There is More Than One Way to Get to Rooster Walk – and Plenty to Do Once You’re There!

Beginning this Thursday, May 23rd to the 26th, the 11th annual Rooster Walk concert (RW11) series begins, and will take place at 675 Hobson Road, Martinsville (Axton area of Henry County), at a venue known as Pop’s Farm.  Rooster Walk consists of several days of live music featuring dozens of bands such as Fireside Collective, Jules & The Agreeables, Kendall Street Co., C2 & The Brothers Reed, The Steel Wheels, and many, many more!  Various brews will be served at different times as well.  Additionally, outdoor activities such as disc golf and paddling the Smith River will be available on certain days, and more information about these activities is available on the Rooster Walk website, https://roosterwalk.com/.

According to the website, the annual event began following the deaths of two young local men, Walker Shank and Edwin “the Rooster” Penn, who passed away as a result of heart issues and a dirt bike accident, respectively.  The event was organized by friends in Shank and Penn’s honor as a means of raising funds to serve a scholarship program at Martinsville High School for those students aspiring to attend college.  To date, over $175,000 has been raised to support the Penn-Shank Memorial Scholarship Fund, as well as local charities.

Most attendees of Rooster Walk will drive to the event.  However, if you would like to save money and wish to be environmentally-conscious, consider carpooling with others who will be going to the event.  A great tool to match with other attendees who may be carpooling to this event is the RIDE Solutions app, available at www.ridesolutions.org. There will be a post on our RIDE Solutions Facebook page to encourage event attendees to network and carpool together, either with or without the app.

Multiple overnight accommodation options will be available for Rooster Walk.  Many will choose to camp in areas of the farm set aside for tents and for RVs.  Additionally, Rooster Walk is partnering with the Quality Inn-Dutch Inn in Collinsville, as well as the Comfort Inn in Danville.  Transportation between the venue and these lodging establishments will be provided by shuttles which will operate regularly.  See more information at https://roosterwalk.com/shuttle-hotel/.

If you enjoy bicycling, the West Piedmont Planning District Commission, which coordinates the RIDE Solutions program locally, adopted an updated bicycle plan in 2018 which recommends various routes for bicycling throughout the region, including routes not far from Pop’s Farm.  The interactive map also shows points of interest such as restaurants, wineries, farmers’ markets, breweries and distilleries, and more!  The West Piedmont Regional Bicycle Plan’s interactive map can be found here:  https://wppdc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=abfe3df1b6ec4769aff2253d528fe2e9&extent=-80.3966,36.5503,-79.3420,37.0073.

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