The Parkway Sentinel - Volume 2, Issue 5 - June 2006

[FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway]

The Parkway Sentinel - News from the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway  
        FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway Newsletter 
     

         Volume 2, Issue 5 
     June 2006 
     

          
                    This Month's Features-    
                    Parkway Message   
                    2006 Photo Contest   
                     Trails Forever Program   
                     Adopt-A-Trail Groups' Trail Dates   
                     Volunteers In Parks - Special Events   
                    Volunteers In Parks - Needs   
                    Our Online Store   
           Greetings!
            FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway Wins 2 " Videographer Awards

            "Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway" has won two international awards for its recent television Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign on "Saving the Blue Ridge Parkway." The PSA series won an "Award of Distinction" for public service announcements, having competed against television and cable companies, television stations, production companies, and advertising agencies across the United States and international countries. The PSA series also won an "Honorable Mention" for the series in "creativity/writing." 

            Read PSA Awards News Release here.

            A special thanks to Dick Byrd, BRPTV, Richard Wells, and Pat and Chuck Blackley, for our first effort as a multiple award winner. Dick Byrd is FRIENDS' volunteer Video & TV Producer.

            The Videographer Awards" basic information, is available at: www.videoawards.com.
           

       

      Parkway Message 
      Wayside Parks will be "Gems in the Necklace" (all quotes from NPS-owned 1958 interview with Stan Abbott)

      The long and narrow configuration of the Blue Ridge Parkway has been described in many ways. snake-like in the way it winds down the mountains. like a ribbon lying gently on the landscape. like a comet's tail. But along the way, there are noticeable bulges of land, usually numbering in the thousands of acres, bulges that provide extraordinary opportunities for a wider range of recreation for the traveler.

      Stan Abbott, the park's first landscape architect, referred to these as "beads on a string. the rare gems in the necklace" of the Parkway. They were, he noted, "a most important part of the formula" in the principles that guided the design of the Parkway.

      The names of these larger parcels of land are no stranger to those who love the Parkway. Peaks of Otter, Rocky Knob, Fishers Peak, Doughton Park, Julian Price Park. these are some of the special places along the Parkway that have become destination points for generations of family gatherings or those who want to get away from the road and have a more intimate encounter with the natural resources of the Blue Ridge.

      Some of these bulges of land also serve as reminders of the many people who worked tirelessly to complete the Parkway project. Bluff Park became Doughton Park in honor of long-time member of the US House of Representatives Robert Doughton who first went to Washington as representative at age 47, staying until his death at age 90. Doughton was a staunch supporter of the Parkway concept. Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company founder Julian Price had accumulated land around the Blowing Rock area in the 1930s as a retreat for company employees. After his untimely death in 1946, the company donated the land to the National Park Service as a recreation area.

      The larger parcels also help in the preservation of plant and animal species, providing more habitat and protecting certain species from encroaching development. Without question, if the entire Blue Ridge Parkway land base was confined to a very narrow strip, the number of unique and rare species would decline drastically.

      Only because the early designers made the decision to save these larger parcels of land do we today have hiking opportunities to the summit of Sharp Top at the Peaks of Otter, or fishing and hiking through Rockcastle Gorge at Rocky Knob, or the wonderful cultural history of the community that once thrived in Basin Cove at Doughton Park.

      Author: Peter Givens, Interpretive Specialist, Blue Ridge Parkway NPS

      (Final in a series on the principles and ideas guiding the design of the Blue Ridge Parkway)  

      2006 Photo Contest
      FRIENDS and the Blue Ridge Parkway are sponsoring an Amateur Photo Contest! Entries will be accepted from May 1, 2006 to September 30, 2006.

      By entering the 2006 Photo Contest, adults and young people can share their talents, memories and simply beautiful Parkway snapshots.

      This is one more way to get involved this summer with the Blue Ridge Parkway! Forward this email to your friends to get involved!

      I would like to donate to help save parkway views. 

       

      Trails Forever Program
      WE ARE MISSING PICTURES AND STORIES HERE!

      The weather has finally turned over to warm days, and our Blue Ridge Parkway trail teams are showing their love and appreciation by helping to preserve and beautify the Blue Ridge Parkway trails.

      This summer, we encourage all those who maintain Blue Ridge Parkway trails as well as those who visit the trails to take pictures and send them to FRIENDS.

      All who receive the Parkway Sentinel would love to know more about your experiences on the Blue Ridge Parkway trails so please send stories and photos to Linda_Kassar at FriendsBRP.org.

      Others need to learn more from you!

      Hikers and those who walk the trails will really enjoy knowing more from you!

      ** If you are interested in adopting a Blue Ridge Parkway trail, or would simply like to know more about the Adopt-A-Trail Program please visit our website:
      http://blueridgefriends.org/index.cfm/fa/content.view/menuID/662.htm

      I would like to donate to help preserve parkway trails. 

