On January 10th at Hardywood Brewery in Richmond, Coastal Canoeists held the Boats & Brews Film Fest, benefiting the James River Outdoor Coalition. Appomattox River Company was one of the many sponsors of the event. Tom, our GM, loves supporting grassroots whitewater events. He sent a team of us, from both ARC-Farmville and ARC-Ashland, out to the film fest to represent. Paddlers from the Downtown Richmond whitewater scene and beyond, came to hang out, drink great beer and watch cool films.

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The night started with a little socializing and beverage-ing. We set up a table with our raffle items and logo gear. Here's L to R: Christi, Scott -ARC Ashland manager, Brian Vande Sande - ARC Farmville.

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There was a great crowd, both in the big screening room and the little screening room and the films were fantastic.

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During intermission the raffles were called out. Scott, our ARC-Ashland store manager, went up on stage to hand out some goodies, including a Werner Powerhouse paddle. Here's a pic of the winner, Laura, with the paddle. Congrats!

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It was cool to see Bob Taylor, ARC owner, repeatedly popping up on the screen in our ad, as he played in Pipeline Rapid, in RVA ca. 1978.

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All told, the Boats & Brews Film Fest was a success. The Richmond kayaking scene was a lot of fun and filled with some great folks. I was happy to see Ben Moore and Mitch Davis from Riverside Outfitters there. I was very glad to meet Hunter Davis, from Home on the James, and to talk about his love for the RVA community. I was also psyched to join as a member of the Coastals. Being in that crowd, surrounded by whitewater and outdoor enthusiasts, reminded me of hanging with another crowd I love, my West Virginia family. Since moving to Virginia from the New River Gorge in West Virginia, I've missed a little of that scene and the people who populate it.

Don't get me wrong, I've been engrossed in the kayak fishing community and absolutely loving it. But I spent close to 10 years in WV, in a small mountain community, that consisted of rock climbers, mountain bikers, trail runners and whitewater kayakers. It was the first place, as an adult, that I ever called home, and felt like I belonged. So, I still miss some of the intangibles that come from that environment. But this past Saturday, in Richmond, I felt that same familiar buzz, and it wasn't just from the beer. This buzz comes courtesy of the low hum that emits from a crowd of irrepressibly stoked people, all packed together, sharing past adventures and dreaming of the next chance to play outside. Perhaps not to surprisingly, I ran into some former New River Gorge residents/ex-Fayettevillians at the event, and it really brought the feelings I had full circle. Thank You Coastals, for putting together a great event and thank you to the RVA paddling community. I look forward to hanging out again soon. This is the year I get back into a whitewater kayak, and the Boats & Brews Film Fest was the perfect primer for that goal.

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Here's a shot of me in WV in 2010. Five minutes later I was strapped into a Wave Sport Big-EZ, on the Upper New, anticipating Surprise Rapid. It was my first time in a whitewater boat. I look forward to getting back in one this year. Say hi if you see me.

See ya on the water!