SperryFest! 2024: A Guide to the Festivities

A GUIDE TO THE FESTIVITIES

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024

Our parking is generously provided by our neighbors’ private lands. We ask you to always respect their property and pack out whatever you brought in. Parking attendants will greet you at most lots. Parking is always free.

→ Park in Lot A and walk our trails to Main Street (5 minutes)

→ Park in Lot B and walk our trails to Main Street (3 minutes)

→ Limited handicap parking

An interview with Sebastian, pro river racing duck A love affair with SperryFest

BY WILLIAM “DUCK BILL” WADDLE Special to the Rappahannock News

DUCK BILL: Sebastian, thank you for taking the time from your busy river racing training schedule to talk with me. Let’s begin: You have been quoted as saying that the river race in Sperryville is one of your favorite races. With all the big duck races in which you have competed around the country, why is the SperryFest race your favorite?

SEBASTIAN: Thank you, Duck Bill, for the question. I think the last time we spoke was at the big Chicago Ducky Derby last August. In fact, one of the reasons I love the Great Rubber Duck Race Down the Mighty Thornton River at SperryFest

is because it is more intimate. The Chicago race had 75,000 ducks last year. While it is fun, it is all about getting your jersey, jumping into the truck and being dumped into the river. The Sperryville race provides a true community feeling where you get to see friends, both duck and human, and enjoy the camaraderie with everyone in attendance.

Plus, SperryFest was my very first race. My Uncle Clarence brought me to Sperryville to get my wings wet and I have never turned back. This will be my fourth race down Sperryville’s Mighty Thornton River. This is where my racing heart lives.

DUCK BILL: Speaking of your Uncle Clarence, how is he doing as a retired river racer?

SEBASTIAN: Uncle Clarence is

A (clean) river runs through it

A small crew cleaned up the Thornton River last weekend to prepare for the Great Rubber Duck Race Down the Mighty Thornton River. Volunteers pulled out pallets and rebar, food containers and plastic bags, car parts and hubcaps.

doing very well. As you know, he started these races as a way to draw attention to the need to clean our rivers and protect our environment, to pick up litter and fight invasive species and protect water quality. I know one of the reasons he brought me to Sperryville was to see the big impact a small community could have to make a di erence.

DUCK BILL: Excellent point. By the way, have you had a chance to check out the racecourse? I recall the course was very fast last year.

SEBASTIAN: It was indeed. We had to cancel the practice run the night before because of how fast the river was flowing. Yesterday, I joined a couple of my fellow racers to check out the course from the Main Street Bridge to the schoolhouse. It looks good. The water is at a great level for a good race. My specialty is dodging rocks, which is why rivers like the Mighty Thornton are my preferred course. I love to sweep through minifalls and weave through outcroppings.

DUCK BILL: Indeed, we saw a lot of our fellow competitors get hung up on the rocks last year. I think we all need to give a great thank you to all those brave Duck Chasers and

Duck Catchers who risk everything to ensure a safe race for all 1,000 ducks.

SEBASTIAN: You are so right, Duck Bill. These courageous kids risk a good soaking to ensure every duck is safe and has a good race. I saw one Duck Chaser do a full duck breaststroke to rescue one disoriented racer stuck in

you enter the water to win prizes for humans, it is always comforting to know the course is well monitored and that no duck will be abandoned to float alone to the big, scary Atlantic Ocean. Every competitor at SperryFest knows their strict policy that No Duck Will Be Left Behind.

DUCK BILL: Sebastian, we know the 4 p.m. race with 1,000 ducks is the main event. I know you have

talked about the importance of giving younger ducks a chance to do what you did, explore their skills and find their passion. I understand it was you who suggested the idea of a Kid Duck Race at SperryFest. Can you talk about that?

duckling. I encouraged the humans their then congratulate it before taking it

SEBASTIAN: Absolutely. Jumping into a river with so many other ducks can be intimidating to a young duckling. I encouraged the humans at SperryFest to create a smaller race with fewer ducks in which young humans can serve as their mentors. They plan to continue this wonderful tradition with having one human kid adopt a duckling, paint on its jersey, cheer it down the river at 2 p.m., and then congratulate it before taking it home for more training.

