“The James River in Richmond: Your NEW Guide to Enjoying America’s Best Urban Waterway,” ($19.95) is receiving an appropriate celebration Thursday, March 16, from 5 to 7 p.m., at a place where many river enthusiasts put in for respite after a day of canoeing, kayaking, hiking or biking, Legend Brewing Co. The site also features a panoramic view of the city and the majestic waters.
On Friday, March 17, author, angler and arts advocate John Bryan will be present from 5 to 8 p.m. at Crossroads Art Center, which through March 31 is sponsoring an online exhibition, “Life on the Rivah.” Later in the month, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 27, he’ll speak at St. Luke Lutheran Church’s Shepherd’s Center of Richmond’s “RVA Open University.” He’ll give the “Top Ten Ways for Persons of All Ages and Abilities to Enjoy Richmond’s James River.” For more book-related events, scroll down here.
There’s also a scavenger hunt of sorts for buried treasure, with clues given by the author every 10 days, and as of this writing, the object remains hidden. See the hints here.
This book is a sequel, of sorts, to a similar guide Bryan compiled and published in 1997. But since then, much has changed, from the water quality of the river that birthed the Richmond to the characteristics of the city itself, the public access now available to the waterway and the assortment of attractions there, in addition to the range of folks who seek out their own varieties of Jamesian experiences.
The 220-page guide is fully and colorfully illustrated and jam-packed full of the places, people and things that make Richmond, as Outside magazine declared in 2012, “The greatest river town in America.” The volume is small enough to be carried with ease in a backpack or curled in a pocket, though large enough to contain a deep dive into the plentitude of information.
But here’s the man himself to tell you about the why and wherefores, and the philanthropic motivation:
“Back in ’97, there was no T. Tyler Potterfield Bridge — there weren’t any websites,” Bryan says. “I decided with the passage of time and all the changes that have come along, it would be good to update the guide. And it’s basically the same themes of presenting all the ways you can enjoy the 11-mile stretch of the James River within Richmond city limit: hiking, biking, climbing, annual events, for- and nonprofit groups that serve the river, raft trips, and with sections on children’s activities with the inclusion about accessibility.”
Another acknowledgement of what’s occurred in the past quarter century is the inclusion of a 27-page Spanish language component.
A quinceanera photo session on the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge
How Bryan got Sen. Tim Kaine to write the introduction is a good story. “Everybody was telling me to get Tim Kaine in the book,” he recalls. “I sent him an email, and I was surprised to get a reply almost immediately.” Turned out that Kaine and his spouse, Anne Holton, the former Virginia secretary of education, were paddling in a canoe on the James when the message came through. Bryan says with a chuckle, “I guess somebody gave me the right address that got his attention.”
Lucifer Gray and Laura Johnson
Bryan otherwise spent a year interviewing and photographing people he encountered along the riverfront.
One of his more memorable meetings, which received a full-page illustration on Page 124, came at Great Shiplock Park with Petersburg resident Lucifer Gray and friend Laura Johnson, a grocery store manager. Gray described himself as a writer of horror and suspense. Bryan asked from whom Gray drew inspiration. “Edgar,” came the instant reply. Bryan responded, “Rice Burroughs?” Gray shook his head. “Allan Poe.” Was he getting ideas here? Bryan asked. He nodded and indicated Johnson’s fishing rod. “It’s about what’s at the end of her line.”
You’ll see them and many others and glimpse into their lives down by the riverside.
