The Rivertown Revival To Honor Petaluma’s Roots

If you have a love for art, music, community and early 20th century fashion, then you should plan on attending the fourth annual Rivertown Revival festival at the Petaluma River Heritage Center on July 20.

The festival is known for many attractions, including art boat races, five stages of music, a trapeze show on the Petaluma River and the very popular $5 weddings.

“Our first couple to get married at Rivertown just had a baby,” said Kelin Backman, festival captain for the Rivertown Revival. “We have a couple driving all the way from Washington D.C. this year to get married.”

This year, Whole Foods Market in Petaluma is sponsoring the $5 weddings and they will be offering makeovers to participating couples. Festival officials anticipate marrying 30 couples throughout the festival.

Another prominent aspect of the Revival is festival-goers dressing up in sometimes loud and outlandish clothing, but it’s all in good fun.

“We find that people like to get dressed up for the party and what we love is that everyone brings their own style, culture and flair to the event,” said Backman.

The festival looks to be larger than ever with an expected 8,000 people to be in attendance. 

Yet, even with the event becoming so massive, festival officials are still able to keep ticket prices down to $5 and maintain an almost entirely volunteer driven event.

“We have an outstanding team who organizes the Revival, so we have a great time pulling it all together,” said Backman. “I think because we’re a bunch of volunteers who organize the event it has become a labor of love for all of us.”

The benefit is aimed at bringing the public together to celebrate the heritage of the Petaluma River and act as a major fundraiser for the David Yearsley River Heritage Center.

“Our founder, Captain Dave, believed deeply that connecting people to the River, through celebrations that include art, music and community, is essential to creating stewardship for this amazing resource, the Petaluma River, which is a significant part of our cultural and natural heritage,” said Backman.

“The community was founded because of access to the river that connects us to the San Francisco Bay. The Petaluma River is an important part of our cultural history.”

The 2013 Rivertown Revival will be held on July 20 from 11 am to 8 pm. For more information about the Rivertown Revival please visit their website at http://rivertownrevival.com/.