THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, April 18, 1996               TAG: 9604180384
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY JEAN MCNAIR, ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: WAKEFIELD                          LENGTH: Medium:   62 lines

BUSY POLITICIANS PASS ON SHAD PLANKING CONGRESSIONAL AND ASSEMBLY ACTION KEPT MANY AWAY.

Politicians sent their signs, stickers and supporters to the annual Shad Planking on Wednesday, but few of the officeholders bothered to show up themselves.

They had good excuses.

U.S. Sens. John Warner, R-Va, and Charles Robb, D-Va, were attending a Senate session in Washington. Gov. George F. Allen was watching General Assembly action in its veto-override session. And the Shad Planking's featured speaker, Democratic Lt. Gov. Donald Beyer Jr., was presiding over the state Senate.

Beyer's likely opponent for governor next year, Republican Attorney General James Gilmore III, sat on the speakers' platform, but was not invited to speak to the crowd.

After the officials of the Wakefield Ruritan Club, the event's sponsor, announced there would be no speaker this year, one man in the crowd quipped, ``Fantastic program!''

Two men who want to oust Warner this year were on hand - Democrat Mark Warner and James Miller III, who is challenging the incumbent in a June 11 GOP primary.

``I have eaten the shad and I will say `no comment' on whether I like it or not,'' said Mark Warner, a former state Democratic chairman, of the bony fish featured on the menu.

Mark Warner, who is not related to the incumbent, virtually wrapped up the Democratic nomination in recent caucuses, leaving only the Republican nominee to be decided.

Miller discounted independent polls showing John Warner ahead, saying they include Democrats who are unlikely to vote even though the primary is open to all registered voters. Miller said GOP activists are more likely to back him.

``There will be a smaller turnout. When you look at the smaller turnout, it's clearly a Miller crowd,'' said the challenger, a budget director under President Reagan.

Stickers for Republican candidates, including some angling for state offices in the 1997 elections, dominated among the crowd gathered in a loblolly pine grove on a breezy, sunny afternoon.

The Shad Planking was once a paramount spring event in Virginia politics, where conservative Democrats who ran the state sized up candidates as they shared bourbon and shad, which is baked on wooden planks over an open fire.

Now it has been eclipsed by other gatherings in more populous areas of the state, but still draws a sizeable crowd - still mainly white, middle-age men.

Buddy Savedge, organizer of this year's event, said club members have never discussed changing the date, even though it conflicts with annual veto-override session and no legislators could attend.

``We just hope for better times next year,'' Savedge said. ``Lots of good food and good weather this year.''

The Shad Planking began in the 1930s as a community celebration. This marks the 48th year the local Ruritans have sponsored the event, which raises money for the group's youth baseball and rescue squad support programs. by CNB