The quiet streets of Scottsville were filled with more than 100 runners as people took part in the Second Annual Scottsville Riverbend 5K Run/Walk on Oct. 8. The course started at the Scottsville Farmers Market, made its way north on Valley Street, looped around Mountain Vista Road, James River Road and Harrison Street, then followed the levee until ending at Canal Basin Square.

Officially, the participants ranged in age from about 8 to 68, though several infants were seen in strollers, including one baby who was being escorted by Brian Gunnell. A few canine companions joined in, as well. Kim Passerell, a teacher from Scottsville Elementary, ran with students from the school’s track club who were clad in yellow tie-dyed shirts. There were individual runners, friends, husbands and wives and even multiple generations of families running together. Young Hollan Biss was running with his mother, Tanya Cornwell, his dog, and three other members of the Biss and Cornwell families.

As participants finished the 3.1-mile course at Canal Basin Square, they were treated to free refreshments of bagels, bananas and granola bars. The band CPR performed while event organizer Lindsay Snoddy looked over running times to determine the winners.

The top finisher overall was Thierry Gett, a male runner in the 30-54 age group. Jessica Hott was the female winner for the same category. Winners in the 55+ age group were George Hooper and Lizbeth Cornwell. Ian Morris and Kristen Wyatt were the top runners in the 14-29 age group. The fastest runners under the age of 14 were Hollan Biss and Emma Ward.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the Scottsville Library and the Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle. The Scottsville Library was recently in danger of being shut down due to budget trouble in the county. Friends of the Scottsville Library is a group whose mission is: “To preserve and protect the Scottsville Branch library for future generations.”

The Scottsville Branch got its start as a lending library back in 1902. It was the brainchild of J.V. Pereira and Marietta Powers. The two women managed the library every Wednesday afternoon.  Pereira eventually moved away, and after Powers’ death in 1953, the library’s book collection was sold off.  For the next six years, the town relied on weekly visits from McIntire Library’s bookmobile. This laid the groundwork for the current regional library system. It wasn’t until June of 1959 that a new library was established.

Free programs operated by the Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle are working to improve literacy rates in the region. It is estimated that about 6,000 adults in the Charlottesville area are unable to read above a fifth-grade level. The LVCA also offers English language courses to residents, most of whom are between the ages of 25 and 29, who are learning English as a second language.

Last year’s event raised around $1,600 for the two organizations. At this time, it was not known how much money was raised during the recent event.