Soque Bulletin- January 24, 2014 - this is an old post

SOQUE BULLETIN January 25, 2014   1) Level Grove Tree Planting - this Monday, January 27th - 10am 2) SRWA's 2013 Accomplishments 3) 2014 Tree Sale success 4) Hike to the Source of the Soque - February 22nd     1) Level Grove Tree Planting - this Monday, January 27th - 10am It's finally happening. After a long wait for a little window of good weather we are going to go for our tree planting at Level Grove Elementary school this Monday at 10am. Volunteers NEEDED! Here's our plan: We will be planting all bareroot trees, hardwoods on flatground areas covered with leaf mulch (zones 1 and 2 and maybe 5), and pines on the slopes (zones 3 and 4). Hardwoods will be a mixture of green ash, white oak, persimmon and tulip poplar. All volunteers need are shovels (we'll have a few extras), gloves, and strong backs (a wheelbarrow or two would also be useful). When you arrive park in the parking lot to the far left and we'll give everyone a quick tutorial. Should be fun. If we're lucky we'll plant slightly over 1,000 trees that day. Here's the google address 2525 Level Grove Rd, Cornelia, GA (it's actually a little further down the road) If you think you can make it send us quick e-mail so we can get and idea of how many to expect. soque@windstream.net 2) SRWA's 2013 Accomplishments  Before we get two much further into the new year we wanted to be sure and give a quick recap of the incredible year we had in 2013 and say thanks to all of you who attended an event, put in some volunteer time, or sent in a check of support.   Click on the picture above or here to read the whole LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS. We realized after we completed it that there were even more projects like the City of Clarkesville's Stormwater Inventory, and more that we failed to put on the list. 3) 2014 Tree Sale success We completed our second annual community tree sale on Friday, January 24th and were mighty pleased with the interest and turnout. Altogether we sold over $2,500 worth of trees, about 530 trees total to almost 50 individuals some coming from Clayton, Cleveland and Hiawassee. Big thanks to all those who purchased trees and best of luck in getting them planted possibly even as we speak. Special thanks to those who provided our very inexpensive trees: Southern Roots Tree Nursery, the Georgia Forestry Commission and especially Sidney Roland who provided all the blueberry plants which was a great new item this year and grown locally too. He lent us his grandson Simon Miller who was a huge help in getting the tree orders out to your cars. Big thanks Simon! 4) Hike to the Source of the Soque - February 22nd   View from the top of Tray Mountain   Have you ever wondered “Where does the Soque River begin?”   WHO:  You! WHAT:  Hike to the source of the Soque River (specifically, the Middle Prong of the Left Fork Soque River, the highest elevation tributary (3800’) in the network of streams that make up the Soque). WHEN:  Saturday, February 22, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (approximate time back to carpool site) WHERE:  Meet at 10:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the put-in for Cool River Tubing, approximately 1 mile north of Helen on Hwy. 75 (corner of Alt. 75).  We will carpool (up a pretty rough Forest Service Road) to Tray Gap where the hike will begin. WHY:  Because it will be fun and you will learn something! The hike itself is relatively short (approximately 3 miles round trip), but some sections are strenuous.  We’ll park at Tray Gap, hike a short section of the Appalachian Trail over the summit of Tray Mountain (4,430 feet - the 7th highest peak in GA) and drop off a ridge to find the source.  Some bushwhacking will be required. Please bring a sack lunch, plenty of water, and appropriate dress for the weather (including comfortable hiking shoes/boots), and anything else you may wish to have (camera etc.). This is a free event, but registration will be limited to the first 20 attendees.  To register, or for more information, please e-mail dhughes@northgatech.edu, or call Duncan Hughes at (706) 754-7872.      Thanks folks and hope to see you outside soon, Justin Ellis Executive Director Soque River Watershed Association www.soque.org 706-754-9382

