The good news is that for music fans out there, the Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival takes place at Pop’s Farm in Henry County’s Axton community later this week. The other good news is that you will earn points toward discounts by logging your trips to Rooster Walk by carpooling or using the event shuttle service! Read on to learn how, and to learn more about this music festival.
Many of you who have registered to become RIDE Solutions members have logged one or more carpool, transit, bike, or walk trips, or telework sessions. If you plan on attending the Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival, you can earn points by carpooling with friends or family to the event, or, as noted above, use the shuttle service that is available from either Danville or Martinsville so that you won’t have to worry about parking.
To earn points to Rooster Walk, log on to your RIDE Solutions account. If don’t yet have an account, go to ridesolutions.org, and sign up for free by simply providing your first and last name, your email, and a password. Once you log onto the app, click on “Rides” or “Find 
Rides.” Next, click “Find rides to event or destination,” after which you’ll select “Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival.” Next, either look for available rides, or let a friend or relative in the area know about the carpool option so that you can both ride together, save money on gas, and together earn points toward discounts on shopping, dining, entertainment, services, or for the chance to enter raffles to win great prizes such as gift cards!
If you’d rather not drive or if you would rather drive a limited distance, a shuttle service will be available from both Danville and Martinsville to take you to the event venue, which will also enable you to not have to worry about parking once you get there. The shuttle stops are as follows:
- Martinsville: the shuttle will continuously serve both the Holiday Inn/Dutch Inn (2360 Virginia Avenue, Collinsville), and Wild Magnolia restaurant (located at the back end of Patrick Henry Mall, which is located at the intersection of East Church Street and Brookdale Street; use the Brookdale Street entrance).
- Danville: Comfort Inn & Suites (100 Tower Drive, Danville)
The shuttle hours are as follows from both Martinsville and Danville:
- Thursday, May 26th: 3 PM – 1 AM
- Friday & Saturday, May 27th and 28th: 9 AM – 3 AM
- Sunday, May 29th: 9 AM – 1 AM
Additional information about the shuttle is available at https://roosterwalk.com/shuttle-hotel/. You do not have to be a guest at either of the hotels to ride the shuttle.
Here is how the Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival came about. According to the Rooster Walk website, the untimely deaths of two local young men, Edwin “the Rooster” Penn and Walker Shank, led to the creation of a music festival, “Rooster Walk,” to pay tribute to them. During the festival’s early years, proceeds were provided to Martinsville High School, to fund the Penn-Shank Memorial Scholarship Fund, for which $125,000 had been raised, according to the website. The festival’s proceeds also benefit charities in the local area and in the region, with the most recent being the Music Instrument Program, which is responsible for collecting and refurbishing used musical instruments, after which they are donated to band programs in Martinsville and Henry County school divisions. More information about the Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival can be found at https://roosterwalk.com/.
As for music, Rooster Walk will feature bands and singers including Grace Potter, Andy Frasco & and U.N., Little Feat, Caitlin Krisko, The War & Treaty Fruition, Roosevelt Collier, Josh Shilling, and many, many more! Activities aside from music will include disc golf, massages, yoga, and the presence of various vendors to visit. Additionally, for those who enjoy bicycling, the Henry County Bike Club will lead a 20-mile ride on Saturday, May 28th at 10:30 a.m., which will include a stop at a brewery. Bike repair will be available on-site as well. Please see https://roosterwalk.com/healing-arts-gear-grove/ for information about these other activities.
The Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival will take place at Pop’s Farm, 675 Hobson Road, Axton, Virginia.
