FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Whitewater rafting is one of West Virginia's most famous tourist attractions. It's also a major boost to the local economy.

This weekend in Fayette County, West Virginia, the industry is being celebrated.

After four decades, whitewater rafting is still going strong in West Virginia.

"It's a recreation that brings people in. When I first came here back in 75, there were no motels, no restaurants, and we've built just a great industry that's now nationally and worldwide known," Frank Lukacs of the North American River Runners said.

On Friday, the folks who run the rafting companies got together to celebrate the work on the rapids.

"The New River is part of our heritage in West Virginia. And it's a heritage of which we can be extremely proud. It flows south to north, and it has some very valuable characteristics about it that truly make us proud as West Virginians," Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV 3) said.

A short documentary of the history of whitewater rafting in West Virginia will air this weekend at the Fayette Theatre in downtown Fayetteville at noon and 1pm Saturday.