Hello Everyone! :) So, I came up with some questions for our President about the annual Shad Planking, that some of our club's members attended. Thanks for answering these, Caleb. :) Enjoy!
What is the Shad Planking? The Shad Planking was started as a celebration of the James River running of Shad. It is an oily, bony, fish smoked on wood planks over an open flame. For the past 63 years, the Wakefield Ruritan Club has hosted the event and given the proceeds to local youth clubs in the Wakefield Area.
Which governing authorities attended the 63rd annual Shad Planking?
I saw prominent member of our state government including: Former Senator and Governor George Allen, Senator Mark Warner, Former Lieutenant Governor John Hager, Congressman Bobby Scott, Delegate Roslyn Tyler, Delegate Bill Barlow, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, Chairman of the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors Tom Wright, Governor Bob McDonnell, and many candidates for state and local offices.
What is your favorite thing about this event in general? The Shad Planking brings people from all across the political spectrum together to fellowship and talk politics. Whether you are Democrat or Republican, Conservative or Liberal, you always leave the Shad Planking ready for next year's event.
What is the neatest thing about this year's Shad Planking?
The most interesting part of this year's event was that there were many different political organizations that had booths, but not many individual candidates did.
Do you actually like Shad?
I don't like seafood in general and Shad is no exception. I go for the politics!
Do you feel this sort of event is beneficial to the candidates?
Yes. This is probably the best place for candidates to speak to both parties about the issues because most campaign events only revolve around people in their own party.
And if you ever run for an office, will you feel the need to attend the Shad-planking? They say that if you ever aspire to run for office in Virginia and win, you better have attended the Shad Planking.
What was the highlight of this year's event for you?
The biggest highlight was attending the Shad Planking with my girlfriend, Allison. :)
Which political figures have you been able to meet by attending the Shad Planking over the years?
I have been to 3 Shad Plankings and have met Former Governor Jim Gilmore, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, Governer Bob McDonnell, Senator Mark Warner, and others.
Is this a family friendly event?
I think small children would get bored but teens would enjoy it.
The Shad Planking is the biggest annual political event in Virginia and I would encourage everyone to attend. Hope to see you all at our club meetings.
Caleb Kitchen
President of TACT GenJ Club
Thanks for the fun and informative interview.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the next one!