Pints of Science
Little River Watershed Association is continuing our speaker series, Pints of Science, at Tri Hop Brewery in Maryville this fall and winter, and we would like to invite you to join us for this FREE event. Pints of Science is an event series where we gather community members once a month in the cooler seasons of the year to hear from scientific, education, and recreation experts that also love the Little River.
Come learn a little, get some beer, and have a whole lot of fun!
Speaker details coming soon.
8th Little River Run 5k
Join Keep Blount Beautiful (KBB) and Little River Watershed Association (LRWA) for the 8th Annual Little River Run 5K, set for 11 AM on Saturday, November 21st at The Abbey (7765 River Rd. Townsend, TN 37882). The Little River Run 5K is a joint fundraising effort that brings together hundreds of people to celebrate the beauty of Blount County, and all proceeds from the event benefit KBB and LRWA's free programs and events that focus on environmental education and sustainability.
Registration: Participants of all ages and skill levels are welcome. Both in-person and virtual race options are available. The in-person race is a chip-timed event and will start promptly at 11 AM. Early-bird registration is $25 and ends at 11:59 PM Monday, September 7th. Registration will increase to $30 on Tuesday, September 8th at 12 AM. Registration will increase to $35 on Monday, November 16th at 12 AM. Children 12 and under can register for a rate of $15 at any time (age-based pricing will be applied at checkout). The virtual race is a flat rate of $30. Registration will be available until 10 AM on race day, but registering ahead of time is highly encouraged.
Virtual Runners: Virtual runners will not receive a chipped bib and therefore will not be eligible for an award. Virtual run times can be self-recorded (via apps such as Strava or Map My Run) and reported to Keep Blount Beautiful, director@keepblountbeautiful.org, to be added to RunSignUp (this is not required). Virtual runners should pick up their race T-shirts at the pre-race packet pickup.
Course Description: The race course is now certified! The race course begins at The Abbey (7765 River Road, Townsend, Tennessee 37882) and moves along a flat course in a neighborhood by the Little River. The course then connects with the Townsend Historical Greenway for a short time before turning down a side road to end back at the The Abbey. The course will not be closed to traffic but is a very low traffic area. Watch a video of the racecourse here You can view the race map here.
Community Day
Join us on Saturday, July 25th for
Little River Community Day!
This annual event is hosted by us, the Little River Watershed Association, with our friends at Conservation Fisheries and more!
Where? River John’s Outfitters @ 4134 Cave Mill Rd, Maryville, TN 37804
River John’s has graciously donated the whole island all weekend for LRWA and this FREE community event!
Please BYOB (beer or other beverages), BYOC (chairs), BYOS (snacks), BYOW (water), BYOS (sunscreen), BYOTNFAFDO (things necessary for a fun day outside).
There will be a few activities, but you’re welcome to just hangout on the island if you’d prefer.
Outlandish Adventure Festival
Catch us at the 2nd annual Outlandish Adventure Festival at Ijam’s Nature Center! We will be hosting a Stream School in Toll Creek, so be sure to make it out. Details to come.
Little River Roundup, the 25th Anniversary
The Little River Round-up is officially back!
After a hiatus, the best volunteer and community event is back, and we could not be more excited!
What is the Little River Round-up?
Little River Round-up started in the early 2000s as a way for volunteers to get together and help the Little River and then have a ton of fun afterwards! Now in 2026, it is an all day event where community members can volunteer their time and participate in cleaning-up the Little River and then hang out for a cookout!
Come clean-up the river on land or by paddling down the river with us. Want to join the paddle clean-up, but don’t have a boat? We have a limited number of canoes and kayaks we can lend out to volunteers for this clean-up. It is first-signed-up, first-served so be sure to reserve your boat fast! See details below to register.
What can community members expect?
A full day of giving back and good times. If you volunteer, you receive a free meal ticket for our cookout for free and get an exclusive 25th anniversary Little River Round-up Sticker. The cookout will be held at the Maryville Greenbelt Amphitheater Park.
