Saturday's Occoquan River Fest was a hit! Mother Nature did her part, and the heat and humidity were low, which encouraged more than 1,000 to visit Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton.
“I’m very happy,” said Mary Zamon, chairman of the Occoquan Watertrail League (OWL), which sponsored the event along with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, George Mason University’s Potomac Environmental Research & Education Center and REI. Zamon said she was most pleased with the attendance after a disappointing turnout last year.
Rivershore Charters “Miss Rivershore” ferried festival goers between the two sites for free, while Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta gave riders a history lesson.
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The Occoquan River is the star of River Fest, so there were roundtable discussions devoted to conservation, history and recreation. There were plenty of fun activities for the family, including paddling bridges between Fairfax and Prince William Counties, yoga, fishing and a nature hikes.
Kids flocked to the Naturealm Play Area, where they made bug jars, hunted for shark’s teeth and dissected owl pellets. The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia brought owls, hawks and falcons that could be admired but not touched.
