Great Day for Kibler Valley River Run-Claudville, VA
July 26, 2009
July 25-News Report – Kibler Valley River Run as reported by Tom Bishop, Patrick County Chamber of Commercer
The 27th Annual Kibler Valley River Run was held on Saturday, July 25, on the beautiful Dan River, near the communities of Claudville and Ararat.
The weather was just perfect and the water flow right for the Class 3 rapids and giving the River Runners a great ride. The water release was provided by the Pinnacles Hydro Plant, which was built in 1939 to generate electricity for the City of Danville. Two reservoirs near Meadows of Dan, Talbott and Townes , give the water flow necessary to accommodate the competitive river run.
Approximately 150 entrants arrived about 8:30-9:00am, registered and were transported to the Hydro Plant. Some participants were running competitively and others running just for fun. The fastest time was in the range of 35-36 minutes. Many of the competitors return year after year to enjoy the excitement of the Dan River.
Dan River Basin representative Wayne Kirkpatrick was there to educate the public on the health of our rivers based upon his display of invertebrates. The Dan River Company, from Danbury, NC, had representatives there to photograph the entire event, with in excess of 1400 pictures, which were offered for sale to the public.
Visitors came from Knoxville, Tennessee, Portsmouth and Manassas,Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina, Huntsville, Alabama, and Greenville, SC.
The Red Bank Ruritan Club of Claudville, many local businesses and individuals contribute to the event, which keeps this event going without fail.