SOQUE - 2014 TREE SALE announcement

There are 4 days left to pre-order trees to PLANT in the NEW YEAR! Help to spread the word by printing and posting this FLIER   This year's community tree sale is off to a great start with over 250 trees already sold. You can reserve trees online now! Then come and pickup your trees on Friday, January 10th at the Mauldin House across from Clarkesville Library from 3-6pm. New this year are local blueberries! You can get 10 plants for just $25. Here's a full list of trees available BAREROOT  - $2.00 each White oak Persimmon River birch Green ash Tulip poplar Red Maple - SOLD OUT Blueberry (bundles of 10 only) for $25 1 Gallon and 3 Gallon Containers - $6 and $8 each River birch Red maple Tulip poplar Sycamore Green ash Northern red oak Southern red oak Black gum Amer. hornbean Elderberry Sweet gum Black cherry Pin oak Button bush Arrowwood viburnum Winged elm American elm Red cedar Shummard  oak White oak Persimmon Red mulberry  7 Gallon Container - $30 each River birch  Sweet gum  Black gum Sycamore  Tulip poplar  Red maple Pin oak  Shumard oak  Red cedar and one White oak   The easiest way to order is ONLINE. The BEST time to invest in a tree that will leave a long and lasting legacy was 20 years ago, the SECOND BEST TIME is NOW (-chinese proverb). We could use your help. We have a goal to plant 5,000 trees in the NEW YEAR. In order to do that we need to raise just $2 per tree planted. So far we've raised almost $7,000. That's 70% of the way there. If you'd like to see your charitable giving make a tangible difference in 2014 this is a great way to do it. Read this article about one of our upcoming planting projects at Level Grove Elementary scheduled for Thursday January 9th, and if you think you'd enjoy lending a hand planting trees come on out at 10:30 that day. Bring a shovel and gloves!  Thanks to all those who have donated to this effort already.   YOU CAN HELP TO PLANT THE FORESTS OF TOMORROW by MAKING A SMALL GIFT TODAY Have a Happy New Year, Justin Ellis Executive Director     Donations to the Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA) are tax deductible.

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Soque Bulletin - 12.1.13 - Tree Planting & Christmas Party

Soque Bulletin December 1, 2013 For those who may be interested in volunteering to plant trees just a quick reminder that two of our Winter Tree Planting Projects start this week. PROJECT #1 -  Level Grove Elementary. 10:30 am tomorrow morning (Monday, December 2nd). Plant 50 maple, poplar and other container trees  in zones 1 & 2. The address for the school is 186 Memory Hill Creek, Cornelia, GA The School System's maintenance crew will be helping us by augering the holes before we place the trees and pack them in. Bring shovels, gloves, a knife (for cutting root bound trees), and maybe a hat and water. There's a chance of rain so a rain jacket may be in order as well. Project #2 - Alley's Farm. Tuesday, December 3rd at 9am.  Plant 50 container trees   along a small stream that was recently restored using natural channel design techniques. The address is 1377 E Glade Creek Rd, Clarkesville, GA Both of these projects are phase I of a two phase planting. We'll be returning to both sites in January to plant 100's of bare root trees.   If you'd like to volunteer feel free to come by either of those days or send a quick e-mail to soque@windstream.net if you'd like to volunteer for a future project. You can also support our WINTER TREE CAMPAIGN by:   1) MAKING A DONATION - For every $2 we receive we'll be able to plant 1 tree. You can donate ONLINE  2) ORDERING TREES - Take a look at the trees offered in our annual tree sale. You must Pre-Order by Friday, January 3rd for pick up on Friday, January 10th at the Mauldin House parking lot in Clarkesville (gravel parking lot across from library) from 3-6pm. To see our selection and place an order visit the ONLINE ORDERING SITE   YOU ARE INVITED! In less than two weeks we'll be holding our 5th Annual SRWA Christmas Party. The date is Friday, December 13th starting at 6pm. The evening festivities are simple.   BEER TASTING - Last year we had 35 different beers in our blind tasting. All attendees are asked to bring TWO 12oz bottles of the same beer to enter into the tasting (you can drink the rest yourself), or if you prefer you can contribute one BOMBER size beer or larger (that's 22oz). We do ask that all beer be CRAFT beer which means that it came from a small, independently owned brewery. If you're not sure what to get we encourage beer from the following breweries (Terrapin, Southern Tier, Lagunita's, Founders, Left Hand Brewing, New Belgium, Bell's, Stone, Rogue, Oskar Blues, Thomas Creek, Victory)​ ​ POTLUCK DINNER / DESSERTS / SNACKS - A small dish for the occassion always makes the party a good place to show off something mouth watering. Dishes featuring food from local farms is always a favorite, but savory desserts, good cheeses, and other peculiarities are encouraged....especially if they go well with beer. ​ During the beer tasting everyone will have a score card that you are encouraged to fill in and submit. At the end of the night we'll write on a giant board the names of all the beers everyone tasted with the scores they received. The person who brings the highest scored beer will win a cool prize. The party is at the home of Justin and Ching-Yu at 237 Wilson Street, Clarkesville, GA  30523. We look forward to bringing in the holidays with everyone.   Happy Holidays, Justin Ellis Executive Director soque@windstream.net 706-754-9382

