River group to dig up attention to cause

Published May 8, 2007

Friends Of the River San Bernard invites everyone interested in the San Bernard River to come out for a picnic and fun in the sun at the second annual “Can You Dig It?” event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Spend time with family and Mother Nature at the only growing beach on the Central Texas coast — at the end of the San Bernard River, where the river mouth should be — meet your neighbors and help to symbolically “dig out” the mouth of the river.

Participants should bring a picnic lunch and beverages, lawn chairs, sunscreen, bug spray, life jackets for the children, and a small bucket and shovel. Personal boats also are welcome. After crossing the Intracoastal Canal by boat, watch for the crab trap floats and PVC pipes on the left side of the river that mark the deepest channel. The picnic area is about 4 miles to the southwest of the intersection of the river and the Intracoastal Canal.

The mouth of the river can be accessed by boat or helicopter. People who don’t have a boat can bring their picnic supplies and life jackets to the boat ramp at the end of FM 2918 in Brazoria County. There will be boat shuttles from there to the party on the beach starting at 10 a.m. The last shuttle leaves the beach for the boat ramp at 3:30 p.m.

At 2 p.m., everyone will gather on the beach with their sand pails and shovels for a “dig out.” Party goers will line up from the river until people touching hands reach the Gulf, and then everyone will dig a pail of sand, symbolically opening a new channel to the Gulf. Hopefully a positive message about the river’s needs will be sung from the mouth of the “Singing River” to the world.

After the “dig out,” everyone can enjoy the afternoon at the beach with their family and friends as they see fit.

There are no bathroom facilities, but there will be one camp-style privy. There also will be a couple of trash cans for your use, but please remove what trash you can. A tent for shade on the beach also will be provided.

For information, monitor sanbernardriver.com or call Roy and Jan Edwards at (979) 964-4332 or Pat or Connie Webb at (979) 964-4503.