Hundreds, and maybe thousands, of people attending the Richmond Folk Festival noticed an unpublicized star—the James River.

Numerous people strolled along the river or walked out on the catwalk that juts into the James from the western end of Brown’s Island.

While people on land played gospel, bluegrass and all sorts of music, on the river a great blue heron stabbed a fish and cormorants dove for meals to the tune of the rushing rapids.

It has always struck me as strange how local officials publicize the Canal Walk when, to me, the canal is basically a big tub of water. People are naturally drawn to the James, its rapids and its denizens.