Batteau Festival








June 13-14, 2008 Schedule of Downtown Events

Friday, June 13

Cimmaron


June 13, 2008 Riverfront Festival Park - Harley Night
June 13, Riverfront Festival Park
5:30 - 9:00pm
Admission: $5.
Must be 21 or older unless accompanied by a parent.

Cimmaron has entertained and offered listeners country music with an edge doing it their way, with a combination of kickin' traditional, Outlaw rockin' country music that reflects the varied backgrounds of the band members. Cimmaron has performed nationally at Venues as broad as Boulder Station Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada to Disney Worlds Armadillos Saloon in Florida.

Cimmaron has appeared on national television shows such as TNN's Music City Tonight, Prime Time Country, Miller & Company, Video PM, and Video AM. Their videos played on TNN & CMT and won the Golden Music Award in 1995 for Video of the Year and Band of theYear. Cimmaron is a favorite of nationally recognized music critic, Robert K. Ormann, and were guests on his syndicated radio show on WSM.

The Batteaus

Boats will be parked at the Amherst Boat Landing beginning Friday afternoon.
Saturday, June 14

Batteau Launch
Percival's Island

(11am). Costumed re-enactors pay homage to Lynchburg's history by making the same voyage from Lynchburg to Richmond just as the tobacco trade did in the 1700's and 1800's.

The Lynchburg Museum
901 Court Street

Saturday, 10am - 4pm. $1.00 off admission. The Lynchburg Museum reopened in February 2008 with all new exhibits. The Museum has exhibits on Lynchburg during the batteau and canal era, and they have a batteau and packet boat model on display. They also have the desk from the packet boat John Marshall on exhibit and have several large murals by artist Edward Beyer that show the canals, towpaths, locks, and the layout of the canal basin in Downtown Lynchburg as it appeared in 1855. www.lynchburgmuseum.org

Point of Honor
112 Cabell Street

Saturday, 10am - 4pm. $1.00 off admission and offer 10% off in the Gift Shop. They will have costumed interpretation at Point of Honor with hearth cooking demonstrations, spinning and weaving, and hands-on activities such as creating a recipe and how to make butter. Meet Dr. George Cabell, owner of Point of Honor, who will talk about early medicine and give tours of the new medical exhibit. www.pointofhonor.org

The McKenzies
at The White Hart
1208 Main Street

Saturday, 7:30pm. The McKenzies' variety of musical styles and instrumentation, their strong individual and duet vocals, and their repertoire of lively tunes, familiar ballads, inspiring sing-alongs, and humorous novelty songs, all come together to create a unique and energetic brand of entertainment that appeals to young and old alike. www.inklingswhitehart.com

Riverflicks
Corner of 9th and Main Streets

(Movie begins at dusk). To Sir with Love, 1967 starring Sidney Potier, Lulu, Judy Geeson and Suzy Kendall. Pre-show Activities: a 1960's dance party! Dress in 1960's attire and receive a special prize! Thanks to the generous support of AREVA and other area businesses, the 2008 RiverFlick Outdoor Film Series is free and open to the public. RiverFlick movies are shown on a big screen in the outdoor theater along Lynchburg's riverfront. RiverFlick is a collaborative effort by Amazement Square, the City of Lynchburg, Riverviews Artspace, Young Professionals of Central Virginia and community volunteers. Movies begin at sunset. Bring a blanket or a chair. Movie concessions are available. No outside drinks or coolers and please, no pets. Go to www.riverflick.org to learn more about each movie and the books behind them, inclement weather plans, etc.

Rare Automobile Made in Lynchburg to be Displayed at Lynchburg Museum During Batteau Festival
Contact: Doug Harvey,
Museum System Director (434) 455-6226

The Piedmont Motor Car Company operated in Lynchburg on Hollins Mill Road where the Flowers Bakery is now located. Started by Wallace Taylor, Sr. in 1917, the company sold cars under the names Piedmont, Alsace, Lone Star, and Bush. Several models of automobiles were made including roadsters, touring cars, and small trucks. In 1920, 1,500 cars were completed at the plant. By 1922, competition from the more affordable Ford and Chevrolet vehicles helped lead to their closing.

Piedmont vehicles were essentially assembled in Lynchburg with parts brought in by railroad, although some parts of the car body were hammered out at the Hollins Mill Road plant. Buyers had a choice of four or six cylinder motors with 30 or 40 horsepower respectively. Piedmont used Lycoming and Continental Red Seal engines in their cars.

The company never developed dealerships to market the vehicles but made them for other companies--the Bush was made for a Chicago firm, the Lone Star for a Texas company, and the Alsace for the European market.

Steve Puckette of Forest, Virginia acquired a Bush automobile in 2006 and will display it in front of the Lynchburg Museum during the Batteau Festival. There are very few Piedmont automobiles still in existence so this is a rare opportunity to view a little-known part of Lynchburg's history.

The car will be displayed near the front of the Museum at 901 Court Street from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, June 14, 2008. In case of rain, the car will be rescheduled to another date.

Batteau Festival
Batteau Festival
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