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MARIETTA -- Four Mid-Ohio Valley residents will pursue outdoor experiences ranging from trail running and camping to painting and whitewater rafting through a new Rivers, Trails & Ales Festival grant program.
The festival named Stacey Saunders, Rachel Dickel, Greta Guimond and Shawn Spence as the inaugural recipients of its Rivers, Trails & Ales Adventure Grant, according to a release. The micro-grant program provides awards of up to $500 to help residents overcome barriers to outdoor recreation.
The grants may support hiking, camping, paddling, trail exploration, outdoor education, travel and other recreational activities.
Saunders' project, "The Postpartum Comeback," will help her return to trail running and hiking with her husband, Alex, and their two young sons.
Ten months into her recovery following the birth of her second child, Saunders said the grant will allow her to reconnect with running and the outdoors, activities that have been important to her physical and mental health. She plans to explore trails in Marietta, Parkersburg, Beverly, Mountwood Park, Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area and other locations.
Grant funding will help Saunders replace worn running shoes and purchase clothing that fits her postpartum body. She hopes to eventually return to trail and road racing.
"I strongly feel that my best running days are yet to come," Saunders wrote in her application. "This adventure is a commitment to myself."
Dickel's project, "Inclusive Majestic Sights," will support an accessible camping trip to Audra State Park with her sons, ages 11 and 14.
Dickel's family faces challenges related to disabilities and accessibility. The grant will help her purchase equipment to make setting up camp, preparing meals and spending time outdoors more manageable, according to the release.
The family plans to hike, fish and explore while also participating in nature journaling, art and citizen-science bird reporting. The experience supports Dickel's long-term goal of becoming a West Virginia Master Naturalist and advocating for more inclusive outdoor recreation.
Guimond, an artist known as Marietta Gretta, will combine art and outdoor exploration through her project, "GET LOST with Marietta Gretta: Finding Adventure Through Art."
Guimond plans to begin plein-air painting, which involves creating artwork at outdoor locations instead of working from photographs or inside a studio. She will visit trails, overlooks, riverbanks and other natural areas while producing paintings, drawings and photographs.
The grant will help her assemble a portable studio with an easel, field palette, umbrella, backpack and other supplies. Guimond hopes the project eventually will introduce plein-air painting to others who may not consider themselves traditional outdoor adventurers.
"It's time to start creating art from beautiful places," Guimond wrote in her application.
Spence's project, "Appalachian Adventures: Live on the Gauley," will take him on a whitewater rafting expedition on West Virginia's Gauley River.
A longtime rafting enthusiast and former journalist, Spence plans to use a GoPro and other equipment to document the trip. He intends to include the experience in an "Appalachian Adventures" series highlighting outdoor recreation throughout the region.
"Outdoor recreation looks different for everyone," the festival's advisory committee said in the release. "We wanted this grant to help people pursue the adventures that are meaningful to them and remove some of the barriers that can keep people from getting outside."
The grant was open to Mid-Ohio Valley residents age 18 and older. Recipients were selected based on their proposals' feasibility, creativity, potential impact and connection to outdoor recreation and wellness. Financial need also was considered but was not required.
Recipients have until Aug. 1, 2027, to complete their projects and submit brief accounts of their experiences. The festival hopes the grant will become an ongoing part of its effort to make outdoor recreation more accessible.
More information is available at www.rtafest.com or through the Rivers, Trails & Ales Festival Facebook page.