1
00:00:02,502 --> 00:00:04,771
(boats thumping)

2
00:00:04,771 --> 00:00:06,439
>>We're the canoe guys.

3
00:00:06,439 --> 00:00:10,343
>>We've taken, let's see, six 
trips down the river today.

4
00:00:10,343 --> 00:00:12,312
>>We had a group from 
Chesterfield that came up

5
00:00:12,312 --> 00:00:14,914
and I guess they were part 
of their school activity

6
00:00:14,914 --> 00:00:18,485
was to release trout 
into the river.

7
00:00:18,485 --> 00:00:20,253
So they had never 
been to Waynesboro

8
00:00:20,253 --> 00:00:21,721
at least the two 
that I took down.

9
00:00:21,721 --> 00:00:22,956
So this was an equal experience

10
00:00:22,956 --> 00:00:24,491
and they had never 
been in a canoe either.

11
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So after they dumped the 
trout in the river, you know

12
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they went down for 
the canoe ride.

13
00:00:28,461 --> 00:00:30,130
>>So it's been a lot of fun.

14
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>>Today we're going to 
check out a festival

15
00:00:32,098 --> 00:00:35,335
designed to celebrate the South 
River and educate families

16
00:00:35,335 --> 00:00:37,637
about the important 
role this waterway plays

17
00:00:37,637 --> 00:00:39,539
in the community.

18
00:00:39,539 --> 00:00:42,075
Join us as we explore 
the annual Riverfest

19
00:00:42,075 --> 00:00:44,177
here in Waynesboro, Virginia.

20
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Come on

21
00:00:45,111 --> 00:00:47,480
(soft music)

22
00:00:51,217 --> 00:00:53,186
>>It's just a great 
experience being here

23
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'cause I've never 
been here before

24
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and it's really cool being 
able to release live fish

25
00:00:59,826 --> 00:01:01,494
and I just like it a lot.

26
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>>This is great.

27
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It's a wonderful event,

28
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they've all kinds of 
things with the trout

29
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and you can touch and feel 
and really experience it

30
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and it's very family 
friendly and we love it.

31
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>>Michael and David 
Reptile World.

32
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>>Oh my goodness, 
thank you so much.

33
00:01:20,447 --> 00:01:22,449
What a wonderful, 
wonderful treat

34
00:01:22,449 --> 00:01:25,485
it always is to bring 
Reptile World to Riverfest.

35
00:01:26,753 --> 00:01:29,722
>>So Amanda, you are the 
President of Riverfest

36
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which takes place every spring.

37
00:01:32,192 --> 00:01:34,294
Talk about everything 
that's going on here

38
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at Constitution Park today.

39
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>>Basically we have a ton 
of things going on at once.

40
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So there's lots of opportunities

41
00:01:40,433 --> 00:01:42,635
and lots of variety for people.

42
00:01:42,635 --> 00:01:45,605
We have a lot of presentations 
going on throughout the day

43
00:01:45,605 --> 00:01:47,607
in our pavilion 
under the pavilion.

44
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>>So examples would be?

45
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>>Some of our most 
popular examples would be

46
00:01:52,645 --> 00:01:54,714
two Reptile World shows.

47
00:01:54,714 --> 00:01:58,718
So we have a gentlemen bring 
a lot of variety of snakes

48
00:01:58,718 --> 00:02:02,522
and turtles to show people 
and talk about conservation.

49
00:02:02,522 --> 00:02:04,924
We also have the Wildlife 
Center of Virginia.

50
00:02:04,924 --> 00:02:06,192
>>Right?

51
00:02:06,192 --> 00:02:08,128
>>And we also have 
a children's play

52
00:02:08,128 --> 00:02:11,264
that focuses on 
some native wildlife

53
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that exists along the river.

54
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So they dress up as a 
rock bass and a heron

55
00:02:16,970 --> 00:02:18,204
lots of cute stuff like that

56
00:02:18,204 --> 00:02:20,440
and they act out a short play.

57
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We also have a huge tent where 
we have lots of exhibitors.

58
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A lot of them have an 
environmental theme with them.

59
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Some of them are local 
businesses that are

60
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having an environmental twist

61
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but huge variety of 
things to see there

62
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and then of course

63
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we have lots of different 
food vendors too,

64
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so people can have a snack 
and keep up their strength

65
00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,361
while they're having fun.

66
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>>It's a great festival, 
how is it funded?

67
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>>We have some really fantastic

68
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and generous sponsors 
that are all local.

69
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So a lot of these people 
are local businesses,

70
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they're Waynesboro people

71
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or Augusta county 
people in businesses.

