June 20, 2009—Tappahannock, Virginia

Welcome to RivahFest 2009, a fun community festival that will be held in downtown Tappahannock Prince Street on June 20, 2009. RivahFest 2009 will be even better than last year, when more than 12,000 visitors got a first-hand look at our community’s most outstanding features—and had fun doing it. Dozens of volunteers have been working for months to prepare for the June 20 event. And the best news of all is that entry to the RivahFest 2009 area is FREE—only a small charge for children’s rides, and of course for food and drink.

“Tappahannock deserves a great festival,” said 2009 Steering Committee Co-Chair Katherine Newman. “It’s not only a source of community pride, it also promotes tourism and economic development.”

The ever popular Fireman’s Parade will open RivahFest on Friday evening at 7 p.m. with a judged parade through downtown, starting on Water Lane and turning on Prince Street.

Back by popular demand this year are a huge Arts, Crafts and Antiques section, Children’s Activities area, an expanded Farmer’s Market and the “Treasures of Tappahannock” historic walking tour. Two Entertainment Stages will feature a wide variety of performers, headlined by the legendary musical style of Legends of the Beach and supported by one of the East Coast’s favorite hometown hitters Flashback. Both bands feature between 8 to 10 musicians that will add to the flavor of these legendary bands for their first performance at RivahFest.

There’s also a Maritime Area with boat displays and other nautical activities, an even bigger Antique Car display, and the “Taste of Tappahannock” food area, featuring local seafood and festival favorites. A new addition, the Golf Hole in One drew over a thousand contestants with a chance to win a new truck—this year, new targets and multiple prizes will raise the challenge to a new level.

The highly successful RivahFest Idol contest is open to teenagers 12 to 18 years old. New this year is the St. John’s Choral Concerts from 10 am to 3 pm—a great place to cool off and relax during the heat of the day.

The Rappahannock River Rubber Duck Race will be your chance to win a $1,000 first prize, $500 second prize, or $250 third prize in this Tappahannock RivahFest first-time event on the river. The race kick-off is 3 pm and you can watch the ducks battle wind and tide along the banks of the Rappahannock from St. Margaret’s campus on Water Lane. Over 2,000 ducks will be in the running, uh, paddling to win that big prize.

Taking advantage of Tappahannock’s heritage, visitors can take one of the two free one-hour guided tours—The Tappahannock Walk—and tour the historic locations of downtown Tappahannock, all located within a three by three block area, led and narrated by a knowledgeable local resident. The tour will include the Customs House, Taverns, Debtors Prison, Courthouse, Schools and Churches and cover 200 years of history from the mid 1600s to the mid 1800s.