BYOLC (bring your own lawn chair) and feel free to bring yard games, frisbees, board games, or whatever else you want to enjoy the park. After the cookout, we will be hosting a movie night in the park!
We will be showing “The Voice of Little River”, which is a short film created by Big Slate Media showcasing the Little River and our organization (12 minute run time). This will be followed by the feature film “Hidden Rivers” created by Freshwater Illustrated(1 hour run time).
How can you get involved?
Sign-up to volunteer, show up for the community hang-out and movie showing. See below for details on how to sign up to volunteer, other ways to give back, and the schedule and location for the day.
You do not have to volunteer to come enjoy the hangout in the park or movie night. Every part of this event is free and open to the entire community, so please join us!
Pint Night @ Swäˈrā Brewing Company
Come out to Swara Brewing Company to have some beer and raise money for the Little River Round-up! A portion of sales proceeds from the night go directly to the Little River Round-up.
The Little River Round-up is an all day event on Saturday, April 25th where community members can volunteer their time and participate in cleaning-up the Little River and then hang out for a cookout!
Come clean-up the river on land or by paddling down the river with us. Want to join the paddle clean-up, but don’t have a boat? We have a limited number of canoes and kayaks we can lend out to volunteers for this clean-up. It is first-signed-up, first-served so be sure to reserve your boat fast! See our page https://www.littleriverwatershed.org/little-river-round-up for details on how to register
Ijams River Rescue @ Little River!
Join us to participate in the 37th annual Ijams River Rescue Saturday March 21st! We will be cleaning up Little River at Coulter’s Bridge from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Sign-up to get a free t-shirt: https://www.givepulse.com/shift/5574197?pkey=32e8f5e7a09998c92078
Lucky Duck Poker Run
Join us and Cades Cove Jeep Outpost! Get ready for a day of adventure, fun, and a little luck at the Lucky Duck Poker Run in Townsend, TN on Saturday, March 14th! This exciting event offers Jeep enthusiasts the chance to explore beautiful Townsend at their own pace, while supporting the Little River Watershed Association.
Pre-Registration: $10 (https://shop.jeepthecove.com/event-merch/lucky-duck/)
Day-of Registration: $20
Registration and merchandise pick-up will be available at Cades Cove Outpost from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on event day.
How It Works:
This is a come-and-go event—ride at your own pace! Registered participants will start their day at Cades Cove Outpost for check-in. You will then visit several designated Townsend locations to collect a card hand. Once your hand is complete, return to Cades Cove Outpost to submit it for scoring.
At the end of the event, the best hand will win the POT OF GOLD! Plus, all registered participants are automatically entered into a prize raffle. Want more chances to win? Additional raffle tickets benefitting the Little River Watershed Association can be pre-purchased online or at the event.
**You do not have to be present to win**
Why Participate?
A portion of the proceeds from registration and raffle ticket sales benefit the Little River Watershed Association, helping to preserve and protect the natural beauty of Townsend and beyond.
So, do you feel lucky? Don’t miss your chance to join the fun, explore Townsend, and win big—all while supporting a worthy cause.
Register today and let the adventure begin!
Clean-Up
Join us at our office location and help clean up area around Brown’s Creek, a tributary of the Little River.
Pints of Science
Come hang out with us at Peaceful Side Brewery in Maryville, TN! Grab a beer and listen to our guest speaker talk about topics in watershed science. Our guest in February is Julie Konkel, PhD.
Pints of Science
Come hang out with us at Peaceful Side Brewery in Maryville, TN! Grab a beer and listen to our guest speaker talk about topics in watershed science. Our guest in January is Conservation Fisheries. Learn more about them here: https://www.conservationfisheries.org/
Pints of Science
Exciting news! We have a brand new speaker series coming to @peacefulsidebrewery starting this fall.
Come out to learn about ongoing conservation efforts in our community in surrounding areas, ecology, recreation types, and the power of environmental education—and enjoy a beer… or two.
More information on speakers and topics closer to dates!