72
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So they help us 
run this every year

73
00:02:59,746 --> 00:03:01,514
we certainly couldn't 
do it without them.

74
00:03:01,514 --> 00:03:04,350
>>Now, if other people wanna 
get involved, what do they do?

75
00:03:04,350 --> 00:03:06,452
>>I would suggest that 
they either give us a call

76
00:03:06,452 --> 00:03:09,355
or send us an email and 
they can go to our website

77
00:03:09,355 --> 00:03:12,192
which is riverfestwaynesboro.org

78
00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:15,395
and if someone's 
really interested in 
the work that we do

79
00:03:15,395 --> 00:03:19,432
we can always bring them on 
a committee or on the board.

80
00:03:19,432 --> 00:03:22,202
This is a totally 
volunteer run organization

81
00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:24,737
so we can, we need all 
the help we can get.

82
00:03:26,206 --> 00:03:29,275
>>Now, black vultures 
and bald eagles

83
00:03:29,275 --> 00:03:31,911
both suffer from an 
environmental hazards

84
00:03:31,911 --> 00:03:33,580
which is lead poisoning

85
00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:36,716
and when black 
culture or bald Eagle

86
00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:39,619
ingest something that's 
been contaminated with lead

87
00:03:39,619 --> 00:03:42,021
they can become very 
sick and potentially die.

88
00:03:42,021 --> 00:03:45,158
>>I came up from Virginia 
Beach today to see Buddy.

89
00:03:45,158 --> 00:03:49,662
I've followed his progress 
since before his egg was laid.

90
00:03:49,662 --> 00:03:53,099
I mean, eagles are 
just beautiful birds,

91
00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:55,969
they need our help.

92
00:03:55,969 --> 00:03:58,304
>>It's very fun 
to be at Riverfest

93
00:03:58,304 --> 00:03:59,539
and to present these programs.

94
00:03:59,539 --> 00:04:01,474
I especially like 
working with children

95
00:04:01,474 --> 00:04:03,176
and there are lots of 
families here today.

96
00:04:03,176 --> 00:04:05,878
So I get to see the children 
react to all the animals

97
00:04:05,878 --> 00:04:08,181
that I bring out and 
I see them learning

98
00:04:08,181 --> 00:04:09,282
and it just makes 
me feel really good,

99
00:04:09,282 --> 00:04:11,084
it makes me feel very happy.

100
00:04:11,084 --> 00:04:12,885
I have two superstar birds today

101
00:04:12,885 --> 00:04:14,787
they're both scavenging birds.

102
00:04:14,787 --> 00:04:17,457
I have Buttercup is 
our black vulture

103
00:04:17,457 --> 00:04:20,727
and he's only recently been 
part of our education program.

104
00:04:20,727 --> 00:04:23,263
So people are really 
excited to see him

105
00:04:23,263 --> 00:04:25,231
and then of course we 
have Buddy our bald eagle.

106
00:04:25,231 --> 00:04:27,066
So he has a huge fan base

107
00:04:27,066 --> 00:04:29,769
and we're just really 
excited to have him here.

108
00:04:29,769 --> 00:04:31,871
>>So bald eagles can 
have the wing span

109
00:04:31,871 --> 00:04:34,707
of about six and a centi...

110
00:04:34,707 --> 00:04:37,977
(children applauding)

111
00:04:37,977 --> 00:04:40,213
Do you guys feel his wings?

112
00:04:41,514 --> 00:04:44,117
(bell ringing)

113
00:04:45,451 --> 00:04:47,854
>>Well, Riverfest is all 
about trying to educate

114
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our local community here 
Waynesboro about the aesthetic

115
00:04:52,025 --> 00:04:55,862
and the recreational and 
the educational value

116
00:04:55,862 --> 00:04:59,732
of South River and it's 
a beautiful resource.

117
00:04:59,732 --> 00:05:01,734
It's a wonderful resource 
for the community

118
00:05:01,734 --> 00:05:03,903
and what we try and do each year

119
00:05:03,903 --> 00:05:08,775
is to develop a greater depth 
and appreciation for the river

120
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and what it brings 
to the community.

121
00:05:11,377 --> 00:05:13,780
>>When and why did the 
festival gets started?

122
00:05:13,780 --> 00:05:15,415
It's been going for a while.

123
00:05:15,415 --> 00:05:17,050
>>Well, 16 years ago,

124
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two individuals that 
lived here in town

125
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decided that it would 
be a really great thing

126
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to have a festival 
celebrating South River

127
00:05:25,792 --> 00:05:27,827
and its assets, its values

128
00:05:27,827 --> 00:05:30,563
and there was a lot of 
talk at the time also

129
00:05:30,563 --> 00:05:33,499
about the problems that the 
river created for the community.

