REEDVILLE — An evening to dedicate a roadside marker honoring the Northern Neck Chantey Singers will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday June 26 at the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, 504 Main St.
The marker honors the legacy of menhaden fishermen through their traditional work songs called chanteys. Before hydraulic power, predominantly Black crews in long rowboats hauled in — by hand — thousands of fish in nets called purse seines. The call-and-response harmonies synchronized their movements, built morale and eased the strain of the work.
The Chantey Singers were formed in 1991 for a Fourth of July Program by request of the Greater Reedville Association and the museum.
The three living singers — Lloyd Hill, Lewis Blackwell, and Liston Frazier — are expected to attend the event.
The evening is free and open to the public. Friends and relatives of any past or present Chantey Singers are especially invited. People with a connection to the singers are asked to introduce themselves as they enter so they can be recognized.
Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share and their own beverage.
The museum obtained The Legends and Lore grant for the marker from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, in partnership with the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities. The marker will be installed later at the museum’s Watermen’s Park on Main Street.
For information or to register (not required) call 804-453-6529 or e-mail office@rfmuseum.org.
