2008 Leaf Peeper Schedule

Friday, September 26th
10am – 4:30pm
Fall Foliage Horseback Ride. Mt. Trail Rides, Canaan Valley.
Enjoy the area’s fall foliage from horseback, Don’t forget your cameras!
Identify yourself as a “Leaf Peeper” and receive a 10% discount.
Reservations a MUST! Call 304-866-4652
5:30 pm
DTEMS PTO Cake Walk. Davis Fire Fall, Davis.
Come enjoy old family fashion fun. Many cakes to be won.
If inclement weather, Cake walk will be moved inside.
8:30 pm
Music, Purple Fiddle, Thomas.
The Purple Fiddle is proud to host Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels.
$12 cover charge. Kids Free. For information 304-463-4040.

Saturday, September 27th
7:00 am
Migrating Birds Walk, CV NWR.
Hike will last a couple of hours. Hike led by Casey Rucker.
Meet @ the CVW Refuge Visitors Center in Canaan Valley.
For more information 304-866-3858.
9am – 5pm
Appalachian Craft & Food Fair, Davis Fire Hall. Davis.
Crafters & Artists from all over the region display their specialties.
Many items for sale including; painted wood slates, ceramics,
fabric crafts, baked goods and hot food from the kitchen by the
Blackwater Rebekah Lodge ladies. For more information 304-259-5315.
9am – 4 pm
Photo Contest, Davis Fire Hall. Davis.
As you stroll through the Appalachian Craft & Food Fair, stop and cast
your vote for your favorite photo. There will be an adult & junior
category, along with a Black & White, professional and digital category.
All photos must be matted and turned in to the Information Center by
5:00 p.m. Friday September 26th .Public Judging. Voting takes place
from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Winners announced at 4pm. For more information
call 304-259-5315.
10am
Elakala Trail Walk, Blackwater Falls State Park.
Meet the naturalist in the Lodge Lobby for a walk along the Elakala trail.
This trail winds along the canyons rim over a section of a creek waterfall
and by some huge sandstone rock formations. Some steps, one mile,
about one hour. For more information call 304-259-5216.
10am
Tour of Davis Run For It 2K/ 5K or Walk, Davis Fire Hall.
Sponsored by the TCEF. Men, women and youth classes. Prizes and
trophies awarded. 5K is certified and sanctioned by U.S. Track & Field.
Pre register before Sept.15th or register day of race at 8:00a.m. @ the
Davis Fire Hall. Race starts at 10:00 a.m. at the Davis Fire Hall. For more
information 304-478-2930.
10am - ?
Outdoor BBQ. Windwood Fly-In Resort, Canaan Valley.
Outdoor BBQ, pumpkin face painting, candy apples,
baked goods, door prizes, free gifts for kids, plane rides. For
information 304-866-7456
10am – 3pm
Silent Auction, Davis Fire Hall, Davis.
Bid on various items from local businesses. Many items to be won!
Items include; Lodging Packages, Ski Passes, Handcrafted items
and more!! Sponsored by Tucker County COC. For more
information call 304-259-5451.
10am – 4pm
Craft Show, Canaan Valley.
Sponsored by the Canaan Valley Women’s Club. Over 30 tables of quality
handmade crafts by area and out-of-state crafters at the Canaan Valley Fire
Department. For more information 304-621-2537.