DUCK BILL: Let me ask one more question before you get back into the pool. One of my readers asked me to ask you this question: Are you dating anyone right now?

SEBASTIAN: Duck Bill, you always know how to ask the probing questions. Let me just tell you that I love what I am doing. I love the people I fly with and race with. And I love this little community of Sperryville. You will be the first I tell when I’m ready to talk. you did, explore their skills and find

Yarn art made by Sebastian in the 2nd grade that his mother says inspired his love of duck racing.

Schedule of Events

FRIDAY, APRIL 26

6 p.m.: Rappahannock Historical Society “History of Sperryville” Book Launch at The Marketplace

Sperryville in River District

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

9 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Rappahannock Farmers’ Market at The Schoolhouse/Golf Course

SperryFest! 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Main Street Festival with artisans, food and drink, entertainment

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Kids’ Corner (bounce house, scavenger hunt bingo, duck painting, duck dash)

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Classic Car Show (at The Schoolhouse/Golf Course)

11 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Fairy Seed Balls by the River at Wild Roots Apothecary

1:45 p.m.: Kids’ Parade to Main Street Bridge for Duck Dash Race

2 p.m.: Kids’ Duck Dash Race

4 p.m.: Main Duck Race Street Festival Entertainment

10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Smokin’ Trout

12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m.: Juggling

1 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.: Back Road Revels (1st set)

1:45 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.: Break for parade & kids’ duck race

2:15 - 3:45 p.m.: Back Road Revels (2nd set)

Ducks After Dark

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.: 1000 Faces Band at Veditz Brewing

6 p.m. - 8 p.m.: Volunteer Appreciation at Before & After

2023 PHOTOS BY LUKE CHRISTOPHER

Kid’s Corner duck painting

Main Duck Race at 4 p.m.

Vendors

BEER, WINE & SPIRITS

Pen Druid Veditz Brewery

Copper Fox Distillery

Chester Gap Wines

Gadino Cellars

Magnolia Vineyards

Narmada Winery

Quievremont Vineyard

Revelation Vineyards

ARTISANS

Abracadabra

Battle Mountain Makers

Chris Anderson Art Work

Cornerstone Lavender

Dragonfly Gems

Grateful Body

Huntly Hall Jewelry

Jason Goldman Woodart

Longshadows Woodcrafts

Mary Larkin

Mary Mayo Designs

Miss Garretts Silverware Jewelry

Old Orchard Pottery

Ornamental Welding

Persimmon Hollow

Rebel Ridge Stoneworks

Ride Em George Rike Dussaud-Garnier

Robin's Nest Egg

Rose and Lucy

Rosi Red Red

Seldom Realms

Sharon Walling

Strike Deakins

The Chocolatiers Palette

The Sterling Peacock

Thornton River Art

Thumb Run Dairy Goats

NONPROFITS

Community Investment Cooperative

Foothills Forum

Friends of the Library

Friends of the Rappahannock

Rapp at Home

RappCats

Rappahannock Center for Education

Rappahannock Farm Tour

Rappahannock Food Pantry

Rappahannock Historical Society

Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection

Rappahannock Lions Club

Rappahannock Social Services

Shenandoah National Park Trust

TREATS

Amazing Baked Goods

FOOD

Bahia Salgados

Indulgent Scullery

Kaziville

Kendra Wilkerson

Native Shire BBQ

New Iberia Kitchen

The Base

Boe's Produce Stand

C & C Frozen Treats

Mandie's Dandies

Posh Fairy Floss

Walker Bakeshop

Whistle Pop Kettle Corn

Yukon Treats

Note: Vendors as of April 23; does not include event sponsors

Vianreha

Whispering Willows Artisan Wild Roots Apothecary

2023 PHOTO BY LUKE CHRISTOPHER

Prepping competitors for their big day

Above: Dot Lessard and Kim Nelson, both Sperryfest board members, are sorting ducks for the Thornton River race.

