Trust you are having a good summer. We sure are here on the Roanoke. We have had some beautiful days. And in this, our 20th anniversary year, we are happy to report we are having what promises to be our best year yet! We’d like to share some of the highlights with you.

Even with all the high water and rain this spring, it looks like we will likely set a new record of overnight campers on the river. Our all-time annual high is 1215 campers. In just March and April, we served 662 overnighters! That’s even after a good number had to postpone their trips due to weather/water conditions.

Among our spring campers, we were pleased to have a couple of guys paddle from Weldon to Plymouth, spending 6 nights on the river. One of these campers drove in from Connecticut and stayed in a hotel near Weldon the night before their start. They also reported renting gear, eating meals up and down the river, and meeting folks along the way.

We are thrilled that one of these campers went home and blogged about their adventure here on the Roanoke. The best advertisement we have is from folks who have camped with us sharing their story. Much thanks … and come back soon Pat … and Karl!

You can see Pat’s personal account at http://patstith.com/ index.php/2017/06/23/piz-za-piz-za-piz-za-paddling-the-roanoke/.

Also be on the lookout for other stories in My Outer Banks Home, Coastwatch, and Carolina Monthly later this summer. We are grateful to have these folks interested in our Roanoke River Paddle Trail and our surrounding region.

And last, but certainly not least, we are gearing up to begin the capital campaign to renovate the Hamilton Rosenwald School – to be repurposed as the Rosenwald River Center. Over the past couple of months we have been meeting with a number of partners to a plan for and complete this project.

We have participated in a fund-raising training conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We have also attended meetings hosted by State Historic Preservation and by Preservation North Carolina. All of these groups are invested in and providing guidance and support for this very special project.

Other supporting partners to-date include: The Conservation Fund, The Covington Foundation, The Conservation Trust of North Carolina, Roanoke River Mayors Association, US Fish & Wildlife, an Underground Railroad Committee, A.R. Chesson Construction Company, Martin County Economic Development, the Town of Hamilton, Historic Hamilton Commission, former Hamilton Rosenwald alumni and a host of private donors.

With the completion of this historic preservation project, there will be a place in Eastern North Carolina where visitors can access and learn more about the Roanoke River; where they can experience an authentic “Rosenwald” setting; and where they can learn about the Underground Railroad and the role that the Roanoke River played in this piece of American history.

If you would like to know more about this rural development project, please be in touch through my contact information below to discuss our project or to plan a presentation for your group or organization. If you are interested in this project, we’d very much like to hear from you!

You can also join our on-line audiences at https://www.facebook.com/RoanokeRiverPartners/; or https://www.instagram. com/roanokeriverpartners/; or https://twitter.com/RRiverPartners.