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SOQUE - Support Tree Planting PROJECTS

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." -Ralph Waldo Emerson   November 25, 2013 Dear Justin, Last year the Soque River Watershed Association began what we believe is one of the best projects we've ever worked on. Simply stated we started PLANTING and SELLING TREES. All together 2,500 trees were planted in January of 2013! Volunteers helped to plant 1,500 trees to restore a barren school grounds at Fairview Elementary, another 350 trees along a streamside farm, 660 trees were sold to the public, and 60 fruit trees were planted at 5 schools and 2 public parks.  It was a surprise to us how much FUN planting all these trees was for us, our volunteers, our project partners, and the wider community. Perhaps it was a sense that one day, maybe 5, maybe 10 years from now we'll re-visit these areas and be amazed at what they have become... an emerging forest helping to restore the soil, the riverbanks, and rainwater able to soak into the earth!   Based on the success of those projects we decided to be EVEN MORE AMBITIOUS with a goal to double the number of trees planted this winter to 5,000. In order to achieve this goal WE NEED YOUR HELP! One of this year's projects is at Level Grove Elementary School. This photo shows how before tree planting leaf mulch is applied (big thanks to City of Cornelia and the School System Maintenance Dept) to stabilize the soil and allow more rain to soak into the ground. For other details of the site check out this SLIDE SHOW We'd like to ask for your help this year. We are essentially seeking sponsors for each tree that we plant.  Since we are able to order bulk trees at a discount the average price per planted tree is only about $2.00. That means that for every $20 gift we can plant 10 bareroot maple trees. A $50 gift will help us plant up to six 3-gallon trees of river birch or winged elm. A $100 gift actually plants 5,000 square feet of trees or a quarter acre. These are tangible differences you can see and watch grow in the years ahead!     We're about half way to our goal so far ($5,300 raised of our $10,000 goal). Please help us plant a new generation of trees and forests that will contribute to our communiy's beauty and environmental stability for decades to come. There's 3 ways to get involved. For the super ambitious you can do all three: 1) DONATE - Perhaps the most vital contribution you can make, and insures we meet our project goals is to make a small donation. You can donate ONLINE or mail a check to PO Box 1901, Clarkesville, GA 30523. A gift of $10, $20, $50, or $100 will make a huge difference. 2) VOLUNTEER - There are several PLANTING DAYS that we need volunteers to help with. The first two are coming up in just one week. On Monday, December 2nd we'll plant 50 container trees at Level Grove Road starting at 10:30am. The next day on Tuesday, December 3rd we'll plant 50 more container trees at Alley's Farm on Glade Creek Road at 9am. To volunteer for these send an e-mail to soque@windstream.net. There will be additional planting days in January. Stay tuned. 3) ORDER TREES - We'd also love for you to order trees to plant at your own home or business. Our annual tree sale will be on Friday, January 10th at the Mauldin House parking lot in Clarkesville (gravel parking lot across from library) from 3-6pm. To see our selection and place an order visit the ONLINE ORDERING SITE   YOU CAN HELP TO PLANT THE FORESTS OF TOMORROW by MAKING A SMALL GIFT TODAY Thank your for your interest and support, Justin Ellis Executive Director   You can also simply print out this e-mail and mail in this bottom section here.  ____ Yes, I'd like to make an extra gift of ___________ to support the SRWA's winter tree campaign. TOTAL ENCLOSED _______________ Mail check to: SRWA PO Box 1901  Clarkesville, GA 30523   a Huge THANK YOU to those who have already made a contribution to the  TREE CAMPAIGN   Milton Watson, Ralph Singer, Helen Norton, Cheryl Lusnia, Sarah Lanier, Anne and Alan Hall, JD Wellons, Jim Toler, Doug Henry, Ben Maxwell, Richard Hagler, Harold Smith, Fieldale Farms, Bruce Keenan, Zeke Williams, Dennis Clines, Winnie Hicks, Audrey Moylan and Ted Doll All business donors of $100 or more will also receive recognition on all our web media, Facebook, etc. The Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA) is a tax-exempt corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the United State Internal Revenue Code. Our Federal ID number is 31-1608576. Contributions to SRWA are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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Soque Bulletin - October 4th, 2013

