Grab Your Paddles for Ramble Weekend

Ramble Weekend is back for the 16th year. The three-day event in Franklin County features multiple events on land and water for a weekend of food, music, camping, and activities that people will keep talking about all year.

The weekend kicks off Friday, May 19, with the Blackwater Blackout, a 3-mile float down the Blackwater River after the sun goes down. (Boats much have a light source.) The float leaves from New Plant Road with registration beginning at 5 p.m. and there will be music by Seph Custer.

The signature event is the Pigg River Ramble, an 8-mile float down the Pigg River for racers or a 4-mile route for floaters. The ramble gets underway at noon on Saturday, May 20, with the Great Duck Race. Then floats can hit the water. The afternoon is capped off with a meal and awards at 5 p.m. with live music on site by the Mason Creek Band.

If you are more of a land lover, Ramble Weekend also includes a 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday. (It’s timed so that you can run and paddle if you like.) The Pigg River Rumble is a 3.1-mile race featuring dirt road and cinder trail.

The weekend concludes Sunday with Breakfast on the Blackwater with a meal from the Hub Restaurant and a 3-mile float.

All of the weekend’s events – and camping – require registration. You can find all the details from Franklin County Parks and Recreation.