Lynch's Landing interested in renewing Batteau Festival ties

Lynch’s Landing has some interest in reviving its relationship with the long-running James River Batteau Festival, according to its new executive director, although it will not be contributing to this year’s event, which kicks off on Saturday.

In response to a question Tuesday, Anna Bentson, who’s in her second month at the helm of Lynchburg’s downtown advocacy non-profit, told City Council that she would like to reassess the group’s old partnership with the batteau festival.

Lynch’s Landing used to organize a broader downtown festival to coincide with the annual batteau launch off Percival’s Island, but it discontinued that partnership after 2007 to focus on other projects.

Many batteau supporters feel the absence of a larger celebration is a wasted opportunity that has lowered the festival’s profile and hurt attendance.

On Tuesday, Bentson appeared at a City Council meeting in order to introduce herself and offer some brief remarks on what she hoped to accomplish over the next year.

At one point, Councilman Turner Perrow asked her if Lynch’s Landing had any plans to renew its sponsorship of the batteau festival.

“We’ve had that partnership in the past, and I’d like to have those conversations in the future going forward,” Bentson replied, adding that no supporting events had been organized this year, though.

Perrow urged the downtown organization to reconnect with the event.

“This is something that has been at the back of my mind for a long time,” he said, adding that he grew up along the river and has taken part in the batteau festival for years. “… To me, personally, that is something I would like to see Lynch’s Landing involved in and support.”

The batteau festival, now in its 26th year, is an eight-day event that brings together old-fashioned batteau crews to make the 120-mile trip down the James River from Lynchburg to Richmond.

The journey honors the centuries-old trade routes that once served as the backbone of the region’s economy. This year, the fleet of 16 to 18 participating batteaux will shove off from Percival’s Island at 11 a.m. Saturday. Crewmembers dressed in period garb will start assembling one hour beforehand.

Prior to Bentson’s hiring, Lynch’s Landing had been without an executive director for about a year. Bentson told council she was looking forward to being an ambassador for downtown Lynchburg and continuing programs aimed at drawing in visitors, supporting businesses and encouraging renovations.

She said that, over the next year, Lynch’s Landing plans to launch a “sustained campaign” directed at college students, undertake a rebranding initiative and engage the growing number of downtown residents to find out what goods and services they want to see in their neighborhood.

Bentson last worked at Poplar Forest as its director of public relations and marketing. In keeping with a longstanding arrangement, the city will pay her annual salary of $52,000.