SOQUE BULLETIN October 4, 2013   YOU are Inivted to Attend the FALL SOQUE CELEBRATION at Blackhawk Fly Fishing on Friday, October 18th, 6:30-9:30pm registration begins at 6pm tickets just $15 ORDER ONLINE NOW   A few reasons we think you might enjoy attending our 2013 SOQUE FALL CELEBRATION Ever since 2009 the SRWA has held a FALL PARTY next to a river or stream in the Soque Watershed. You may recall our 3 ROASTS (featuring special guests Vince Dooley, Gov. Sonny Perdue, and Ted Turner). The last several years we've partied Carribean style at historic Sutton Mill.  This year we're excited to give folks a chance to see Blackhawk Fly Fishing one of the premiere trophy trout outfitters in all of North Georgia. This section of the upper Soque River is highly regarded as one of the prettiest in the County. Here's a quick list of what you'll get to see and experience:   Take a Tour of the RIVER - walk through hemlock groves and experience the Peace and Tranquility of the SOQUE. Watch a Fly Fishing Demo by one of Blackhawk's expert guides (never seen a trout? now you can!) Enjoy a Local Food Dinner including veggies/herbs grown locally (some right on the farm) and some of Abby J's very hot selling SALSAS! Hang out at the Fishing Lodge with porch seating or sofas in front of the fireplace. Bid on Auction Items of local art, fishing and other river related goodies from our very supportive business partners Eat, drink and be merry - We'll have a bar featuring really good beer and wine. PIE POTLUCK contest - Got a cooking bug? Bring a seasonal pie (pecans, apples, pumpkins, butternut squash, etc.) and you could win a SWEET PRIZE!  Sneak Peak of the SRWAs 2020 Vision - see what we plan to accomplish over the next 6 years, and 3 months....including countywide recreational trails, increased River and Farm tourism events, and more miles of restored streams Win the RAFFLE - every ticket purchased is also a raffle ticket SUPPORT THE SRWA and the SOQUE!   3 WAYS TO SUPPORT   Buy Tickets / Raffle Tickets for just $15 each (includes dinner) - The great thing about this years event is even if you can't attend, each ticket purchased enters your name for a RIVER RAFFLE PRIZE PACKAGE for TWO. You can purchase tickets at our office in downtown Clarkesville (above Edward Jones), from any board member, or ONLINE.   Donate a SILENT AUCTION ITEM - Last year $2,500 of the $6,200 we raised at our Fall Party came from donations to our silent auction. These gifts make a tremendous difference in our capacity towards our mission, and its a great way to promote a business as we can put your business cards next to your item. E-mail soque@windstream.net Volunteer at the Event - We need about 10 volunteers for the event to put in two-three hours of time in exchange for a free ticket. We'll have an early shift and a late shift so you can still enjoy being part of the party. E-mail soque@windstream.net Can't make the event but still want to SUPPORT - All donations to the SRWA between now and the end of the year will be counted towards our goal to raise $10,000 in order to plant 5,000 trees in 2014. This is part of our new  SOQUE 2020 CAMPAIGN that we're rolling out this month. You can Support Online Now If you know of others who might be interested in attending you can forward this e-mail with the link below or print out this FLIER and share with friends and family. Hope you can attend and Big Thanks, Justin Ellis Executive Director soque@windstream.net www.soque.org 706-754-9382 The Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA) is a tax-exempt corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the United State Internal Revenue Code. Our Federal ID number is 31-1608576. Contributions to SRWA are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you receive a free gift with your membership or donation please deduct its value from the total gift.

