Your daily outdoor news bulletin for June 17, the day in 1885 the Statue of Liberty arrived on American soil, in pieces, an appropriate metaphor some could draw to today’s status of freedom in the U.S.:
Toots Files Suits
Hey, remember that time legendary reggae artist Frederick “Toots” Hibbert was domed by an empty Grey Goose (classy!) vodka bottle at the Dominon RiverRock Outdoor Festival in Richmond, Va.? Well, Toots certainly does, not only because it happened at this year’s festival in May – actually it was only a few weeks ago – but because he has filed a lawsuit against the Henrico County man accused of the act for…wait for it….$21 million. William Connor Lewis may not remember his actions from that night, but he may be reliving them every month for the rest of his days if he has to shell out that kind of dough on top of the felony charges he is already facing. Hibbert is seeking $1 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages claiming injuries connected with the bottle strike forced him to cancel a majority of his tour, left him unable to record, compose or make public appearances, and was left “disoriented and grievously injured in body and mind,” plus permanent scarring.
For a more positive report from this year’s Dominion RiverRock, here is a paddling report from Canoe & Kayak magazine managing editor Dave Shively.
And, since we are on the subject of Richmond, there is a new brewery open north of the city in Caroline County: The Rusty Beaver Brewery sold its first beer on Friday.
Florida Fish Go Free, Fight Another Day
This story is slightly out of our region, but effects anyone and everyone who likes to fly fish. All anglers, whether they know it or not, have both bonefish and tarpon on their “I caught it on a fly rod” bucket list. These legendary sport fish are the classic salt water holy grail or saltwater catches, and now the state of Florida has taken a major step toward protecting these beautiful, feisty, and lucrative species. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved rules to govern the handling and harvesting of the state’s fisheries, including (with exceptions) making bonefish and tarpon catch and release only.
Greenway All the Way
We featured the town of Roanoke, Va. as our favorite mid-sized Mountain Town for many reasons, but one of the central features that put Roanoke over the top was their greenway. Not only is a greenway a great urban recreational tool and transportation medium, it is also indicative of a town’s commitment to a healthy population, outdoor infrastructure, and the outdoors in general. This is all certainly true of Roanoke, and the biggest driving factor behind the greenway was and continues to be Liz Belcher. The Roanoke Times has a great profile of Belcher, her career, the greenway, and how to get a project like it done.