10am – 4:30pm
Fall Foliage Horseback Ride. Mt. Trail Rides, Canaan Valley.
Enjoy the area’s fall foliage from horseback, Don’t forget your cameras!
Identify yourself as a “Leaf Peeper” and receive a 10% discount.
Reservations a MUST! Call 304-866-4652
10am – 5pm
Food Tasting, Moutnainmade Country Store, Thomas.
Visit Mountainmade Country store for a taste of Gourmet Foods of WV.
For more information 463-3376.
11am
Revenge of the Rattlesnake Mountainbike Race
The longest running mountainbike race in the world will start at
Timberline Four Seasons Resort and finish in Davis with a lot of roots
and rocks in between! Registration opens at 9:00 AM. More information
contact Blackwater Bikes at 259-5286 or visit www.wvmba.com
11am - ??
Oktoberfest. Across from the Davis Fire Hall, Davis.
Beer, music, dancing & food! A true Oktoberfest atmosphere. Sample
treats from local businesses/organizations. Music to include; The Davisson
Brothers & The Sugar Stompers. Sponsored by the Tucker County COC.
For information 304-259-5451.
11am-4pm
Canoe/Kayak Float Trips, Across from Davis VFD along river.
Come out and experience the Blackwater River up close! Blackwater Outdoor
Adventures will be renting Canoes/Kayaks on the Blackwater River across
from the Davis VFD. For more info call 304-478-3775.
1pm
Blackwater Canyon Bike Ride
Drivers will meet at the USFS Nursery Bottom trail head at Bretz to set up
shuttles at noon. Riders will depart from Purple Fiddle at 1:00 p.m. Helmets
are required. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Sponsored
by Highland Trail Foundation. For more information karen@elkinsbike.com
2pm
Blackwater Falls Memory Log, Blackwater Falls State Park
Meet in the Harold S. Walter Nature Center to create your own memory log.
This craft is completed in two session. Craft fee $4. For more information
call 304-259-5216.
2:30pm
Blackwater Dazzlers Performance, Next to Oktoberfest Tent.
Come out and support this group of girls as they “Strut their stuff”. This
organization is relatively new to the area and features all local girls. If
inclement weather, the performance will be moved to the Davis
Community Center. For more information call 304-614-8125
8:30 pm
Ghost Walk, Davis.
Take a “walk back in time” through the streets of Davis, stopping at different
locations where stories of strange and unusual happenings have occurred.
$5.00 per person. Meet at the Old National Bank of Davis Parking lot.
For information 304-866-4455.
8:30 pm
Music, Purple Fiddle, Thomas.
The Purple Fiddle is proud to host the Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Family Band
$12 cover charge. Kids Free. For information 304-463-4040.

Sunday, September 28th
8am – 1pm
Fireman’s Fall Feed, Davis Fire Hall, Davis
Support our local Fire Department with this glorious breakfast of Pancakes,
Buckwheat Cakes & Sausage Gravy & Biscuits! $7 for adults & $4 for Kids (12 & Under)
8:30pm
Fall Colors Trail Hike, CVNWR.
Join Master Naturalists Bruce and Andy Dalton on this trail hike
on Cabin Mountain trails, looking at fall colors and a nice view of the
valley! Meet @ the CVW Refuge Visitors Center in Canaan Valley.
For more information 304-866-3858.
9:30am-??
11th Annual Fall Colors Golf Tournament, Canaan Valley Resort.
New Format includes open division, Play for cash! Best Ball scramble
w/ two divisions, open & handicap. Lots of great prizes!! For rules
& more information call 304-259-5315.




10am – 3pm
Tree Planting, Friends of Blackwater-Davis Park & BWFSP.
As part of National Public Lands Day (NPLD) we will be planting red spruce
trees at Davis City Park and Blackwater Falls State Park on the
new “River Trail” across the bridge from Davis. Volunteer any time from
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Tools provided. Meet at the canoe landing behind the
old Shop-n-Save (across from Sirianni's). Call Brandae Mullins at (304)
345-7663 to register. Get a free T-Shirt, good exercise and celebrate the
75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps by continuing their
legacy.
12pm
Inaugural Downhill Mountainbike Race. Timberline Resort
We've worked on the course all summer and it's time to GO! Registration is
At 9am and racing starts at noon! For more information contact Timberline
at 1-800-SNOWING or jrnolan@comcast.net
12pm- 4pm
Canoe/Kayak Float Trips, Across from Davis VFD along river.
Come out and experience the Blackwater River up close! Blackwater Outdoor
Adventures will be renting Canoes/Kayaks on the Blackwater River across
from the Davis VFD. For more info call 304-478-3775.
1pm
Duck Race, Beaver Creek Bridge, Davis.
Over 700 ducks are released into Beaver Creek. First, Second, Third & Last duck
to cross finish line wins $$. Duck Tickets are $2.00 each & can be purchased at the
Information Center. Tickets must be purchased before 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.
2pm
13th Annual Dog Show, Parking lot across from DVFD, Davis.
Your dog could win a prize for Best Trick, Best Dressed or Best of Show and
many more categories. Show will take place rain or shine (if inclement weather,
will be held under the tent) Sponsored by the Mountaineer Humane society.
8pm
Music, Purple Fiddle, Thomas.
The Purple Fiddle is proud to host Johnny Possum's Good Time Hootin' Band
$8.00 cover charge. Kids Free For more information 304-463-4040.

Thanks for attending & we hope to see you next year
September 25th – 27th, 2009

Canoeing at Riverwalk for Leaf Peepers

I and a few others here in Davis have imagined canoes ending flatwater trips at the take-out just behind the old shopnsave (future Riverwalk Shops). And having boats racked there would make it convenient to rent for just a 30 minute paddle up to the new road bridge and around the little islands...perhaps do some trout fishing, or just see the town from a new perspective.