Right: SperryFest organizers make sure they have 1,000 ducks by placing 50 per bucket. The ducks are stored in a shed year-round and are then cleaned, numbered and sorted.

COURTESY PHOTOS

SperryFest goes green

‘These ducks really, truly are cleaning up the river for our community’

BY JULIA SHANAHAN Rappahannock News staff

SperryFest organizers are rolling out eco-initiatives to reduce waste from Saturday’s festival and have a positive impact on the local environment.

SperryFest earned the Virginia Green Festival Certification this year — meaning, after reviewing their application, Virginia Green and the Virginia Tourism Corporation determined the event meets its sustainability standards.

O the Grid General Manager Anita Carshult is spearheading the initiative, using her knowledge of sustainability from her work at the ecoconscious, zero-waste restaurant.

“It is my personal commitment and my life's work to leave a carbon footprint as small as humanly possible,” she said. “It is our individual responsibility to be good stewards of our planet earth. I hope to bring awareness to our community about the importance of sustainable practices.”

Clare Lindsay, vice president of the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection (RLEP), said that one of the most important initiatives on behalf of SperryFest will be its commitment to measure the amount recycled, composted and landfilled at the

LUKE CHRISTOPHER

SperryFest’s 1,000 river-racing ducks are recycled and reused each year, according to Kerry Sutten, Sperryville Community Alliance president, left.

end of the event.

"Having a baseline going forward will help SperryFest managers and vendors strive toward even greater waste reduction and diversion year-by year,” Lindsay said.

Those attending SperryFest will notice several new features at the festival:

Elimination of single use plastic: Water refill stations will be available throughout the festival along with reusable/recyclable aluminum cups.

Composting: Food and beverage vendors will use compostable and recyclable utensils, locally-sourced ingredients and minimize processed food. Compost food scraps will be donated to local pig and chicken farms.

“It is our individual responsibility to be good stewards of our planet earth,” said Off the Grid General Manager Anita Carshult who is spearheading SperryFest’s green iniative.

Rubbish stations: Green Team volunteers will be positioned in “eco rubbish stations” ensuring all waste is recycled and composted properly. At the completion of the event, recycling, compost and landfill waste will be weighed for future comparison metrics and taken to the Flatwood recycling center in Sperryville.

“The [SperryFest] board and I are proud of this year's GREEN certification,” said Kerry Sutten, Sperryville Community Alliance president and owner of Before & After Café. “Many of us live

in Rappahannock County because of its natural beauty. We want SperryFest to reflect that commitment.”

The most iconic part of SperryFest — the 1,000 river-racing ducks — are recycled and reused each year. The yellow rubber ducks are stored in a shed throughout the year and are cleaned and numbered before being sent o down the mighty Thornton River.

“The duck race was inspired by an interest to draw attention to our river and our environment,” Sutten said. “We hope the eco-friendly activities we are implementing at SperryFest will inspire

others to find ways to protect and preserve our home."

Many who come to SperryFest do so to see the ducks race down the Thornton River — resulting in more funding for the Sperryville Community Alliance to clear more walking trails and host river clean-ups and community events.

“These ducks really, truly are cleaning up the river for our community,” Sutten said.

An educational tent on sustainability will be onsite for festival goers to visit. Event organizers encourage vendors, volunteers and attendees to carpool or use the walkable river trail to access the festival.

Environmentally friendly porta-potties will be used to conserve freshwater resources, minimize methane emissions and prevent water contamination due to runo associated with wastewater usage.

The event will be recognized and promoted as a Virginia Green Event via social media and listed on the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s calendar of green events, VirginiaGreenTravel.org.

Would you like to be a part of the Green Team? Email the organizers at sperryfestparticipate@gmail.com

BY IRELAND HAYES FOR FOOTHILLS FORUM

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