Home, James

You're very Richmond if...you watch an evening's worth of movies about the mighty James River being projected on the floodwall.

Yep, sure did.

Outdoor movie season may be winding down (and that's a crying shame) but not before tonight's "Films on the Floodwall" put on by the James River Outdoor Coalition. Two years ago, I'd seen my first floodwall movie when Elli Morris' "An Affair with the James" had screened and I remember what a cool thing it had been to experience so close to the river itself.

This time, they had booths about various river groups and food trucks for the crowd's benefit before they wandered over to the grassy field to set up blankets, chairs and find room for their dogs to lounge.

And there were a lot of dogs. The event invitation had specifically said pooches were welcome and probably half the crowd had taken them up on it. Other than a few random barking episodes during the film, the canine set was extremely well-behaved.

I found a good viewing spot behind two women who quickly got friendly, offering me the use of their herbal bug spray, acquired at Target and leading to a discussion of what we did before we had Target.

"Spent too much time and money at Walmart?" one posited. Not me, I can assure you. "I'd have a lot more money but not so many cute things if there was no Target," the owner of the bug spray concluded.

The viewing began with a PSA about trash in the James River Parks, a nod to how films at the Byrd always begin with the infamous litter PSA from the '80s. Apparently, this past summer was a particularly bad one for trash left behind so we were being implored to set a good example when in the park.

Of course, they were preaching to the choir since anyone who'd come to a James River film fest probably already cares about such things.

Then it was on to the regular films and while all tied in to the James River one way or another, each had a different feel to it.

"Snow Day" was shot near 42 Street on a frigid day, the people in the water assuring the camera that they don't let a little bad weather stop them. I say the same thing when people act surprised that I walk no matter what the weather is. Weather wimps, not.

There was a brief film about Greg Hawkins, to whom a park water fountain was dedicated because of his tireless work mentoring others in stewardship of the James.

Some films such as "The Spawn" were hugely educational, explaining how important the James is for shad and herring come spawning season. Unfortunately, with dams being built, the fish have lost 100 miles of spawning area.

"Urban Forestry" followed scientists who have chosen three areas around the river to survey, taking measurements of tree widths and cataloging which kinds of trees grow where and then tagging the trees so they can go back and make comparisons next year.

I don't know about you, but it makes me feel good to think that some person's job is to keep track of the park's trees. Kids need to know that they can grow up to be tree scientists.

Ditto "The Return of the Great Atlantic Sturgeon," about the fish that live in the ocean but spawn and are born in our river. There were plenty of closeups of the ugly, prehistoric-looking bottom-feeders being caught, tagged and released. They've even built reefs near Hopewell to encourage spawning.

We're here for you, sturgeon.

During a break, a guy from the James River Association who lives in Powhatan County got up and spoke. He said that the James River in Powhatan County is pretty much exactly like it was when Christopher Newport sailed up that far in 1607. Amazing.

I'd somehow missed that there was raffle, but the girl with the bug spray in front of me won a 60-gallon rain barrel, even posing with it Vanna White-style before picking the monster up and toting it over to her chair. No clue how she's going to get that home.

One filmmaker thanked the crowd profusely for coming, saying usually they just threw their films up on the Internet, so they never got to see an audience's reaction to them. Glad to oblige.

Films like "Home on the James" showed daredevil types flipping their kayaks in whitewater and through scary high water, clearly taking delight in the adrenaline rush, while "The Dimensions of the James River" was wordless with very dramatic music and imagery.

One film that got a big reaction showed former James River Park director and patron saint Ralph White talking about why Belle Isle matters so much to Richmonders. "As soon as you cross that suspension bridge, you leave the city behind," he said from the water's edge, explaining how the "rather rough crowd" that used to hang out there had given way to families now.

Ralph said we love Belle Isle because we respond to the sound of moving water and I couldn't agree more. When I walk there, I make a point to go out on the rocks, peel off my shoes and socks and submerge my legs while the sound of rushing water makes me a happier person.

"On the James with Mitch" showed paddleboarder Mitch Davis doing his river surfing thing for pleasure and in competition, wishing for a man-made pool over near the Manchester climbing wall as a way to attract visitors.

"Seasons on the James" began with the river fanatics out on the water on a 39 degree day. Having walked down by the river last winter just after some particularly frigid weather, I remember being astounded at seeing adrenaline junkies out on the water (in wet suits and board shorts, in some cases).

We saw a 12-year old who said he'd been paddling for four years already. Now there's someone who'll be a formidable paddleboarder in a few years. Scenes of Dominion RiverRock showed scores of fans watching the competition, April showers showed frighteningly high water and summer scenes showed people sliding down the sheer vertical face of a dam's waterfall.

All of it looked just as scary as it sounds.

Unlike the typical crowd at a movie theater, tonight's group was silently respectful watching the films. The main interruptions of noise came from planes and helicopters above and sirens from traffic on 14th Street nearby.

Even nature cooperated with the moon a little fingernail of a crescent so as not to impart too much light and interfere with our viewing.

I may not be as adventurous as the daredevils in the films, but, make no mistake, I have my own affair with the James.

I'm just more of a voyeur.