For Leaf Peepers we're going to make it reality. Blackwater Outdoor Adventures will have a few boats of various types at the water for festival goers to take out for a spin. You probably can't go downstream due to shallow rapids but there is plenty of slightly deeper still water backing up to the vicinity of the bridge.

If this dream has legs, then one day there'll be tubing, canoeing, and kayaking from Camp 70 and Beaver Creek start points, taking out at Davis Riverwalk. The goal is to offer families an easy adventure on flat water that ends right downtown.

Nearby on Davis Riverwalk is a USGS Gauging Station that has tracked volume since 1921 and depth since 1991. It is considered one of the most important gauging stations in WV for predicting floods downstream. Check out this data!

Still logs running the Blackwater

This week we are clearing and grading what will be one day be the main promenade to a viewing deck and canoe takeout. During the job our own Mayor Drenning stopped in and noticed a clean cut and notched spruce log. The shot above shows the log with a view from Riverwalk's riverfront. Clearly very old red spruce, protected for a century underwater before being washed up here, this log is well on its way to becoming mulch. In the old BW photo you can see the roof line of the "old bank building" at left, with the structures, rails and stacks of the Babcock Boom & Lumber Co along the north banks of the Blackwater. The photographer was across the water from today's Riverwalk's site and the view is angled upstream toward what is today's Davis Riverfront Park. Seeing this old log and various chunks of century-old foundation in the mix, we felt like the boom days were just a little closer in history. Other huge spruce logs with similar notching rest nearby in the water. I am guessing that these logs are from the log bridge that spanned the Blackwater near this location. They are from the lumber days, no doubt. Phil, our excavator, told me that in the 'old days' (I'll guess the 50's) they would just burn the shores of the Blackwater along here, to keep back the brush that they feared would bring a fire from across the river (today the Blackwater Falls State Park) I daresay that most fires in these moist woods probably came and continue to come from man's hand, but ok, I can imagine these banks burned off and grassed, before the decades of decline had made themselves felt. Imagine the 1920's and 30's here...a time when the mills were silent, gone or being disassembled. A thousand or more citizens watched the economic engine wind down. One property after another would be neglected, abandoned, and town pride would find a smaller bastion, walk a narrower path, and subsist on a sparser income from nearby mining and the slowing momentum of a lumber boom's legacy.

Carnival rides for Leaf Peepers

Myers Amusements will have rides and concessions Friday evening through Sunday of Leaf Peepers Festival! Riverwalk is providing the site and electrical, and Myers Amusements will set up and sell tickets to ride. The Sizzler (shown) will probably be the only 'big' ride and the others will be intermediate rides for all ages. Other rides include the Big Swing (all ages classic), Dinosaur (shown), and the Airplane (kiddies). Myers has silent generators allowing them to operate without the racket typically heard at carnivals. The rides will be located along William Avenue on the historic location of the Western Maryland Railroad, where it approached the Davis Train Station.

Advocate is the new beta source for the Valley

The Parson's Advocate has been steadily becoming more informative in all things Canaan over the past few years, delving into stories concerning all of Tucker County and providing good coverage of business and community news for Canaan Valley, Davis and Thomas. The latest fire, theft or flood is interesting, but the Advocate goes further to provide good information about the latest small business, latest relevant bills passed, latest festivals, the activities of Canaan Valley Institute and Vandalia Heritage Foundation, or the latest controversial power line or windmill. These are frankly very valuable pieces in understanding the progress of Canaan Valley, and hard information to come by if you are not in the middle of it all.

And now you can get all the goods ON LINE!

I predict that as this site gets richer content and more awareness, the Parson's Advocate will effectively capture the second home owner readership of Tucker County.

Timberline's new Downhills Mapped and Photographed

We love those rocky Canaan single track trails, and now we can love them downhill. Thanks JR for designing and implementing this fantastic new set of trails on the Timberline ski mountain. And thanks to Digital Area Maps you can see the first of the trails and related photos online at:
http://www.damaps.net/wv/bike/trail-1581

Pete

Friends of Blackwater on Mountain Biking

Friends of the Blackwater stands to be a real force in helping to ensure ample mountain biking access to the Blackwater watershed and canyon area. I've been aware that the organization has always promoted mountain biking, particularly since a premier rail trail runs right down the canyon from Hendricks to Thomas. While that is not a surprise to many, it is one thing to be supportive of mountain biking and quite another to: understand that mountain biking trail infrastructure is one of the keys to recreation-based economic development in the area. FoB understands this.