130
00:05:33,499 --> 00:05:35,134
The flooding issues 
that we can have

131
00:05:35,134 --> 00:05:36,602
from South River 
from time to time

132
00:05:36,602 --> 00:05:39,605
and there was a lot of talk 
about what could be done

133
00:05:39,605 --> 00:05:41,574
as far as channelizing 
the river was concerned.

134
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So it really was appeared 
to be a liability

135
00:05:44,510 --> 00:05:46,045
for the community

136
00:05:46,045 --> 00:05:49,382
and their idea was to try and 
make the community understand

137
00:05:49,382 --> 00:05:51,317
that it was really 
truly an asset

138
00:05:51,317 --> 00:05:54,354
to the community and to try 
and turn that attitude around

139
00:05:54,354 --> 00:05:57,323
and we feel like we've been 
quite successful at that.

140
00:05:57,323 --> 00:06:01,327
>>Talk about the river, talk 
about it being an asset.

141
00:06:01,327 --> 00:06:03,830
>>Well, first of all, the 
water quality has improved

142
00:06:03,830 --> 00:06:05,698
through the years tremendously

143
00:06:05,698 --> 00:06:08,768
and in fact, we have 
trout here in the river

144
00:06:08,768 --> 00:06:11,704
and it's a great fishing stream

145
00:06:11,704 --> 00:06:16,709
and it's a wonderful 
canoeing and resource.

146
00:06:18,177 --> 00:06:20,780
A lot of people boat and fish 
the river and canoe the river

147
00:06:20,780 --> 00:06:23,516
and on days like today 
where we've got, you know

148
00:06:23,516 --> 00:06:27,687
hundreds of kids here doing, 
collecting insects in the river

149
00:06:27,687 --> 00:06:30,823
and working with biologists 
that we have come to Riverfest

150
00:06:32,425 --> 00:06:35,528
they're using it as 
an educational tool.

151
00:06:35,528 --> 00:06:37,964
So it really serves 
many purposes

152
00:06:37,964 --> 00:06:40,933
and it's the greenway 
that we're on right here

153
00:06:40,933 --> 00:06:43,336
has been tremendously successful

154
00:06:43,336 --> 00:06:46,406
and it's really accented

155
00:06:46,406 --> 00:06:49,542
and made the community 
appreciate the river even more.

156
00:06:49,542 --> 00:06:53,012
We see tremendous amount 
of use of the greenway

157
00:06:53,012 --> 00:06:56,816
and so I think 
that the community

158
00:06:56,816 --> 00:06:58,351
is really beginning to realize

159
00:06:58,351 --> 00:07:01,053
that there's a 
great resource here

160
00:07:01,053 --> 00:07:03,589
and it's something we should 
treasure, we should protect

161
00:07:03,589 --> 00:07:05,825
and we shouldn't 
really care about.

162
00:07:05,825 --> 00:07:07,293
>>Yeah, and celebrate.

163
00:07:07,293 --> 00:07:11,230
So today there are at least 
four activities going on

164
00:07:11,230 --> 00:07:13,166
at the river lets 
talk about that.

165
00:07:13,166 --> 00:07:14,434
>>Right, right.

166
00:07:14,434 --> 00:07:17,036
We've got canoe rides 
on the river for folks

167
00:07:17,036 --> 00:07:18,971
we have canoeists 
that are taking people

168
00:07:18,971 --> 00:07:21,774
for about a one mile 
trip down the river

169
00:07:21,774 --> 00:07:24,644
and that's a very 
popular activity.

170
00:07:24,644 --> 00:07:27,313
We have what we call 
the stream safari

171
00:07:27,313 --> 00:07:29,081
down below us here on the river

172
00:07:29,081 --> 00:07:33,419
where we've got kids 
collecting insects and crayfish

173
00:07:33,419 --> 00:07:35,455
and all kinds of stream life

174
00:07:35,455 --> 00:07:38,224
and they're identifying 
these critters

175
00:07:38,224 --> 00:07:41,427
and teaching the kids 
about stream ecology.

176
00:07:41,427 --> 00:07:43,329
We've had the Department of Game

177
00:07:43,329 --> 00:07:45,097
and Inland Fisheries here today.