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Soque Bulletin - September 13, 2013

SOQUE BULLETIN

September 13, 2013

If you love the Fall, Rivers, and Parties you'll LOVE this year's FALL SOQUE CELEBRATION

This year's event will feature an incredible new venue, theme, hosts and ambiance.

If you'd like to come enjoy one of the prettiest and rarely seen spots on the river

mark your calendars and put in your ticket requests now!

1) FALL SOQUE CELEBRATION- October 18th @ Blackhawk Fly Fishing

2) SOQUE RIVER CLEAN UP  - Next Saturday September 21

3) SUMMER PROJECTS wrap up

4) UPCOMING PROJECTS & EVENTS

1) FALL SOQUE CELEBRATION- October 18th @ Blackhawk Fly Fishing

Fall is in the air, which means we're ready to have another incredible party! And this year everything is brand spanking new. Thanks to the generosity of our hosts John and Abby Jackson of Blackhawk Fly Fishing, this event will feature a RARE opportunity to see and hang out at one of the most famous trophy rainbow and brown trout fishing venues in the Southeast. Here's a quick list of what you'll get to see and experience:

·         Take a Tour of the RIVER - walk through hemlock groves and experience the Peace and Tranquility of the SOQUE

·         Watch a fly-fishing demo by one of Blackhawk's expert guides (never seen a trout? now you can!)

·         Enjoy a Local Food Dinner including veggies/herbs grown right on the farm and some of Abby J's very hot selling SALSAS!

·         Hang out at the Fishing Lodge with porch seating or sofas in front of the fireplace

·         Eat, drink and be merry - We'll have a bar featuring really good beer, wine and a few spirits

·         Bid on Auction Items of local art, fishing and other river related goodies from our very supportive business partners

·         Experience the SRWAs 2020 Vision - including countywide recreational trails, increased Soque and Farm tourism events, and more miles of restored streams

·         Stick around to see if you win the RAFFLE - every ticket purchased is also a raffle ticket

·         SUPPORT THE SOQUE!

Tickets to the event are just $15 each and include dinner….AND each ticket purchased enters your name for a RIVER RAFFLE PRIZE PACKAGE for TWO. One lucky couple (or family) will win:

·         A one night stay at GLEN ELLA SPRINGS INN (includes breakfast) (donated by Glen-Ella Springs Inn)

·         A canoe or kayak PADDLE FOR TWO on the SOQUE RIVER (donated by Wildwood Outfitters)

·         LUNCH OR DINNER for two at the ATTIC $50 value (donated by the Attic)

·         Lunch Certificate for two at Sweetbreads  (donated Sweetbreads)

You can purchase tickets and win the RAFFLE even if you are unable to attend the event (a great way to support the cause- and presence not required to win). Then feel free to give the tickets to a friend. We do ask for RSVPs to the event by October 15th.

Mark your calendars! Tell your friends! Make plans! Tickets are on sale now at the SRWA office, or from any SRWA board member. In another week we may have an online ordering option, but we'd ove to see you in person. So send us an e-mail of interest and we'll walk 'em over to you! soque@windstream.net

2) SOQUE RIVER CLEAN UP  - Next Saturday September 21

Our annual RIVERS ALIVE CLEAN UP is coming up in just one more week and this year we're headed to an interesting new area in the City of Clarkesville. After meeting at Pitts Park at 9am we'll walk over to a small stormwater stream where we can really talk about how stormwater carves and erodes streams due to all the extra runoff from impervious surface. There will also be plenty of trash to clean that's been swept into stormwater grates. We should have free t-shirts for all volunteers and once we're done sometime just before or around noon, we'll head back to Pitts Park for a picnic. Please RSVP if you can to soque@windstream.net.

