A two-hour session, “Conversations with Watermen,” conducted May 7 as part of May Faire was videotaped and is now available for public viewing.Five Mathews watermen—J.C. Hudgins, Chris Pritchett, Arnold Ripley, Carroll Melvin Smith and Karen Townsend—took part in the session held in the historic courthouse. It was recorded by Judi Green of the county administration office.
Larry Chowning of the Southside Sentinel, author of many books about the Chesapeake Bay and its watermen, was moderator.
The recorded session can be viewed on two websites. The Mathews Historical Museum, which sponsored May Faire, placed the video on its site, mathewsvamuseum.org. The video can also be viewed on the county’s website, mathewscountyva.gov.
The museum’s website also includes its Conversations with World War II Veterans recorded in 2019, during the most recent prior May Faire held. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was resumed this year with the theme, “Celebrating...