178
00:07:45,097 --> 00:07:46,799
They brought their 
electrofishing gear

179
00:07:46,799 --> 00:07:49,936
which is equipment that 
puts an electric current

180
00:07:49,936 --> 00:07:51,437
in the water

181
00:07:51,437 --> 00:07:54,507
and it temporarily stuns 
the fish, we collect those

182
00:07:54,507 --> 00:07:57,343
and then the game 
biologist take those up

183
00:07:57,343 --> 00:08:00,146
and they identify the fish

184
00:08:00,146 --> 00:08:01,914
and they talk about 
their life histories

185
00:08:01,914 --> 00:08:03,583
and the various species of fish.

186
00:08:03,583 --> 00:08:06,953
We have, I think 23, we've 
found 23 species of fish

187
00:08:06,953 --> 00:08:08,921
different species of 
fish here in South River.

188
00:08:08,921 --> 00:08:12,692
So it's a very very 
productive river,

189
00:08:14,260 --> 00:08:16,762
our water quality, as I said 
earlier, is quite good here

190
00:08:16,762 --> 00:08:20,833
so it supports a very 
healthy community of fish

191
00:08:20,833 --> 00:08:22,635
and insect life.

192
00:08:22,635 --> 00:08:24,070
>>Rainbow.

193
00:08:24,070 --> 00:08:25,605
>>The South is 
getting a lot of press

194
00:08:25,605 --> 00:08:27,273
for it's trout fishing,

195
00:08:27,273 --> 00:08:30,343
but it's also an 
exceptional river to paddle

196
00:08:30,343 --> 00:08:33,379
and the section we did 
today was about two miles

197
00:08:33,379 --> 00:08:35,715
through the most industrial 
part of the river.

198
00:08:35,715 --> 00:08:38,951
What I hope it does is 
it brings attention that

199
00:08:38,951 --> 00:08:41,220
we need to put a little more 
effort into this section.

200
00:08:41,220 --> 00:08:42,588
Maybe get some clean ups going

201
00:08:42,588 --> 00:08:44,657
and do some things 
along this line

202
00:08:44,657 --> 00:08:46,759
'cause it's the section 
that's going to parallel

203
00:08:46,759 --> 00:08:50,963
the next segment of the 
beautiful greenway trail

204
00:08:50,963 --> 00:08:53,232
that they're putting here in 
Waynesboro along the river.

205
00:08:53,232 --> 00:08:54,667
>>Is perfect recreation.

206
00:08:54,667 --> 00:08:57,236
It's easy, it's getting 
outdoors, you know,

207
00:08:57,236 --> 00:08:59,238
it's also like Dave 
mentioned earlier

208
00:08:59,238 --> 00:09:00,940
we're highlighting 
to you some of the,

209
00:09:00,940 --> 00:09:02,208
not so glamorous aspects,

210
00:09:02,208 --> 00:09:04,243
you know, there's 
trash and so forth

211
00:09:04,243 --> 00:09:06,379
and, you know especially 
getting young children,

212
00:09:06,379 --> 00:09:07,947
seeing that, you know

213
00:09:07,947 --> 00:09:10,182
it kind of probably instills 
a little responsibility

214
00:09:10,182 --> 00:09:11,817
and, hey, you know, we 
need to keep this clean,

215
00:09:11,817 --> 00:09:13,486
so that everybody else 
can enjoy it you know

216
00:09:13,486 --> 00:09:14,720
for many years to come.

217
00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:16,789
>>So we had got a 
sample of the water

218
00:09:16,789 --> 00:09:20,793
and so I'm gonna add 10 
drops of the indicator

219
00:09:20,793 --> 00:09:23,262
basically after shaking 
it up a few times

220
00:09:23,262 --> 00:09:25,765
it should give us 
a valid indication.

221
00:09:25,765 --> 00:09:27,900
So basically we hold 
it up to the sun

222
00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:30,436
and try to see the range

223
00:09:30,436 --> 00:09:33,973
and to me it looks more like 
a in the middle of seven

224
00:09:33,973 --> 00:09:36,976
and at some 0.5 and 
it shows how healthy

225
00:09:36,976 --> 00:09:41,213
the water quality is 
fit for the child.

226
00:09:41,213 --> 00:09:44,250
So they're able to be 
dumped in and released

227
00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:46,619
and instead they have 
their own families

228
00:09:46,619 --> 00:09:50,222
and reproduce and 
live their lives.

229
00:09:50,222 --> 00:09:52,925
>>When we got the fish, 
they were actually eggs.

230
00:09:52,925 --> 00:09:54,327
We began the project

231
00:09:54,327 --> 00:09:57,163
because the trout 
population was really low.

232
00:09:57,163 --> 00:09:59,565
So my teacher 
volunteered to take care

233
00:09:59,565 --> 00:10:01,367
of some trout so that 
we could release them

234
00:10:01,367 --> 00:10:04,437
so that the population 
would increase.

