FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Leesa Brandon
Executive Director and NC Coordinator
Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc.
828.271.4779, x 224

Asheville, NC and Roanoke, VA (January 22, 2010) – The Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th Anniversary is officially here with the advent of 2010. Construction of the 469-mile All American Scenic Byway began September 11, 1935, at Cumberland Knob, near the North Carolina and Virginia border. A celebration of this special American treasure and its importance as a cultural, historical, and natural resource includes events and activities throughout the year in communities that line the Parkway.

A list of events, which may be searched by community or region or by month, is on line at www.blueridgeparkway75.org and is updated regularly. To date, over 400 events have been identified as part of the year-long celebration. A sampling of some of the events and festivities includes the following:

• Winterfest (Blowing Rock, NC, near Milepost 291) – January 28-January 31, 2010. Now in its 12th year, this event includes a chili cook-off, downtown hayrides, an icy Polar Plunge, and WinterFeast. www.blowingrockwinterfest.com
• FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway Viewshed Planting (North of Roanoke, VA, at Milepost 104.9) – March 20, 2010. A bi-annual planting of 500 to 600 seedlings along the Parkway designed to help protect scenic vistas. www.blueridgefriends.org
• The Blue Ridge Bike Fest (Roanoke, VA, near Milepost 120) – April 9-April 11, 2010. An all-makes motorcycles expo, show, and festival with music, stunt demonstrations, and access to rides on the Parkway. www.blueridgebikefest.com
• Opening Juried Art Exhibit “Memories: The Blue Ridge Parkway in Retrospect” (Galax, VA, near Milepost 215) – In conjunction with the opening of the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts, this exhibit will run April 16-June 14. www.chestnutcreekarts.org
• Virginia Fly Fishing Festival (Waynesboro, VA, near Milepost 0) – April 17 and 18, 2010. For novice and experienced fly anglers, the event offers instruction, Virginia wine tastings, and a focus on conservation education and natural resources stewardship. www.vaflyfishingfestival.org
• 55th Annual Vinton Dogwood Festival (Vinton, VA, near Milepost 112) – April 21-25, 2010. Festival features a parade, antique car show, craft show, children’s area, carnival, distance run, and multiple entertainment stages. www.vintondogwoodfestival.org
• Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Symposium (Boone, NC, near Milepost 285) – April 22-April 24, 2010, at Appalachian State University. Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 21st Century: History, Scenery, Conservation, and Community. www.blueridgeparkway75.org
• Blue Ridge Marathon (Roanoke, VA, near Milepost 120) – April 24, 2010. An inaugural marathon – one of the most difficult and beautiful marathons on the east coast - will begin at the Taubman Museum of Art and end at The Hotel Roanoke. www.blueridgemarathon.com
• Opening “Motoring the Blue Ridge Parkway” Exhibit (Maggie Valley, NC, near Milepost 443) – April 30, 2010. Located at the Wheels Through Time Museum, the year-long exhibit will include historical information and displays of period motorcycles that have traversed the Parkway during its 75 years. www.WheelsThroughTime.com
• Spring on the Blue Ridge Parkway Art Exhibit (Floyd, VA, near Milepost 165) – May 1-May 31, 2010. A month-long, multi-media exhibit at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts. www.jacksonvillecenter.org
• Asheville Bikefest and the Blue Ridge Run (Asheville, NC, near Milepost 377) – May 13-May 16, 2010. A motorcycle touring rally with events at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. www.ashevillebikefest.com
• Whitetop Mountain Ramp Festival (Mouth of Wilson, VA, near Milepost 203) – May 16, 2010. At Grayson Highlands State Park, this festival celebrates the ubiquitous mountain wild onion, the ramp.
• “More Than a Mountain: Celebrating the Land and Community of the Peaks of Otter” (Bedford, VA, near Milepost 86) – May 29-July 9, 2010. A community-wide juried art exhibition commemorating the Parkway’s 75th Anniversary with various art – painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, glass, and mixed media. www.visitbedford.com
