First of many issues hopefully on a monthly schedule!
Interesting things going on up, down and around the Parks and Drives
Dear Traveler
This is the first issue of our effort to bring to you interesting happenings, events and occurences on and near the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. We will usually sererate them into 12 sections to match up with the map sections on our web site http://www.BlueRidgeSkyline.com Starting with the Northern Section of the Skyline Drive including Winchester and Front Royal and working our way south the the Southern end near Cherokee NC
Winchester, Front Royal and the Northern Section of the Skyline Drive.
FRanklin County Fair
July 17 - Aug 2
First Held in 1934 this Fair has it all, Horse Shows, Livestock Exhibits,Home goods and so forth.
Exhibits Judged: Agriculture, Home Economics, Flowers, and Poultry
See the Fair's Web Page
Heritage Days, New Market
August 23rd and 24th
This year we are developing Heritage Days to include events and activities that are fun for the whole family. We are going to have delicious food and drinks, local and regional craft vendors, kid activities, opportunity to walk through our unique local shops, parade on Saturday afternoon, 50/50 money raffle, a two day car show with The Valley Cruisers of Harrisonburg and much, much more
visit our web page
Harrisonburg and Luray section of the Skylinr Drive
Rockingham County Fair
August 11-16
Motor Cross Racing, The Beach Boys, Sara Evans,Antique, Farm & Tweaked Farm Tractor Pull,Demolition Derby, Lawn Mower Racing and Interstate Tractor Pullers.
Now that sounds like a good week of activities and noise.
See the Web Page here
Staunton and Waynesboro where the Skyline Drive and The Blue Ridge Parkway meet
Quitling Celebtration
All of September
Quilts: Past, Present & Future is a month long celebration of the artistic and cultural significance of quilts in our lives, honoring traditional, historical, and contemporary art quilts. The celebration begins the weekend of Sept. 4th with a two day Conference and the opening reception of a juried Studio Art Quilt Association exhibit called "Amazing Art Quilts" by the Staunton Augusta Art Center, A Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Partner. The Art Center and conference site is in the newly restored state-of-the-art R.R. Smith Center for History and Art in downtown historic Staunton, a national award-winning Main Street community Information on the Quilting Event here
Road condition information from the National Park Service
Skyline Drive
Blue Ridge Parkway
Lexington, Natural Bridge, Bedford and Buchannan sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Lexington is Horse Country
Aug 7-10
National Barrel Horse Association Colonial National Virginia Horse Center One of eight national shows that lead to the NBHA World Championships, the Colonial National attracts more than 1,000 entries from twenty states to compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes
Aug 13-17
Lexington National Horse Show "AA"Virginia Horse Center.
United States Equestrian Federation "AA" rated Hunter and Jumper horse show.
See Lexington's Aug events calendar
Roanoke and Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival
Sept 27-28
Looking for a delightful early autumn daytrip or overnight destination? Celebrating its 20th year, the 2008 Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival is the perfect event for aficionados of wine as well as fans of outdoor concerts and craft festivals.
Held at Southwest Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta on Route 122 across from the Lakewatch Plantation, 27 wineries will participate with 85 juried craft and food vendors.
The two-day festival will be held rain or shine. Tickets are available for tasters and non-tasters and can be purchased in advance (by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24).
Visit the Web Page
Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Floyd
Wine Festival at Chateau Morrisette
August 9 - Black Dog Wine & Jazz Festival at Chateau Morrisette
In August, join us for Jazz and spend a day enjoying music and festivity. Two musical acts will perform on the Festival stage from 11am-5pm. We have crafters, artisans and vendors, maybe even a wine 101 class with one of the wine experts on site. Join us for a lot more merriment in the mountains, and get a nice mountain breeze in July to boot!
Tickets $15 in advance/$20 at the Gate. No Picnics, Coolers or Outside Food & Beverages Allowed
More on the Web Page
Galax Hillsville and Independence
Old Time Fiddlers Convention 
Aug 4-9
The Galax Old Fiddler's Convention has been held annually the second week of August since 1935.
This music competition has earned Galax the distinction of being know as the "World Capital of Old Time Mountain music". Attracting participants and visitors worldwide. Old Time, Bluegrass and Folk music are showcased as well as flatfoot and clogging dancers. Young and old compete for prizes, but it's the family atmosphere and the opportunity to play music with old friends that keeps people coming back year after year.
Fiddlers Web Page
Mt Airy, Sparta, Elkins and Wilkesboro NC
Autumn Leaves Festival Mt Airy
October 10-12
The Autumn Leaves Festival is an event sponsored by the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce to celebrate our cultural music and craft heritage. This is the 42nd Annual year of the Autumn Leaves Festival and it will be held on October 10-12, 2008. This event is one of the longest running in-and most successful-events in the state. This event was recognized as The Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events in the South. This event is always the second full weekend in October. We will host well over 120 craft booths and 25 food booths.