3) SUMMER PROJECTS wrap up

Even though we've been fairly quiet after our huge summer events, the SOQUE FESTIVAL and the GA MTNS FARM TOUR back in June, that doesn't mean we haven't been busy behind the scenes completing long planned projects. Two that we're quite proud of were our very first Dirt Road Maintenance Project in the Deep Creek Watershed and a Bioretention Rain Garden at North Georgia Floors in the City of Clarkesville.

A picture is worth a 1,000 words, and these two almost speak for themselves. After identifying this sediment problem in the Deep Creek Watershed we approached the landowner about experimenting with a new technique in road design. The approach is commonly called COWEETA DIPS as it was developed at the National Forest Service's Coweeta Hydrologic Research Lab just across the GA state line on 441 in NC. We'll be providing in-depth workshops and publications on this technique in the near future, but basically it allows water to be diverted off of the road using essentially swales or speed bumps that shed water on steep slopes. The landowner put a considerable cost share into this project and in exchange we got our first model of an excellent way to redesign eroding roads. Great appreciation to Ms. Warren (the owner) and Mitchell Hardy (formerly of the Forest Service) who helped us implement the project.

The next time you drive into Clarkesville via Highway 17 from Cleveland keep your eyes peeled for a unique beautification effort at the entrance of North Georgia Floors. When the City of Clarkesville removed a large section of asphalt for a water main repair, city staff, the Soque River Watershed Association, and Dan and Teresa Barry the owners of North Georgia Floors saw an opportunity for beautification of the city's northwestern entrance and seized it this summer with construction of a "biorentention area" otherwise known as a "rain garden."

 

The Habersham Chamber of Commerce awarded this project and the numerous parties that collaborated on its completion a Beautification Award. Thanks to collaboration between the City of Clarkesville, the Soque River Watershed Association, North Georgia Floors, engineer James Irvin, a sod donation from North Georgia Turf and funding from the Georgia EPD's 319 program this project was able to take that one step further by demonstrating a technique for reducing urban stormwater. Special appreciation to Duncan Hughes and Charle Statler who envisioned the initial idea and did a ton of work to make it happen.

 

Rainfall that lands on 3,000 square feet of street and parking lot adjacent to North Georgia Floors is now directed into the 200 square foot rain garden that is engineered so that water will percolate back into the water table after being filtered by vegetation and organic soils. Over the course of a year between 75,000 and 100,000 gallons of stormwater will be diverted into the structure.

 

The North Georgia Floors rain garden demonstrates how with good planning cities like Clarkesville can use less asphalt and more greenery while making our region more attractive for tourism and commerce and also teaching how to reduce the environmental impacts of development. The garden is planted with vegetation native to Georgia accustomed to periods of saturated soils.

 

One aspect that makes this Beautification Award unique is the collaborative partnership involved. The Barry's and North Georgia Floors were the willing property owners, the SRWA provided grant funding and technical assistance, the City of Clarkesville's public works staff performed all the labor during construction, with gardens and grounds staff performing the plantings. The Clarkesville Better Hometown provided a façade grant, James Irvin engineering plans, and North Georgia Turf donated sod. These efforts combined contribute to an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally beneficial new feature to downtown Clarkesville that can be enjoyed and appreciated by all.

 

4) UPCOMING PROJECTS & EVENTS

Coming up real soon we'll be announcing the formation of our SOQUE LEGACY BOARD. Amongst other things this group of leaders will help us build an even wider partnership with businesses and individuals in the years ahead, as well as help to manage some very significant gifts that were recently made to us by a very wonderful and generous donor. More on that very soon!

Mark your calendars for the SOQUE RIVER RAMBLE 6K fun run and walk in the headwaters of the Soque up in Batesville. That is Saturday October 26th. Registration and details are at http://soqueriverramble.com/

We'll be completing construction of the Community Garden Greenhouse over the next several months in partnership with the City of Clarkesville, with help from a LOWE's grant. This will be a powerful resource for plants used for restoration purposes, among others. More details to come.