235
00:10:04,437 --> 00:10:06,372
>>Talk about the importance

236
00:10:06,372 --> 00:10:08,507
of the educational piece.

237
00:10:08,507 --> 00:10:09,842
>>One of the things 
that we try and do here

238
00:10:09,842 --> 00:10:12,411
is get kids back out 
into the environment

239
00:10:12,411 --> 00:10:16,782
and get them on the streams, 
get them exploring the outdoors

240
00:10:16,782 --> 00:10:19,619
and the natural world.

241
00:10:19,619 --> 00:10:23,489
There was a book written not 
too long ago by a gentleman

242
00:10:23,489 --> 00:10:24,924
and he talked about

243
00:10:24,924 --> 00:10:28,561
a phenomenon called 
"Nature Deficit Disorder"

244
00:10:28,561 --> 00:10:32,031
and it really is truly 
a serious problem

245
00:10:32,031 --> 00:10:34,967
in recent generations

246
00:10:34,967 --> 00:10:39,071
of children just not doing 
enough outdoor activities

247
00:10:39,071 --> 00:10:42,341
not really exploring the 
outdoors as much as I did

248
00:10:42,341 --> 00:10:44,143
when I was young and was a child

249
00:10:44,143 --> 00:10:47,413
and so what we're trying to do 
is to get kids back outdoors

250
00:10:47,413 --> 00:10:48,914
get them excited 
about the environment,

251
00:10:48,914 --> 00:10:50,916
get them excited about 
rivers and streams

252
00:10:50,916 --> 00:10:53,753
and the life that lives 
in these things and learn.

253
00:10:53,753 --> 00:10:57,156
So that really is one of 
our really big efforts here

254
00:10:58,658 --> 00:11:00,559
is the educational component.

255
00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:03,796
>>And today you have kids 
from how many schools

256
00:11:03,796 --> 00:11:06,232
that are participating in 
a trout release program,

257
00:11:06,232 --> 00:11:07,466
what is that?

258
00:11:07,466 --> 00:11:10,436
>>Well, there's an organization

259
00:11:10,436 --> 00:11:12,104
in Virginia called 
Trout Unlimited

260
00:11:12,104 --> 00:11:17,109
and they're dedicated 
to preservation of 
cold water streams,

261
00:11:18,577 --> 00:11:19,745
cold water fisheries that 
trap fisheries in Virginia

262
00:11:19,745 --> 00:11:23,783
and they have a program 
that they sponsor

263
00:11:23,783 --> 00:11:26,385
in the school systems 
all over Virginia

264
00:11:26,385 --> 00:11:31,390
where we get trout eggs 
we put them in an aquarium

265
00:11:32,491 --> 00:11:34,827
in the science classes, 
in middle schools

266
00:11:34,827 --> 00:11:38,264
and the kids watch 
these eggs develop

267
00:11:38,264 --> 00:11:41,701
and hatch and turn into 
little tiny trout fry

268
00:11:41,701 --> 00:11:43,135
and then they 
raise these fish up

269
00:11:43,135 --> 00:11:45,337
to three or four 
inches in length

270
00:11:45,337 --> 00:11:48,140
and then once they're 
large enough in the spring

271
00:11:48,140 --> 00:11:49,241
they take their fish out

272
00:11:49,241 --> 00:11:52,144
and they can put 
them in streams.

273
00:11:52,144 --> 00:11:54,280
We also have the great 
South River duck race

274
00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:55,881
of course, at the end 
of the event today

275
00:11:55,881 --> 00:11:58,784
where we all dump about 1000 
rubber ducks off the bridge

276
00:11:58,784 --> 00:12:01,987
and I'll be wrangling ducks 
this afternoon about 4:30.

277
00:12:01,987 --> 00:12:04,790
So that's another 
highlight of the day

278
00:12:04,790 --> 00:12:06,559
and it's kind of the end 
of the day's activity.

279
00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:08,394
So it's a lot of fun.

280
00:12:08,394 --> 00:12:09,595
>>This is actually new to me

281
00:12:09,595 --> 00:12:12,231
so I'm quite thrilled 
by it ,you know,

282
00:12:12,231 --> 00:12:15,501
I'm really thrilled and 
I like being around here.

283
00:12:15,501 --> 00:12:18,304
Lots of pretty faces, 
lots of beautiful smiles

284
00:12:18,304 --> 00:12:20,906
it's just so awesome 
to be around.

285
00:12:20,906 --> 00:12:22,441
It's so lively, I love it.

286
00:12:23,542 --> 00:12:26,545
(smooth jazz music)