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The Grateful Boomers blew it out of the water for Earth Day 2025! On a perfect-weather day,  they began with a leisurely paddle on a nearby 50-acre watershed lake witnessing a Virginia spring in its full glory. Herons were searching for lunch, turtles sunbathed and wildflowers  emerged from their winter sleep. Gliding across the glasslike water on their sit-upon kayaks, all  expressed gratitude for such a day and opportunity. 

With a “who wants to go 4-wheeling?” and a resounding “yes”, they paddled to shore and  hopped on the newest Boomer’s 4-wheeler. They cruised on private land up and down lush  green pastures and crossing streams. The Boomer driver was not only skillful with her off-roading, but knowledgeable about everything “Buckingham”. Halfway through their exploring,  they stopped to venture on foot through the woods. A recent flood had cleared the banks of a  stream below and laid down a path of thick sand, making it easy to walk along the stream bed.  Evidently, this had not been possible before because of thick undergrowth. Squeals of delight  echoed as they climbed down a hill and into the stream. Fearless and prepared, they were  protected by their knee-high muck boots. This meant there was no deterrent for walking right in  the middle of the crystal clear creek. Adventuring at its best! 

The week ended for the Grateful Boomers with a foot-stomping bluegrass concert by straight-from-Nashville Joe Hott  Saturday afternoon at the new outdoor venue Spruceberry Farm, on Cartersville Road in  Cumberland. Ear pleasing music, made-in-house craft brews and delicious food at this agritourism destination made us think: “what more could we ask?” Find them on Facebook! 

As a sidebar: Buckingham County has 17 watershed flood control structures that also help to  stop erosion in Buckingham and Cumberland counties. 

The 11 Willis River watershed  dams were built between 1969 and 1975, as a state not federal project, and the lakes vary in  size. They are strategically placed around our county, on private land, and are built across  small tributaries to larger streams or rivers. The dams temporarily store flood water after rain  storms and slowly release it through a pipe in the dam over a period of several days. This  slows the surge and reduces flooding. For more information, visit www.peterfranciscoswcd.org 

Who are the Grateful Boomers?

And if you’re wondering who the Grateful Boomers are, they’re a group of friends from Buckingham County, all over the age of 60, who want to enrich their lives through both meaningful friendships and challenging outdoor adventures.

They believe that aging gratefully with a high level of curiosity about everything, will create the best environment to remain mentally and physically active. Collectively, the group’s interests run from biking to hiking, kayaking and photography to reading, knitting, gardening and travel. They hope that by sharing their adventures, the group will inspire others to do the same.

To read about more of the Grateful Boomers’ trips, you can click here or here.

Editor’s note: Katherine Brooks wrote this for the Farmville Herald