The Chattooga River Group (CRG) held its 4th Annual Chattooga River Fest in Lyerly last Saturday,  where paddlers enjoyed a safe float on a cloudy morning. The Coosa River Basin Initiative cleared the water for safety before the event. The festival began at Angus McLeod Memorial Park, featuring performances from Jason Clark The Snake Guy and singer Charlie Long, along with an annual cornhole tournament. The winning team received cash prizes. Unfortunately, heavy thunderstorms forced the cancellation of the 4 PM show, but everyone evacuated safely. A kayak raffle was held, with John Digphuis winning. Next year’s Chattooga River Fest is set for June 13th in Trion. Read a full report, contributed by Cindy Rivers-McGraw below:

The Chattooga River Group (CRG) held their 4th Annual Chattooga River Fest in Lyerly, Georgia, where it all began four years ago. Several avid kayakers hit the water at 10 AM on a cloudy but dry morning. With the help of CRG board members, volunteers and the CERT team, the float was fast, enjoyable and safe! Despite early threats of contamination at the two launches in late May, the Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI), which tests the water weekly, gave the “all clear” two weeks leading up to the event. Overnight rains gave the paddlers an extra boost to get downstream, but the water levels were well within normal range to float safely.  “We monitored the eColi numbers on the CRBI Swim Guide, watched river levels, and kept a very close eye on the weather forecasts before making the decision to go ahead with the paddle early Saturday morning. We had volunteer support with a lead, a sweep and emergency on standby. We felt great about having a good float”, event coordinator Cindy McGraw stated.

As the paddlers were floating, the festival got underway at Angus McLeod Memorial Park. CRG volunteers helped get vendors in place while the double waterslide was set up in the free KidZone. Entertainment started off at 11a on the park stage and featured Jason Clark The Snake Guy. Jason has been all over the southeast rescuing snakes, alligators and other reptiles. His presentations are always educational AND fun! He took the stage for three shows, and each one was totally different. McGraw said, “We were so fortunate to be able to get Jason. He is in great demand all over for television and movie productions.”

Charlie Long moved us in the noon hour with his soulful voice and inspiring song selection.  We also had a programs briefing from Katy Gramling, Park Manager at Sloppy Floyd State Park.

Die hard cornholers took to the field to toss their way to a cash prize in the annual cornhole tournament at noon. This is the third year of the double-elimination competition. Like the paddle, play was fast, fun and safe. The winning team was Reece Tire’s team of Spencer Johnson and Blake Johnson. They took home $150 and bragging rights for a year! Second place went to the team of Greg Hewitt and Darrell McGuire ($75 prize), and in third place was Michael Hancock and John Lee.

Unfortunately, at 3pm we decided to cancel Mountain Rattle’s 4pm show. We also asked vendors to begin packing up due to heavy thunderstorms heading straight for us and expected around 4p. Some of us got soaked, but everyone got out safely.

Before we broke everything down, we drew for the kayak raffle. The kayak, a SunDolphin Marquette 10 sit-on angler, was donated by Atrium Health EMS. Athena Onus drew the winning ticket—
Congratulations to John Digphuis of Summerville!

A huge thank you goes to our Presenting Sponsor GP Federal Credit Union. Courtney, Jamie and the staff at the local branch are so generous and helpful. They have rooted themselves in this community and go the extra mile to serve. We’d also like to thank Atrium Health EMS, Georgia Power, Mohawk, North Georgia EMC, Pine Ridge Outdoors, Flegal Insurance, and our 2025 partners: Chattooga County, CERT, Chattooga Chamber, Town of Lyerly, Lyerly Fire Department.

BTW, if you still want a ’25 t-shirt, please, visit ChattoogaRiverGroup.org. Go to the Chattooga River Fest tab and scroll down to the link to New Moon Threads to order. They come in three Comfort Colors: Bay, Ivory and Terra Cotta. $25 each. Delivery options: Pick Up or By Mail

We hope to see you next year in Trion by the Chattooga River! SAVE THE DATE June 13th!