Hike the Fiedale Trail with Friends

Or Canoe to Collect Mistletoe

DRBA will conclude the year's First Saturday Outings with a December 5 hike on the Fieldale Trail in Fieldale, VA, led by members of Friends of the Fieldale Trail. Beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Fieldale Park, the out-and-back hike can total 6 miles, but hikers may choose to walk shorter distances. The entire trail is flat and easy to walk.
Boaters may wish instead to join other paddle clubs in the 27th annual Sprig Outing to collect holiday greenery in the swamp of the Upper Little River near Lillington, NC. Details are at http://www.danriver.org/ .

Described by its Friends as "a golden opportunity to see Mother Nature up close and personal right in our own backyard," the Fieldale Trail hugs the bank of the Smith River. The graveled upper section winds through woods and open fields to the trailhead at the Fieldale Canoe Access, where a restroom is available. From there, the natural-surface lower section enters the riverside forest and skirts rhododendron bluffs alongside the river to its downstream terminus. Towering sycamore trees shelter the trail, and gravel bars and rock formations in the streambed give voice to the river.

Envisioned at a 2005 planning retreat of DRBA's affiliate, the Rivers & Trails Group, the Fieldale Trail is the ongoing project of DRBA and many partners. A special feature of the trail is a 54-foot section salvaged from the landmark 1931 Fieldale Iron Bridge and being installed as trail art, thanks to dozens of donors and generous corporate gifts of time and materials. Paula Wyatt, trip coordinator, and Jennifer Doss, DRBA's Rivers & Trails Project Manager, will bring hikers up to date on plans for the bridge section and future plans for the trail.

Please meet at 10:00 a.m. at Fieldale Park, 188 Field Avenue, at the intersection of Field Avenue and South River Road (GPS coordinates: North 36.42, 076 West 56.021, 079). Bring lunch and water, wear comfortable shoes or hiking boots, dress in layers of water-shedding artificial fabric or wool, and be prepared for rain or wind. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver form.

Directions: From US 220 take the VA 609 exit towards Fieldale. Turn right at Dillon's Fork Road, continue on Virginia Avenue, continue on Patrick Avenue, turn right at Field Avenue. Turn right at South River Road, and immediately turn right into the parking lot of the Fieldale Park.

More information: Paula Wyatt, 276-647-3274 or pwyatt1@embarqmail.com.

Film Festival Replay Held at Philpott Lake

Several audience members pose for a photo
overlooking Philpott Dam after the show.

Saturday was a beautiful day and more than a dozen people gathered at the Philpott Lake Visitor's Center to see a second showing of the Smith River Film Festival. This series of short films was originally played at the Rives Theater in Uptown Martinsville during Labor Day Weekend.  Watching the films enticed several audience members to learn to paddle and showed others the rich beauty found within the Smith River Valley. Everyone agreed that the films were great and the scenic view of Philpott Lake was well worth the drive!

The Second Annual Smith River Film Festival will be held on September 3rd, 2010. Mark your calendars and start filming your outdoor adventures today. Your short film just might be the next winner! 

The Perfect Holiday Gift Idea

The holidays are just around the corner and if you are searching for the perfect gift, consider giving the person you love a plaque to be placed on the Historic Fieldale Iron Bridge. Plaques start at just $100 each, and will be prominately displayed along the trusses in Fieldale Park. The donation is tax-deductible and your gift will help protect a piece of local history.  To learn more about purchasing a plaque, contact jdoss@danriver.org.  As of today we are at 87% of our fundraising goal; only $1,500 is needed to complete the project.

Purchase a plaque for someone special in your life like these individuals did...

In Honor of

Noel & Dovie Adams
by Barbara Purcell

In Honor of

Fieldale Baptist Church, Est. 1919
by the congregation

In Honor of my Mommy and Daddy

"We fished the Smith River in 2009."

by Jeremiah Keith Bullard

In Loving Memory of Jean Clarke Fuller
Fieldale High School Teacher & Friend
by Elva Adkins Adams

“Mrs. Fuller taught for many years at Fieldale High School.
She had no children of her own and I think we were her adopted
family. She coached the girls basketball team with great enthusiasm.
She was a great friend and she also knew how to pose for a great picture!”

Free Film Showing

Did you miss it? The Smith River Film Fest is coming back for an encore showing! Come experience the thrills, spills, and splashes all over again. The films will be shown on a slightly smaller screen this time at the Philpott Lake Visitor's Center in Bassett, VA. Admission is free, but donations to benefit river access on the Smith, Mayo, and Dan Rivers are appreciated.

Saturday, November 14th at 2 p.m.

Philpott Lake Visitor's Center

Bassett, VA

Come see the winning film: Linda Drage's "A Safety Short: Learning to Kayak", the best Wipeouts from "Troop 168 on the River", cuddly creatures living by the river and of course the crowd favorite: "River Do's & Don'ts with Jennifer & Paddler Bob!"

Don't forget while you are out and about, to stop and enjoy the breathtaking scenic beauty that Philpott Lake has to offer!

Coming Soon...

Several weeks ago, a group of curious walkers, several pooches and a cyclist joined the Dan River Basin Association and Henry County Parks & Recreation for a guided trip along the forthcoming Dick & Willie Passage Rail Trail.  It was a perfect fall afternoon for a walk. Benny Summerlin, Henry County Administrator, began the walk by explaning about the trail's path and timeline for work. The trail is expected to open in Spring 2010.

The group set off on the three mile walk enjoying the beautiful foliage, crisp fall air and each other's company.  Along the way they saw the four trailhead loactions where the public will soon access the trail from and locations for potential trailside business opportunities.