In the July Newsletter of FoB, an article entitled, 'Mountain biking Rules the Canyon and the Highlands," stated FoB's position unequivocally. "Promoting and advancing mountain biking in the region -- in all it's diverse expressions -- is part of the mission of Friends of Blackwater."

Today I was riding in Patapsco Valley State Park near Baltimore, and there were literally dozens and dozens of people on foot, sharing the trail with bike riders. Now this park has been around since 1907 and probably has a good idea of what is the highest and best use for its beautiful woods and streams. Sharing has worked just fine, giving the park more visibility and more visitors.

It is rapidly being realized that hiking, equestrian and mountain biking are relatively non-invasive ways to allow visitors to explore our parks.

The Town of Davis is at the beginning of establishing itself as a hub for exploring its surrounding parks. Stay there, dine there, and head out on your bike, your skis or on foot to many trails, from easy to extreme. FoB is a powerful lobby for parkland conservation. Mountain bikers and area businesses will be major beneficiaries of their work. And the canyon will remain beautifully undisturbed.

Thank you FoB for your efforts to ensure mountain biking in the lands you seek to protect!

Riverfront Ramblers Run for IT! Saturday 9/27

The "Tour of Davis -- Run For It!" event is a 5K run or walk organized by the Tucker Community Endowment Foundation (TCEF) to raise money for various community causes that are represented by teams. TCEF itself is offering various add-on contributions for teams that win various competitive categories. I have been intrigued with the progress and financial growth of the TCEF endowment, and it's management is efficient -- meaning they don't have high expenses and get alot of money to their charitable causes. Last year I was stunned to see no team running to raise money for the Riverfront Park. Cemeteries and Libraries are nice, but they won't drive the economic development of Davis the way a beautiful park would. The small parks in downtown Crested Butte, Durango, Telluride, Jackson, Santa Fe -- you name the mountain jewel -- are important to attracting and retaining visitors.

This year is the year that the Riverfront Park gets on the track to win some support.

The team I would like to introduce is "The Riverfront Ramblers." The team captain is Sandy Schmiedeknecht of Davis and the team's cause is the Town of Davis' Riverfront Park. For those not familiar with this nascent but exciting town park, it is a 5-acre parcel along the Blackwater River behind the old bank building, and the historical site of the Babcock Boom and Lumber Company mills. In the illustrative plan shown in this post, the park comprises the undeveloped green space, trails, gardens and plantations. These past two summers, volunteers and contractors have been clearing trails, grading land, removing hazards, installing benches and defining future amenities for the park. Ultimately, it will have a pavillion, an amphitheater for concerts in the park, a trail head information kiosk, a pedestrian bridge across the river to Blackwater Falls State Park, and other attractions for young and old. The Davis Riverfront Park will be a wonderful green space to enhance your visit to downtown Davis. The Davis Parks & Recreation Commission owns and manages the park, and qualifies for tax deductible contributions.

How can you participate or help?

Enter the event as a Riverfront Rambler for $10 and get a race T-shirt!

Sponsor the team for $100 or any amount you see fit! I have pledged a match of $5,000 as a dollar for dollar match to all contributions made on behalf of the Riverfront Rambler's cause.

For more information:

Tucker Community Endowment Foundation is at www.tuckerfoundation.net
Riverfront Ramblers Team Captain, Sandy Schmiedeknecht, 304-642-9047 or qsandy@mountain.net

Lions Club Presentation March 6, 2008

Great evening with the Thomas-Davis Chapter. Lions host charitable events and undertake community-oriented projects, particularly for the handicapped. I can imagine there are many opportunities to contribute in areas related to our Riverfront Park! Here is most of the presentation that was given by myself and architect Michael Mills. Thank you Lions for an inspiring and informative evening of conversation about the great future of Davis and the Valley!

Read this doc on Scribd: Lions Club Pres old version

Join Friends as Mollohan Honored as Blackwater Hero

You are invited

to attend a

Reception and Award Ceremony

at the home of

Rafe and Lenore Pomerance

2026 Allen Place, NW, Washington, DC

Wednesday February 13, 2008

5:30 pm to 8:00pm

Part of the reception will be the honoring of Congressman Alan Mollohan for his dedication to preserving and conserving the Blackwater Canyon Trail. Davis Riverwalk will be one of dozens of contributor/hosts for this event.

Suggested Donation:

$75 per person/$125 per couple

Please RSVP as soon as possible:

Phone: 877-WVA-LAND (877-982-5263)

E-mail: info@saveblackwater.org