Tyler Whitley reports that the 60th annual Shad Planking, the usually festive spring rite of Virginia politics, is scheduled for April 16, the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre.

The event in the woods near Wakefield will fall on that date because it coincides with the General Assembly’s reconvened session. That is the day that lawmakers return to Richmond to consider the governor’s amendments to and vetoes of bills the legislature passed in the current session.

Virginia’s three candidates for the U. S. Senate have been invited to address the Shad Planking. One candidate, Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, might not make it if the reconvened session runs long.

The Shad Planking, which mixes shad, cooked over open fires, and politicking, will get under way at 2 p.m. It is sponsored by the Wakefield Sportsman’s Club. Also invited to speak are former Gov. Mark R. Warner, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, and former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who is seeking the Republican nomination against Marshall.