It was a wonderful day for a walk and we all look forward to walking the completed trail this coming spring once it is open.

December First Saturday Outing

Dan River Basin Association to Hike Fieldale Trail December 5

Alternatively, Traditional Sprig Outing in NC

The First Saturday Outing of the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) on December 5, 2009 will be a hike on the Fieldale Trail beside the Smith River in Fieldale, Virginia. Participants will meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Fieldale Park near the site of the old Fieldale Iron Bridge for an out-and-back stroll led by Friends of the Fieldale Trail volunteers.

Alternatively, boaters may join other paddle clubs in the 27th Annual Sprig Outing in the swamp of the Upper Little River near Lillington, NC to collect holiday greenery. Details are at http://www.danriver.org/.

Fieldale Trail hikers may choose to walk a distance of one to six miles, since two sections comprise the trail—a 1.5-mile Upper Fieldale Trail from Fieldale Park to the original trailhead, and a 1.5-mile Lower Fieldale Trail downstream from the trailhead. Both segments are flat and easy to walk. Walking the entire distance out and back gives a total of 6 miles.

The Fieldale Trail offers "a golden opportunity to see Mother Nature up close and personal right in our own backyard," according to Adopt-a-Trail volunteers Charles and Pat Dameron. Tommy Wyatt, a leader of DRBA’s Friends of the Fieldale Trail, adds, “The trail is a great place to meet people from the community. Families, children, elderly people, bicyclists, and even people training for marathons use the trail as part of their daily activities.”

Hugging the bank of the Smith River, the graveled trail of the Upper Fieldale Trail winds through woods and open fields frequented by a variety of birds to the trailhead at the Fieldale Canoe Access, where a restroom is available. From there, the natural-surface Lower Fieldale Trail trail enters the riverside forest and skirts rhododendron bluffs alongside the river to its downstream terminus. Towering sycamore trees shelter the trail, and gravel bars and rock formations in the streambed give voice to the river.

Envisioned at a 2005 planning session of DRBA’s affiliate, the Martinsville-Henry County Rivers and Trails Group, the Fieldale Trial is part of the proposed 45-mile Smith River Trail System from Philpott Dam to the river’s confluence with the Dan River at Eden, NC, as well as the Beaches to Bluegrass Trail across Southern Virginia.

One mile of the Upper Fieldale Trail opened in July, 2007 and the Lower Fieldale Trail was dedicated in March, 2009. Constructed with support from Dominion Foundation, the Virginia Department of Forestry, Henry County, and numerous corporate and private in-kind donations, the trail is operated by Henry County Parks & Recreation. Plans for an extension of the Upper Fieldale Trail are underway.

When Jennifer Doss, DRBA’s Rivers & Trails Project Manager, learned about the imminent replacement of the landmark 1931 Fieldale Iron Bridge, she worked with the Fieldale Heritage Festival to save 54 feet of the old structure that will be used as trail art on either side of the Fieldale Trail, “so that trail users will once again walk ‘across’ the Iron Bridge.” Doss adds, “Thanks to the support of local businesses and community partners, many hands working together have helped to preserve the Historic Iron Bridge.” Dozens of donors and generous corporate gifts of time and materials have brought the project near its fundraising goal. More information is at http://www.danriver.org/.

Participants in the hike should meet at 10:00 a.m. at Fieldale Park, 188 Field Avenue, at the intersection of Field Avenue and South River Road (GPS coordinates: North 36.42, 076 West 56.021, 079). Bring lunch and water, wear comfortable shoes or hiking boots, dress in layers of water-shedding artificial fabric or wool, and be prepared for rain or wind. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver form.

Directions: From US 220 take the VA 609 exit towards Fieldale. Turn right at Dillon’s Fork Road, continue on Virginia Avenue, continue on Patrick Avenue, turn right at Field Avenue. Turn right at South River Road, and immediately turn right into the parking lot of the Fieldale Park.

Outings and meetings of the Dan River Basin Association are open to the public without charge.
For more information, contact Trip Coordinator Paula Wyatt at 276-647-3274 or pwyatt1@embarqmail.com.

For membership information, visit http://www.danriver.org/.
Article contributed by T Butler

Have you Supported the Fieldale Iron Bridge Yet?

There are only three more weeks left to purchase a plaque for the Fieldale Iron Bridge. Buying a plaque is the perfect way to honor or remember someone you care for or to promote your business. We are presently at 84% of our fundraising goal and only need $2,000 more to complete this project to preserve a local icon.

The metal plaques are approximately 3.5 by 5.5 inches in size and can contain upto three lines of text. They will be placed along beams on the trusses of the Historic Fieldale Iron Bridge once it is installed along the trail in Fieldale Park. The trusses will stand 12 feet high and 54 feet long. (Note: illustration not shown to scale)
Plaques are $100 each and the donation is tax-deductible. You can also purchase keepsake pieces of the 71 year old bridge along with a plaque for $250. A perfect holiday gift idea for the history buff on your list!

Thanks to a generous donation from Boxley Materials, the concrete footers to support the trusses will be poured during the last week of November. After a few days of curing the trusses will be securely mounted, painted and then the plaques will be attached.

To purchase a plaque, download a form at http://www.danriver.org/Recreation/PDFs/FieldaleIronBridgeDonationForm.pdf.

You can also read the other plaques that have been contributed by visiting: http://www.danriver.org/Recreation/PDFs/FieldaleIronBridgeDonorList.pdf