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382

Soque Bulletin - SPECIAL Soque Festival EDITION

 

Time to get your feet wet!

 

2nd Annual

 

THIS WEEKEND!

Here's all the details you need to know

When:            Saturday, June 1st, 9am until 3pm

What: The Soque River Festival details:

•          2-mile paddle trip (canoes and kayaks provided) - $15 each

•          Chicken and Fish Tacos (and more – see below)- $7 each

•          Festival Attendance and all other activities are FREE 

•          Kids Zone – see below for details

•          Live Music from 10:30 until 2:30 

Where:          ALL Parking for the event is located at the Habersham County Courthouse parking lot - 555 Monroe Avenue, Clarkesville, GA

The Festival site is on a beautiful bottomland farm on the Soque River at 173 LaPrade Street –PARKING IS NOT ALLOWED AT THE SITE!  To reach the site, park at the County Courthouse parking lot and there will be a short 5-minute walk, 1/8 mile. 

Find the wooden STAIRWELL at the back corner of the Courthouse Parking Lot. Descend stairs to the Garden of Wellness (blue building). Walk to front of Garden of Wellness and follow LaPrade Street to the right. LaPrade Street will dead end to the RIVER FESTIVAL SITE. Once you reach our award winning Parade Float you’re there! 

If you are handicapped or have other special needs to get to the site, please contact us in advance. Call Teresa at 706-754-9382 or e-mail srwa@windstream.net.

PADDLE TRIP DETAILS:

We provide boats, paddles, life jackets, a guide and a laminated map of the paddle route. Cost is $15 per person. Limited to 200 boaters. We have canoes or kayaks on a first available basis. Trips leave every half hour (more or less). 

The paddle trip is 2 miles long and takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to float (the water is high this year so may be a faster trip).

There are no age limits. All small children who cannot fit in adult sized life jackets must provide their own life jackets to float. An adult must accompany all children under 16.

FOOD DETAILS        

The Festival features a delicious lunch of chicken and fish tacos with fresh local veggies, salsa, beans and rice, ice tea, cookies and watermelon. Chicken donated by Springer Mountain Farms. Fish are fried flounder filets.  Lunch is $7 per person.

KIDS ZONE DETAILS

The Festival is a kid friendly event and features the following FREE activities:

•          Rainbarrel Painting – express your artistic side by painting on a rainbarrel

•          Face Painting – Everything from butterflies to wild animals on your FACE!

•          Aquatic Bug Hunt – learn about the amazing critters living in our streams

•          Outdoor Games – Bean Bag Toss, Bocce Ball and more

MUSIC DETAILS

10:00-11:15 - Walter and Jeannie Daves;  Richie and Linda Averack

11:15-12:30 - Steve Taylor

12:30-1:45 - Riverdog (Rob Brooksher, Ethan Smith, Andrew Linker)

1:45-3:00 - Matthew Ballard

HOW TO REGISTER

Advance registration is encouraged. Registration forms are at www.soque.org. Mail or bring cash or check payment by the SRWA office. Call 706-754-9382 to find out what slots are available. The last days before the event we will hold a reservation with a credit card number, but ask that you pay cash or check upon arrival.

WHAT TO BRING / NOT TO BRING 

We highly encourage you to bring folding chairs and blankets to enjoy the beauty of the festival site. Water bottles are also encouraged. Unfortunately no animals are allowed at the festival. Alcohol and tobacco use are also not permitted during the festival. No exceptions.

    

SPACE IS FILLING UP FAST SO BRING YOUR REGISTRATION BY THE SRWA OFFICE THIS WEEK

TO RESERVE A TIME SLOT

We are located at 1418 Washington Street

That's on the Square in Clarkesville above Edward Jones

You can leave your completed registrtation in our milk box on the front porch after hours

or give us a call 706-754-9382

We're also attaching all the FESTIVAL details as a PDF so you can print them out and give to a friend

And a map of the paddle route and festival location map (with thanks to our sponsors)

DON'T MISS THE BEST WEEKEND OF THE YEAR

TO BECOME A SOQUE RIVER LOVER!

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382