Rock Bottom River run will celebrate third year at RiverFest

The third annual Rock Bottom River Run will take a different approach this year as this year's route will follow the 1830s-1860s stagecoach route in Union County.

The T-shirt design for this year’s Rock Bottom River Run.

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The Rock Bottom River Run, sponsored by the Tallahatchie Arts Council, is a motorcycle poker run in which motorcyclists will pick up a card at the first location, then pick up more cards at each stop, eventually creating a five-card poker hand.

The dealt hand will then be displayed at the last stop, which will be The Coffee Addict in downtown New Albany. A free lunch is provided there for all of the participants. 

The original stagecoach route followed the natural twists and turns in the county and winded around rivers, creeks, hills, and more. Even though development has hampered much of the route, there are still some historical pathways that can still be ridden on today.

One of the historical stops is the famous Paul Rainey estate near the Union and Tippah County line. At the stops along the tour there will be a speaker to tell historical information about that stop. There will be five stops total, including the Union County Heritage Museum.

“We are trying to base the route on something historical and this carried through with that theme and also allows people to get off the main drag and see another part of the county,” said Jill Smith, member of the organizing committee.

The cost per player is $25, lunch will be provided, and monetary prizes will be awarded.

The proceeds go toward the completion of the repairs for the Tallahatchie Arts Council art house.

 Registration will take place between 8:30 and 10 a.m. on Sept. 22, 2012 at the Union County Heritage Museum, located at 114 Cleveland Street in New Albany. The poker run starts at 10 a.m. Registration can take place beforehand by calling the museum at 662-538-0014.