. I arrived at 7:30, quickly set up the booth, and left it in the hands of another faithful volunteer from the Humane Society. Then, my mom and I headed a few blocks down the road so I could pick up my race packet. I was surprised when I got there to see my dad with a race bib already pinned to the front of his shirt! Also there was my husband and daughter, ready to cheer me on. Volunteers for the Literacy Project were busy taking entry forms and runners were stretching and getting ready for the race. This was an awesome race for me for several reasons. Yes, we were racing for the Literacy Project, a great non-profit that has a huge impact on our community, but I was also running with my dad, and my mom was there to see me run for the first time as well.

I took off from the start line faster than I had planned, I guess because of nerves and excitement. My breathing was heavy and my legs were tight as I hit the first hill. But in my mind, I was prepared for this. At the beginning of a race, adrenaline is always pumping, and I knew there would be some tough hills in this race. So, in preparation for this race and the ½ marathon in West Virginia that I will be running in two weeks, I have incorporated more hills into my training over the summer. All those hill repeats and extra strength training paid off as I topped the first hill, caught my breath, and rounded the corner to the only flat stretch in the route. From there I continued at what I thought was a pretty good pace for the rest of the race. I pushed myself hard, but my breathing was good and my legs felt strong. My goal was to finish the race in 27 minutes, so I was surprised when I rounded the last corner and glanced at my watch to find it said 23 minutes! The last ½ mile was a slow incline and I used every bit of energy I had left to climb it as fast as I could. I finished the race in 25:05, making it my fastest 5K ever! Since this was such a hilly course, I truly shocked myself. I was the 5th woman and 16th person overall out of 48 to finish. Almost $1,000 was raised for the Literacy Project and I beat my own PR! In my mind, this race was a success and I walked away feeling like a winner!


After the race, I resumed my duties at the Humane Society’s booth. The streets quickly filled with people and smiling faces as the place came alive with activity. My mom was there to help me and I was proud of the way she enthusiastically took part in selling raffle tickets and helping educate the public about our organization and our mission. Soon my dad and step-mom arrived too, and I put them to work as well. Before the day was over, even my grandmother had sold some raffle tickets and t-shirts! My dad dressed up in a dog suit and danced in the streets, attracting quite a crowd of both kids and adults. My friend Jean Ann returned too because she loves animals as much as I do and knows the importance of what the Humane Society does in our community. Star News even stopped by the tent and interviewed us for a bit! I’ve never been camera shy, so I had no problem talking a minute when the reporter asked me to tell him about the Humane Society!


My husband and my daughter came out to see me and brought Sophie, our German Shepherd that we adopted. Sophie is just one of the 387 animals that found a loving home in 2007 because the volunteers at the Humane Society were able to help her. And, I have to say that I would not be able to be one of those volunteers if it were not for the love and support of my husband, who unselfishly sacrifices his own time, puts up with the phone ringing non-stop for me on some days, and watches our daughter so that I am able to work with the animals and appear at events like Riverfest. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you Robert!


At 7:30, me, my mom, my step-mom, and my dad, who was still dressed in the dog suit, went onstage with Mike Moore from WLOE radio to draw the tickets from the raffle. Thank you Mike, for giving us the opportunity to have a moment in the spotlight and let people know about the Humane Society. Congratualtions to all of our winners and thank you for your support. You DO make a difference!

After a long weekend, I retreated to the comfort and quiet of my living room, with my husband by my side, and my dogs curled up at my feet, rejoicing over our success. $1,518 was raised for the Rockingham County Humane Society which will be used for the care of neglected and homeless animals in our community. Thanks to the ladies of Two-Rivers Quilt Guild, Arthur’s Jewelry in Reidsville, Sears of Reidsville, Angie Jones (for the t-shirts), and all of our volunteers who made the raffle and Riverfest a success. Most of all, thanks to my parents and my family who support me in everything I do. I praise God for placing each of you in my life!