Shad Planking

The Shad Planking was an annual political event in Virginia which took place every April near Wakefield in Sussex County. It wss sponsored by a chapter of the Ruritans, a community service organization which was founded in the small town of Holland about 30 miles to the southeast.

Ostensibly an event to celebrate the James River running of shad, the event included a traditional shad bake, where the oily, bony fish were smoked for the occasion on wood planks over an open flame. The events held near Wakefield began after World War II, and were long a function of the state's Conservative Democrats, whose political machine dominated Virginia politics for about 80 years from the late 19th century until the 1960s.

However, both Virginia and the Shad Planking had evolved into a more bipartisan environment by the 1980s. In modern times, would-be candidates, reporters, campaign workers, and locals gathered to eat shad, drink beer, smoke tobacco, and kick off the state's electoral season with lighthearted speeches by politicians in attendance.

Sponsored by the Wakefield Ruritan Club, Shad Planking served as the organizations primary fundraising event for the year. All of the funds raised from the event were invested within the Wakefield Community and support such community organizations as baseball teams, the fire department, and other groups.

The name "The Shad Plank" was adopted by the political blog of the Daily Press newspaper based in Newport News.