Big Splash on the Eno May 11

What could be better than a relaxing picnic by a bubbling river while the kids learn how to fly fish and canoe from some of Durham's experts?

Join the Eno River Association for Big Splash on the Eno Saturday, May 11 from noon until 3:00 at West Point on the Eno Durham City Park. 

Two of Durham’s fabulous food trucks will be there (Captain Pancho’s  Tacos and LIV’s ), but attendees can bring their own food to enjoy a picnic lunch while they listen to live music on the banks of the river. At 1:00 there will be a hike to explore the new Mountains-to-Sea Trail as it runs through the park, stopping at Sennet’s Hole. 

Those more adventurous can wade in the river to discover the aquatic life found there and learn about how the Eno River Association monitors water quality. Fly-fishing demonstrations will demonstrate some of the secrets of the best fishing along the river, what to catch, and how to do it. Wildlife tracking, watersheds, native plants vs. invasive species, and more will be discussed, too. 

Frog Hollow Outdoors will have canoes and kayaks to take out for a paddle on the river – free for Eno River Association members and donors - membership can be acquired at Big Splash, but people don't have to be members to join the fun. The event is open to the public and is a great way to get out and support our local river.

The Eno River Association’s Big Splash has its roots in the Spring Picnic celebrations that have taken place on the river for over forty years. Since 1966, the Eno River Association has worked to protect nature, culture, and history of the Eno river valley. 

Learn more online about Durham, NC.

Gettin' Hitched?

Have you changed your Facebook status to engaged or discussed your “wedding plans” on Durham’s Facebook page? Have you printed out a poster declaring what “Durham Is” to you? If you can answer yes to these questions, you’re probably looking forward to the Marry Durham event on March 19.

Click to Download "Durham Is"

Hundreds are expected to Marry Durham on Rigsbee Avenue near Motorco Music Hall and Fullsteam Brewery. The 4pm-7pm mass wedding, parade, and reception includes performances by The Beast, Grammy-award winning Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes, Corn & the Colonels, and many more.

On Valentine’s Day the Durham County Board of Commissioners proclaimed March 19 as “Marry Durham Day.” The proclamation points out that Durham has received a variety of national accolades recently including: Home to the Creative Class, Foodiest Small Town, Best Place to Retire, Best Place to Visit, Best Green City, and Best Place to Start a Business. The proclamation urged “participants to repeat vows that promise to honor and cherish their beloved Durham by supporting the arts, patronizing local businesses, electing responsible leaders, and keeping the community safe.”

The lighthearted event is intended to give proud citizens an opportunity to celebrate their unique community. Marry Durham is also a fundraiser for five nonprofits, including: Eno River Association, Genesis Home, Latino Community Development Center, The Scrap Exchange and Walltown Children’s Theatre.

Eno River Then and Now

The Eno River began pretty simply—probably in the late 1600s—as nothing more than run-off from tobacco and corn fields in Orange County. Now the second largest river in North Carolina, it runs some 40 miles through Orange County and Durham County before merging with the Little and Flat Rivers and flowing into Falls Lake.

Three hundred years later (1966), the Eno River Association was founded as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) conservation organization with a mission to conserve and protect the Eno River basin.

On the site where Durham's old West Point Mill stood since 1778, the story goes that one of the mill buildings along the river collapsed from old age and neglect in 1973. The Association was able to take the remains of an old mill in Virginia and reconstruct the mill on that site and establish a park in time to host 100,000 people at the Festival of North Carolina Folklife in 1976, one of many U.S. Bicentennial celebrations.

A version of that Festival began in 1980 as Festival for the Eno, a fundraiser that has allowed the association to purchase and protect nearly 6,000 acres of land along the river. In addition to the Eno River State Park, which straddles Orange and Durham counties, there is a city park along the river named West Point on the Eno, which is the actual site of Festival.

As the 31st festival gets underway tomorrow, DNS is happy to provide some "then" and "now" blurbs for readers to learn about this lush treasure.
THEN NOW

1752 Michael Synott was granted 100 acres of land on both sides of the River including his mills.

1865 General Sherman stationed a cavalry unit at West Point prior to the surrender at Bennett Place.

1866 The wedding of Rebecca and Robert Russell took place exhibiting early hospitality on the site with the entire county invited to the ceremony and wedding feast, with music and dancing.

1887 Durham tapped the Eno for its first water system and built a pumping station.

1942 Mill shut down after 160 years of continuous operation due to a flood.

1972 The state of North Carolina granted a request to establish a state park at the Eno river.

1980 Margaret Nygard, founder of the Eno River Association stationed 100 volunteers at various posts for the first Eno River Festival which drew 12,000. Internationally-known performers Shirley Caesar, Doc Watson, and the Red Clay Ramblers are tapped to headline the Festival.

1995 A flood almost shut down the Festival, but was saved with hundreds of volunteer hours spent moving stages and crafters.

1998 The festival (longest running and largest ticketed Independence Day Festival in North Carolina) draws more than 40,000 people for music, dancing and feasting.