A crew awaits first floating ducks to cross finish line in last year’s Lucky Duck Race in New River at Bisset Park.
For the first time, Radford’s summer river celebration Rollin’ on the River Food Truck Rodeo will pool the significant party-throwing skill and lively zest of Radford University, Radford High School and the city itself to host an extravaganza of athletics, food, music and games beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 28.
Schedule of events
- 8a.m. Highlander Half Marathon
- 9:30a.m. Highlander 5K
- 11a.m. Food Truck Rodeo opens
- 12 p.m. Fritz Schindler Band
- 1 p.m. Chas & Bill
- 2 p.m. Joey Nevada Band
- 2 p.m. RCPS Dog Show
- 4 p.m. Jared Stout Band
- 4 p.m. Cow Pie Bingo
- 5 p.m. Taylor Kent
- 5 p.m. New River Lucky (rubber) Duck Race
- 6 p.m. Electric Woodshed
The rodeo is coordinated with Radford University Athletics’ Highlander Half-Marathon and 5K, a family, stroller and dog-friendly three miles along the river.
The races start at 8 a.m., both from the Dedmon Center (101 University Drive, Radford).
The half-marathoners, running 13.1 hill-and-river miles, will trail along a new half-marathon course that emphasizes the connection between the university and the city.
“We go through the campus briefly and we’ll take them back through the city of Radford, past the businesses and the neighborhoods. Really through the town and the university,” KC Regis, associate director for athletic advancement at RU, said.
“It should be a good run,” she said.
The 5K runs right along the river straight into Bisset, wrapping around the park and ending at the food truck rodeo.
Already with a good relationship and with Regis’ experience from last year’s Highlander Half, this first-time coordination was smooth.
Regis reached out to Deb Cooney, the Tourism Director for the City of Radford, last fall.
“We were looking to have a great post-race experience,” Regis said and the first arrivals to the park this Saturday morning will be the early runners.
“The Food Truck Rodeo is like an after-party for the runners,” Deb Cooney said. “The race course closes at noon, so it’s perfectly timed for the food trucks.”
There’ll be 25.
The public will begin to arrive at 11 ready for lunch, music, and games in this river-centered festival.
The festival is held on Highlander Pride Weekend with its golf tournament and gala and joining the university and the city for the first time too, is Radford High School and its “cow-pie bingo,” which is “kind of like it sounds,” Jamie Little, education specialist for Radford City Schools in charge of the event said.
“We’ll have a large grassy area and people buy tickets choosing a square in a numbered grid and wherever the cow leaves a pile…they win!” she said.
Earlier this month, locating a cow during calving season who was available for parties, was proving a struggle, but Radford City Schools is resourceful.
“We have a cow person locating a cow. If we get one we’ll be happy. Last year, we had a horse and a cow,” Little said.
There will also be regular bingo, and a silent auction featuring items donated from businesses all over town to support the ACCE program, the effort helping students access community college.
“As that program grows, so will the demand for money,” Little said. “It’s a great program. I’m a total believer in it.”
Radford High School animal science students will judge a dog show. There are flyers up at West End Animal, Riverside, and Radford Animal Hospital vet clinic and Kibble’s on Main inviting owners to show their dogs.
Tying the event directly to the river is the Noon Rotary Club’s Lucky Duck Race, for cash and other prizes, is set for April 28 at Bisset Park, as part of a multi-event day of fun, including a food truck rodeo, craft vendors, Highlander Half Marathon and 5K races on this final day of the RU Pride Weekend, and much more.
The race, following dumping thousands of rubber ducks into the New (they’re carefully gathered up in a net at the end), gives citizens the chance to purchase tickets representing numbered ducks.
The first floating to the finish line are eligible to win $500, $250 and $100 cash, plus other prizes for additional ducks making it to the finish.
This race is an annual event overseen by the Radford Noon Rotary Club as a fund-raiser to help with annual scholarships for RHS students, help for needy veterans, little book libraries and other projects of the club according to the club’s announcement.
Tickets at $5 each, or a “Quack Pak” of five for $20, are being sold by club members and at sales setups at Kroger and Rural King in the shopping mall in Fairlawn. “Tickets will also be available on the day of the race throughout the day’s many activities up until race time,” the announcement said.
Information on the Rotary race is available at rafordnoonrotaryclub@gmail.com.
As the elaborate party approaches, all three groups say they’ll do it again.
“It was a very easy fit that brought together all the pieces of the city. We expect to do it together next year,” Regis said. “We knew what we needed to do and working with the established relationship, taking what we had in our heads, and putting it on paper, and then making it happen, she said.
The only thing at this point is weather, but Regis isn’t worried.
“It’s fun to run in the rain and people are really excited,” she said.
Radford Transit will offer free shuttles from 11a.m.-7 p.m. from Radford University’s Lot Z and guests are encouraged to use the shuttles to avoid parking congestion. Lot Z is located adjacent to the RU Dedmon Center athletic facility at 101 University Drive.
