A little rainy weather could not dampen our spirits as we celebrated the Catawba Riverkeeper’s RiverFest 2025 festival on the banks of the South Fork of the Catawba River in McAdenville on May 3! Our Charlotte Water team had a booth at the event where we interacted with approximately 250 people and gave away 75 gallons of water from our beloved Water Wagon to help keep everyone cool.
We taught guests about how to save water and make a positive difference for the environment by buying rain barrels for their homes. Rain barrels are used to collect and store rainwater from a home’s downspouts. This allows homeowners to later use the saved water to water their plants or wash their cars, among other purposes. Our staff educated festival attendees about how this practice can help save them money on future water bills, rely less on municipal water and minimize stormwater runoff, which helps prevent flooding of local waterways.
Visitors enjoyed live music from John David Tice and the bands No Whammies and Eternally Grateful. Additionally, there was local craft beer for sale, plus tasty food truck treats from Arbor Coffee, Pita Palace, Noom Yai and Cream Ice Concepts.
Younger attendees reveled in kids’ activities including a drum circle, face painting and multiple inflatables, while shoppers toured the creative wares of artisan vendors. There was also a plein air art competition where artists skilled at capturing the beauty of the great outdoors painted natural landscapes around the festival grounds or historical buildings throughout downtown McAdenville for the chance to win up to $600 in prizes.
The Floating Concert portion of RiverFest has been postponed until August 2 due to thunderstorms. At that time, guests will be invited to hop into their kayaks and relax as they float down the Catawba River to Cramerton before heading into Confluence for live music. For those who would like to rent a kayak, they will be able to do so from a stand run by Aquatic Adventures at the McAdenville Greenway River Access point. The floating experience itself will begin at the McAdenville Greenway Boat Launch. We look forward to seeing you there later this year!