       

      Adopt-A-Trail Groups' Trail Dates:
      FRIENDS' Fisher's Peak Chapter

      All dates are Saturdays - Beginning at 8:00 AM: May 20, June 3, June 17, July 8, July 22, August 5, August 19, September 9, and September 23

      Volunteers must sign up in advance by contacting: Dottie Bramley Email:pdbramley at valink.com Telephone: (276) 236-7658 Volunteers bring a sack lunch, if you would like to eat together after the trail work.

      Mountains-to-Sea Trail

      July 22-23, 2006 - Save the Date! - MST Trail Construction along the Blue Ridge Parkway between NC-18 and NC-16.

      During the week of September 9-16, 2006 the FMST and American Hiking Society will host a Volunteer Vacation on the Blue Ridge Parkway between NC-18 and NC-16 to construct the MST. 

       

      Volunteers In Parks - Special Events
      Humpback Rocks MP 5.8: 
      Saturday, June 17th "FIRST TIME FIDDLIN" Workshop with Mary Hardy" 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Workshop opens to first 35 participants, all ages. Observers welcome. Fiddles provided in many sizes. "Hardy Family String Band" performing 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Event made possible by FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge via a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. 
      Sunday, June 18th "FRONT PORCH SINGERS old time string-singing band" 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. "1890's Cabin Tour" featuring open-hearth cooking and other turn of the century farm interpretations, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bring the family for a day in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 
      Sunday, July 2nd "Mountain and Community Heritage" 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Bruce Clark and the Sawmill Band. 
      Sunday, July 16th "Oral Traditions Handed Down" 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Ginny and Sarah Hawker: Unaccompanied and Primitive Baptist Singing.

      For more events at the Humpback Rocks, see the poster: MP 5.8 Blue Ridge Parkway National Park Service

      Moses H. Cone Memorial Park MP 294: 
      Saturday, August 12th "Cone Heritage Day" 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Craft demonstrations, storytelling, singing, special activities for kids and ranger programs about Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. Located at milepost 294. Call 828-295-6308 for more information.

      NC Museum of Minerals MP 331: 
      Thursday, September 14th - Saturday, September 16th Overmountain Victory Celebration: A celebration of the Revolutionary War at the NC Museum of Minerals (milepost 331). 
      September 14 - 15 (9 a.m. - 2 p.m.) Special demonstrations for area schools. Reservations are required - call 828-765-1228. 
      September 15 - 16 (7 p.m. - 9 p.m.) Ranger led candlelight tours of the encampment site. Open to the public. 

      Bass Lake: 
      Saturday, October 28th Creepy Halloween Night Hike: Meet at Bass Lake off of Rt. 221 near Blowing Rock, NC for a night hike focusing on stories and creatures of the night. Two tours will leave from the Bass Lake parking area at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For more information call 828-295-6308. 

       

      Volunteers In Parks
      Volunteer Needs:

      URGENT NEED: Need volunteers to operate Information Desk including sales area and cash register at:

      Linville Falls Visitor Center (milepost 316), and

      The NC Museum of Minerals (milepost 331)



      We will accept those willing to work full time and those who can only cover for lunch breaks - once or twice a week. Weekday help is a particular need.

      Contact:

        Tina White - District Interpretive Supervisor, Highland District 
        5580 Shulls Mill Road 
        Blowing Rock, NC 28605 
        Ph: 828-295-6308 Fax: 828-295-0337 
        Email:Tina_White at nps.gov 
      I would like to donate to help the Volunteers in Parks. 

       

      Our Online Store
       FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway T-Shirts (view now) 
      Available in three colors and sizes small to XX-large. Visit Store 

       

      Donate or HELP support FRIENDS
      Help Us Preserve the Legacy

      FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway offers young and old, together, the opportunity to connect with friends and family to save the Blue Ridge Parkway for their continuing enjoyment - and for future generations.

      The Blue Ridge Parkway connects the Shenandoah National Park with the Smoky Mountains National Park. It is America's most scenic drive encompassing 469 miles transversing 29 counties in Virginia and North Carolina. Over 22 million people touch its borders annually - making it America's most frequented park treasure!

      By joining Preserving the Legacy you will be supporting projects that will protect this extraordinary Parkway and adjacent land and views for yourselves and for future generations. FRIENDS is an official Park Service partner. Please join us by choosing one of our deserving Programs today!

      Please forward this e-newsletter to anyone you feel would be interested! If this message was forwarded to you by a friend, you can receive your own subscription by visiting our web site.

      Donation Page

      If you have any questions, please contact us 
         
        
      Copyright © 2006 FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway 

      We sent you this email because you requested information on Preserving the Parkway. If you'd rather not receive email updates from FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, you can delete your name from our email list by clicking here.
     
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.icn.net/pipermail/sentinel/attachments/20060615/0097eb50/attachment.html