4th Annual Greater Roanoke River Boat Race
Story and Photo Gallery
DEAR Fourth Annual Greater Roanoke River Boat Race a Success
By Randall C. Melton, Down East Animal Refuge
SCOTLAND NECK NC (JUNE 30) – The Fourth Annual Greater Roanoke River Boat Race, held Saturday, June 21, 2008, brought out local people to the Roanoke River Boat Landing on Highway 258, just north of Scotland Neck, to enjoy good food and raise funds for Down East Animal Refuge shelter.
DEAR sold 513 individual boat entries. Tickets for the race were sold all the way up until one hour before race time. First place prize of $300 went to James Boyd of Scotland Neck, with $250 to second place finisher Susan Glover, $200 to third place winter Janet Dudley of Scotland Neck, fourth and fifth place went to John Bryant, with James Branch picking up sixth place. Tickets were not the only items that raised money for the non-profit Scotland Neck shelter. DEAR also sold seafood plates, hot dogs, and drinks before and after the race.
“We sold quite a few boats, right up to race time,” said DEAR member Gloria Skinner. “We also saw a lot of donations made. We certainly want to thank all those who donated to the shelter.”
Good food was also available. DEAR members Claudia Harrell, Donna May, and Lesley Faithful all pitched in to help serve food. Plenty of catfish, shrimp, and hot dogs were sold up to race time.
Between selling food and boat race tickets, DEAR managed to adopt out another dog. Kerri Gore had traveled all the way from Virginia Beach to adopt Pepper, a small, mixed breed dog. Pepper had only recently arrived at the DEAR shelter. Pepper had been rescued by DEAR member Jackie Jones.
“I had been looking for a dog for some time,” said Gore. “My husband is in the military and I was looking for a companion while he is on deployment. I found Pepper through PetFinder.com. I knew he was the right dog when I saw him.”
Robin Bowers, Pepper’s foster mom, assisted in showing Kerri the ropes of the adoption process. The adoption went smoothly after Robin had introduced Pepper to Kerri. “We are happy to see him go to a good home,” said Robin. “Pepper has all his shots and is ready for his new home.” DEAR does follow up after a certain period of time to make sure all is well in their new home.
Food sales slowed as race time neared. Dozens of people drifted from where food sales were and headed to the Roanoke River Bridge and dock to watch the race. The current was very strong throughout the river. The small boat shaped plywood cutouts, were numbered, sorted, bagged and placed aboard boats for a short trip upstream. Once at the designated location, all the boats were dumped into the river. Now the waiting game started. The swift currents in the river brought the boats promptly downstream to the bridge.
People gathered on boat ramp under the Roanoke River Bridge on Highway 258 to see who would win the race. It was about 30 minutes before the first boats came into sight. The winning boats were well ahead of the other finishers. Donna May, DEAR President, had rode in one of the recovery boats to help determine the race winners. She had the winners in hand when she stepped off the boat and on to the dock.
Things wrapped up rather quickly after the end of the race. Dark clouds, wind, and rain brought on a rapid clean up. DEAR members and others helped pitch in a hand to get tents taken down, chairs folded, and trash picked up. DEAR would like to thank all those who took the time to help get things cleaned prior to the rain arriving.
DEAR was very successful in getting assistance and participation from the local business community. These local sponsors included BB&T, CIP Inc., Sara Lee, Dr. Marty Edwards (vet), Charles Ingram, Luigi’s, Downeast Peanuts, Shields Fertilizer, The Bar-B-Q Stand, Carbon Products USA, Town of Scotland Neck, Thompson Well Drilling, Englewood Barber Shop, and Airboss Rubber Compounding.. DEAR would like to say a special thank you those sponsors that assisted with selling tickets and getting word out. Those sponsors were Josey Brothers, Luigi’s, Ace Hardware, and Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park.
The race would not have happened without the help of volunteers. Those volunteers included those who helped get the boats in and out of the river. These volunteers included Tony Hale’s boat crew and others who showed up to lend a hand.
DEAR welcomes the public to attend its monthly meetings held on the third Thursday of each month. Watch our web site for the specific time and location of our next meeting. These meetings give the public an opportunity to learn more about what the organization does and learn about volunteer opportunities at the shelter. More information on DEAR can be obtained by contacting DEAR at P.O. Drawer 40, Scotland Neck NC 27874, (252) 826-2500, or by emailing us at information@downeastanimalrefuge.org. More detailed, updated information on our activities can be seen at our web site: http://www.downeastanimalrefuge.org.
The Preparation
The Setup
Ticket Sales
The Food
The Adoption
The Boat Race