View Mt Airy'sCalendar
Pumpkin Festival 12th Annual Elkin NC
Saturday, September 27, 2008
marks the date for the 12th Annual Pumpkin Festival to be held in Historic Downtown Elkin. The festival brings more than 15,000 visitors to downtown Elkin to enjoy live entertainment, shopping, great food and gigantic pumpkins galore.
The festivities begin Saturday morning with the 3nd Annual Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off. at the former Smith Phillips Building Supply located at 257Standard Street. There will be pumpkins from growers located all over the East Coast. Some will weigh-in at an excess of 1,000 lbs with hopes of placing in the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth top ten.
The Main Street of Elkin will be lined with vendors of every description featuring everything from funnel cakes to functional pottery, canned green beans to gourmet coffees, wood furnishings to wine racks, BBQ to baked goods, sand art to sunrooms, pumpkin butter to polish sausages, plus a variety of live entertainment and the ever-popular pie-eating contest sponsored by Yadkin Valley General Store.
Yadkin Valley Events Calendar
Boone,Blowing Rock ,Jefferson and Banner Elk
Oklahoma! The Play
August 1-7
7:30 PM Location: Lees-McRae College Summer Theatre Telephone: 828-898-8709 $24 adults/$13 Students/Children Evenings 7:30pm Matinees 2pm .
Show description:
Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today. OKLAHOMA! tells of fun, love and romance in the lives of the families living in the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the century.
See their Calendar
Flat Rock, Henderson and Black Mountain
Black Mountain 31st Sourwood Festival
August 9 & 10
Black Mountain's annual Sourwood Festival is always a hit with the locals and visitors alike! There's always plenty to see and do, great music and lots of fun, and of course lots of great mountain cookin'. Held each year in August, it's a time for good food, good fun and good friends. Come on over and join us, we'll be expecting you!
Things to do in Black Mountain
Flat Rock Playhouse Presents "And Then There Were None"
Aug 20th - Sept 7th
A play by Agtha Christie, one of her most famous works
Events in Hendersonville and Flat Rock
Asheville
A must in Asheville
Allanstand Craft Shop at the Folk Art Center
just off of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Craft Shop Featuring handmade jewelry, pottery, ironwork, glass, baskets, prints, and much more from members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, recognized worldwide for excellence in craftsmanship and design for over 75 years.
What to do in Asheville
Some special groups to make your visit more worthwhile
The Crooked Road
Virginia's Heritage Music Trail
Craft Shop The Crooked Road: Virginia's Music Heritage Trail" began as an idea in January 2003. The basis of the idea is to generate tourism and economic development in the Appalachian region of Southwestern Virginia by focusing on the region's unique musical heritage. Response to the concept from communities, musicians, music venues, and tourism organizations was positive and immediate.
As a result of this enthusiasm, "The Crooked Road" now includes ten counties, three cities, ten towns, five regional planning districts, four state agencies, two tourism organizations, and a large number of music venues. A steering committee representing these entities meets on a monthly basis to make decisions and implement policy.
The Crooked Road Web Page
Friends of The Blue Ridge Parkway
A non-profit volunteer org.
FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is the official Friends group and authorized non-profit for the National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway. Friends' mission is to preserve, promote and enhance the Blue Ridge Parkway through fundraising, volunteerism, membership services and significant programs. When you join FRIENDS and support its programs through donations, you make a significant difference in preserving the parks for future generations. Click About Us to read more about FRIENDS Programs and Awards.
Friends of The Blue Ridge Parkway web site
Blue Ridge Music Center
The Blue Ridge Music Center is located at mile 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Center was established by the U.S. Congress to honor and commemorate an important strand of the cultural history of the United States. The rural communities in this area of southwestern Virginia and adjoining North Carolina have been richly productive of string band musicians and have had an influence upon the music of this nation that is highly disproportionate to the actual population of this region. The Center is located in Carroll and Grayson Counties near the town of Galax.
Some interesting Web Sites
A man builds a replica of Noah's Ark
Built to actual specs
Working Replica of Noah's Ark Opens In SCHAGEN, Netherlands
The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was thrown open Saturday for the First crowd of curious Pilgrims and townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it's only a replica of the biblical Ark, built by Dutch Creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible.The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That's two-thirds the length Of a football field and as high as a three-story house.
Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras,bison and other animals Greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold. A contractor by trade, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine -Biblical Scholars debate exactly What the wood used by Noah would have been.
Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and with occasio nal help From his son Roy. Construction began in May 2005.On the uncovered top deck - not quite ready in time for the opening - will come a petting zoo, With baby lambs and chickens, and goats, and one camel.Visitors on the first day were stunned.
Look at Pictures of the inside of the Ark
And a bit of Humor
New Virus for Older Folks