• Blue Ridge Bliss Cycling Tour (Rockbridge County, VA, near Milepost 46) – June 5-June 11, 2010. Offered by Adventure Cycling Association, a guided bike tour. Fees are required. www.adventurecycling.org/tours
• KIVA Celebrates the Blue Ridge Parkway (Roanoke, VA, near Milepost 121) – June 19, 2010. Hosted by Kids in the Valley, Adventuring!, a special kids’ hike with a picnic on Roanoke Mountain. www.kidsadventuring.org
• Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Celebration (Boone, NC, near Milepost 285) – June 21-June 26, 2010. Activities include a leisure guided bike ride on the Parkway, Headwaters Hike, Barbecue and Bluegrass, historical and ghost tours, and a wine and cheese fundraiser. www.goboone.net
• 86th Annual Singing on the Mountain (Linville, NC, near Milepost 305) – June 27, 2010. Held at Grandfather Mountain, this day-long event features dinner on the grounds and performances by some of the best Southern gospel groups. www.grandfather.com
• Chateau Morrisette Wine and Music Festival (Floyd, VA, near Milepost 165) – July 7, August 14, and October 10, 2010. www.thedogs.com
• Galax Moose Lodge Old Fiddler’s Convention (Galax, VA, near Milepost 215) – August 8-August 14, 2010. This fiddler’s convention turns 75 years old in 2010, too! www.oldfiddlersconvention.com
• 11th Annual Mountain Music Championship (Stecoah, NC, near Milepost 460) – September 3-September 5, 2010. Competitions for fiddlers, guitarists, and mandolin and guitar players with prizes and food. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com
• “Experiencing Nature Through Craftsmen’s Hands: An Exhibition Celebrating the Blue Ridge Parkway” (Sparta, NC, near Milepost 229) – September 9-December 31, 2010. Features pottery, glass, jewelry, wood, fiber art, painting, printmaking, and photography celebrating the Parkway at the Sparta Teapot Museum of Craft and Design. www.teapotmuseum.org
• Fries Heritage Parkway Celebration (Fries, VA, near Milepost 216) and Apple Pickin’ Festival (Fancy Gap, VA, near Milepost 199) – September 11, 2010. The towns celebrate the Parkway with a parade of antique cars beginning at Fancy Gap and ending at Fries. The events include traditional mountain music and clogging, storytelling about the Parkway, crafts, and food. And, of course, apple picking and an apple recipe bake-off. www.friesva.com and www.blueridgehost.com
• Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th Anniversary Weekend Festival (Galax, VA, near Milepost 215) September 10-September 12, 2010. Multi-day, multi-venue festival staged in and around Cumberland Knob, NC, where Parkway construction began on September 11, 1935. The festival will include a formal ceremony featuring local, state, and federal officials, regional music and crafts, antique car and travel trailer vehicle exhibits, interpretive and environmental programs, storytelling, children’s activities, and local foods. www.blueridgeparkway75.org
• Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 21st Century (Roanoke, VA, near Milepost 120) October 14-October 16, 2010, at The Hotel Roanoke. The second in a two-part symposium, this conference’s focus will be Sustaining Communities, Environments and Economies. www.blueridgeparkway75.org
• “Milestones: Visual Arts Celebrate the Blue Ridge Parkway” (Asheville, NC, near Milepost 377) October 1-December 31, 2010, at Blue Spiral Gallery. Over 20 Southern artists’ works in painting, ceramics, glass, art, quilts, and wood sculpture. www.bluespiral1.com

Besides event information and historical resources about the Blue Ridge Parkway, www.blueridgeparkway75.org also offers commemorative items in its on-line store. The new 2010 Blue Ridge Parkway Directory is available at Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Centers along the road as well as through the Blue Ridge Parkway Association at www.blueridgeparkway.org.

Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc. is the non-profit organization designated by the National Park Service to lead the Parkway’s 75th Anniversary celebration. With representation from all of the Parkway’s partner groups, the states of North Carolina and Virginia, and community leaders along the 469-mile scenic route, Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc.’s mission is to engage local communities and all visitors in an anniversary that focuses attention on a sustainable and healthy Parkway for future generations. For more information, visit www.blueridgeparkway75.org