DOWN EAST ANIMAL REFUGE

P.O. Drawer 40

Scotland Neck NC 27874

2nd Annual Greater Roanoke River Boat Race 2006

DEAR Proclaims Second Annual Greater Roanoke River Boat Race a Success

By Randall C. Melton, Down East Animal Refuge

SCOTLAND NECK NC (JUNE 17) –  The Second Annual Greater Roanoke River Boat Race brought out several hundred people to the Roanoke River Boat Landing to enjoy good food and raise funds for Down East Animal Refuge shelter in Scotland Neck. Warm weather and friendly people made for a very successful event.

The wagon train of vehicles to set up the event  arrived promptly at 9:00. Several hours later, the smell of Catfish, Shrimp, Flounder, and Soft-shell Crabs drifted throughout the serving area. People were actually in line and waiting when the event officially began at 11:00. Food, ticket, and t-shirt sales were all very brisk as the minutes ticked down to the beginning of the race at 1:00.

“We did very well this year with ticket sales” said Claudia Harrell, DEAR President. “Our partnership with the Nash-Edgecombe Humane Society increased our sales and visibility in the Rocky Mount area.”

This was the first time DEAR had partnered with another animal shelter organization outside of Scotland Neck. “They did extremely well in ticket sales,” said Harrell. “We hope to continue this partnership next year with other local shelters.”

DEAR was also very successful in getting assistance from the local business community.  These sponsors included Town of Scotland Neck, Down East Peanuts, Meherrin, Vet-Mobile, LLC Dr. Marty's Veterinary Service, Shields Fertilizer Company, Murphy-Brown LLC, Consultation in Passivation, AirBoss Rubber Compounding (NC) Inc., BB&T Scotland Neck, Heart Pine, and Sara Lee.  Complimentary sponsors were  Down East Animal Refuge, Ace Hardware, Sylvan Heights, The Freez, and Peacock Press.

Boat ticket sales in the local Scotland Neck area went very well. It was estimated that over 775 tickets were sold for the boat race. Tickets were not the only items that raised money for the non-profit Scotland Neck shelter. Specially designed t-shirts went on sale about a month prior to the event. DEAR also sold seafood plates, hot dogs, and drinks on the day of the race. “Our food sales almost over shadowed our ticket sales,” said Gra Whitehead, past president of DEAR. “We are now becoming known for quality food for a low price.

“Each year we like to serve something different. People now come to expect that from our organization,” said Whitehead. “Those new items were shrimp and flounder. They promptly sold out before the event was half over.”

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. Higher than normal water levels on the river created excellent boat racing conditions. The current was very strong throughout the river. The 775 boats, small circular 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 downstream to the bridge.

People gathered on both sides of the Roanoke River Bridge on Highway 258. It was about 30 minutes before the first boats came into sight. One silver and green boat were clearly ahead of the pack as they drifted down stream. Several more boats were about 20 feet behind the leading boat. Something strange happened as the boats came under the bridge and headed to the finish line. The boat that had been leading the race got caught in an eddy and started to drift back in the wrong direction. While this was happening, the other boats overtook the now floundering leader and sped their way to the finish line. Five minutes later, the winning boats had been brought to the dock and into the waiting hands of Donna May. She quickly matched up the winning boats with their owners. Former Scotland Neck native  Hope Phillips-Ederington from Fredericksburg, Virginia, won first place and picked up $500. Second place and $300 went to Ronnie Fleming. Rob Dudley placed third and won $200.

The end of race did not bring the event to a close. Food and t-shirt sales picked up for the last hour of the event. “All and all, I think this was a very successful event,” said Robin Bowers. “The race was successful because of the good weather, high water, and very generous members of the local community.”

The race would not have happened without the help of volunteers. Those volunteers included Tony Hale and crew, Ed Etheridge, Tad Everette. They assisted in getting the boats in and out of the water. Other volunteers included Katie Clemente, Southeast Halifax High School honor student and staff members from Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center. These volunteers provided assistance in setting up tents, tables and chairs for food and ticket sales..

DEAR welcomes the public to attend its monthly meetings held on the second 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 dearnorthcarolina@earthlink.net. More detailed, updated information on our activities can be seen at our web site:  http://www.dearnorthcarolina.org.

Greater Roanoke River Boat Race Picture Gallery - Photos by Randall Melton