The Allegheny/French Creek confluence is a little rockier after this past weekend's Rock in River festival. In the professional competition alone, 120 circular-ish - flat stones brought from all over the place are now part of Venango County.
A rock can take millions of years to create. Once it is created it can sit in the same places for 1,000s of years. Rock skippers look for the perfect ones they think might have the right shape, weight and aerodynamics to sail barely touching the surface of the water over and over again before it dives in or loses its forward momentum and drops.
These old rocks may confuse archaeologists someday, but they have found a new home in the rust belt.
A rock can take millions of years to create. Once it is created it can sit in the same places for 1,000s of years. Rock skippers look for the perfect ones they think might have the right shape, weight and aerodynamics to sail barely touching the surface of the water over and over again before it dives in or loses its forward momentum and drops.
These old rocks may confuse archaeologists someday, but they have found a new home in the rust belt.
Some rocks really shine seemingly to endlessly go while others end in a rather unceremonious keplunk. Some skippers make special trips to favorite spots to find their choice rocks and collect all year, others will
bring a couple handfuls to the river bank.
Some bring rocks to share.
bring a couple handfuls to the river bank.
Some bring rocks to share.
In the championship pro division Saturday the 20 competitors managed to make 120 stones skip nearly 3,000 times. There was also a youth and amateur division
The competition's winner had a single skip of 50 and the cumulative high total of 179, 11 better than his closest challenger on the day.
For the second year in a row the Pennsylvania stone skipping champion was Tidioute's Andy "Big Rock" Severns. Second was Baltomore's Enzo Ferrari and third was Aiden Woolsey down from Buffalo. Competitors came from as far away as Soquel, California. One Canadian, who is a past winner made the trip again as well. Quincy, Massachusetts and a regular from Illinois. Eight states and one Canada Provence were represented.
Missing from this year was Kurt "The Mountainman" Steiner. The world-record holder is a perennial favorite of the competition but he was in Europe to skip stones for a music video for The Chemical Brothers and Beck. Stone skipping fame comes with a price sometimes.
The competition's winner had a single skip of 50 and the cumulative high total of 179, 11 better than his closest challenger on the day.
For the second year in a row the Pennsylvania stone skipping champion was Tidioute's Andy "Big Rock" Severns. Second was Baltomore's Enzo Ferrari and third was Aiden Woolsey down from Buffalo. Competitors came from as far away as Soquel, California. One Canadian, who is a past winner made the trip again as well. Quincy, Massachusetts and a regular from Illinois. Eight states and one Canada Provence were represented.
Missing from this year was Kurt "The Mountainman" Steiner. The world-record holder is a perennial favorite of the competition but he was in Europe to skip stones for a music video for The Chemical Brothers and Beck. Stone skipping fame comes with a price sometimes.
A lot of the usual faces were there. Dave "The Spiderman" Ohmer with his sons' David "Chicken foot" Ohmer and Luke "Electric Luke Orchestra" Ohmer, Dan "The Canadian" Quayle , Dana "Panda" Olson and Mike "Air-tight Alibi" Willianson.
But two regulars, besides the Mountainman, were not there. A moment of silence for one of the event founders Ronnie Beith and another annual skipper Aaron "The Kraken" McCracken was observed. A special moment was had for McCracken as Airtight Alibi sprinkled a small packet of McCracken's ashes along the shore. Then the fitting tribute of all throwers getting along the edge to throw a rock in unison to honor their friends.
But two regulars, besides the Mountainman, were not there. A moment of silence for one of the event founders Ronnie Beith and another annual skipper Aaron "The Kraken" McCracken was observed. A special moment was had for McCracken as Airtight Alibi sprinkled a small packet of McCracken's ashes along the shore. Then the fitting tribute of all throwers getting along the edge to throw a rock in unison to honor their friends.
McCracken was the second-place winner last year while he was in mid-battle and getting chemotherapy treatments. Beith has been Franklin's event coordinator for years. They both passed away since last year's festival.
See more photos from Saturday's event here: https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p54911288
A few more photos from Saturday's event are below.
A few more photos from Saturday's event are below.
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