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Getting everything in place.
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Ahhhh...the bridge finds it's home in Elkin!
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Putting on the finishing touches.
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Heading towards Stone Mountain.
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New Pedestrian Bridge Installed!
OPENING CEREMONY & COMMUNITY HIKE CELEBRATION IS ON SUNDAY, OCT 2...
Join us in a Community Walk to the new bridge on the Mountains to Sea Trail. Celebrate with us and give thanks to all who have helped make this possible by hard work, energy, time and donations.
Assemble for Music at 3:30pm; remarks at 4pm
and then the walk to the bridge for the grand opening.
Meet at the band shell near the Elkin Recreation Department
Elkin Municipal Park 399 Highway 268 West, Elkin NC
Enjoy music by coming at 3:30pm and commemorative remarks at 4pm,
then join us for an 8/10 mile walk to the ribbon cutting on the
north and south side of the bridge and back. Wear comfortable walking shoes!
EVTA Governing Board and Committees:
EVTA Governing Board: Bill Blackley, Chairperson; Joe Hicks, Vice-Chairperson & history; Joe Mickey, Treasurer and nature projects; Denise Lyon, Secretary, communications and Recreation and Parks advisory board rep; Bob Hillyer, trails development, signage & mapping; Richard Moore, cycling; Dee Neil, events planning and execution; Jason Taylor, trail maintenance and building; Bob Larson, paddling and Yadkin Valley Heritage Corridor rep; Robert Ball, running and fund raising; Rob Libbert, mountain bike trail coordinator.
Bridge Committee:
Adam McComb, Chairperson; Will Gwyn, trail construction; Locke Rowe, bridge construction; Joe Hicks, engineering; Robin Smith, survey; Terry Kryska (dec.), engineering; Martha Smith, grant writer; integral to the project were: Foothills Forestry and Surveying, Big R Bridge, Smith Rowe, Greenhill Environmental, Blue Ridge Environmental Engineering, Blue Ridge Trail Works, Allstar Rentals.
EVTA Committees:
Nancy Goodwin and Pamela Bauman, wildflowers; Brian Ratledge and Ron Storey, birding; Brian Ratledge, volunteer hours; Randy Tulbert & Rob Arnold, webmaster; James Freeman, legal guidance; Scooter Parker, Boy Scouts and legal guidance; Bill Blackburn, volunteers (ret); Yadkin Valley Trail Riders, horseback trails; Mark Fowlkes, maps, permits & fishing; Cynthia Beane, Trail Angels coordinator; Herb MacDonald, trail construction.
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"What's on the other side of the bridge?"
For now we have a 1/2 mile loop for everyone to enjoy. After crossing the bridge, the trail veers left and enters the woods on a nice wide granite dust surface. The trail will continue for about 700 feet before returning to the original Elkin & Alleghany Railroad bed. There is picnic bench half way if you get tired.
Follow the granite dust trail along the railroad bed for another 400 feet where the main trail temporarily ends. At this point you have the option of retracing your steps or taking the newly constructed "rustic" trail on your left. This trail loops goes down to the creek and then back to the picnic bench.
Future plans call for three trails coming into this area. First, the mountain bike course will go around the reservoir and enter the main trail from the east. A second rustic trail will continue up the Big Elkin Creek. And finally, we would like for the main trail to follow the railroad bed going north. Lots more to come as we keep the trail moving on foot by foot!
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GET READY FOR A HUGE WEEKEND IN ELKIN!
DUCK & TURTLE REGATTA AFTER THE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL
SUPPORT EVTA AT BIG ELKIN BREWFEST!
Saturday, September 24
There is still time to buy a chance on the winning duck or turtle in this year's Duck & Turtle Regatta, one of EVTA's craziest and most exciting fundraisers of the year. Look for the EVTA booth at the Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival to pick your winner! Throngs of race fans will gather at the Library Dam before the 5pm race. Joe Hicks, Duck & Turtle Regatta coordinator, says there are tons of great prizes for the top finishers donated by local businesses. Fastest duck or turtle will win a kayak from
Yadkin River Adventures. Thank you, Paul, for your generous donation!
CLICK HERE FOR A NAIL BITER DUCK & TURTLE FINISH!
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Big Elkin Brewfest...
The Only Craft Beer Festival
on the
Mountains to Sea Trail!
Be sure to make your way over to Elkin Municipal Park on the same day, September 24, for the
Big Elkin Brewfest. Elkin Valley Trails Association members will be there enjoying the festival and answering questions. Be sure to enjoy a walk on the E&A Rail Trail/MST on the north side of the Park!
Here's a special "THANK YOU" to Elkin's own Skullcamp Brewing for supporting local trails with a donation from every keg of TrAle bRed beer. And boy is it awesome! Stop by their booth and enjoy great craft beer made by great people while helping out a great cause...us!
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Veterans Michelle and Jack Revoir, MST thru-hikers, spent some time in Elkin recently.
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MST THRU-HIKERS ARE WALKING OFF THE WAR...
Welcomed by Elkin Trail Angels
Elkin was honored to have two MST thru-hikers, both Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, passing through on their way to Jockey's Ridge. The brother and sister team are "Walking Off the War". Michelle and Jack Revoir are well along their way to finishing up their hike by
October 23rd.
Thanks to Bob & Suzanne Puckett for being their host and giving them lodging, cooking breakfast for them, and spending time chatting with them for much of the evening. Thanks to Yadkin Valley Rotary for feeding them at their cookout. The burgers were great. Thanks to Captain Mark Garner VFW Post 7794 who donated some cash for some of their expenses along their hike. And thanks to Paul Carter and
Yadkin River Adventures who got them set up with equipment for their paddle down the Yadkin River to Pilot Mountain State Park.
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| Captain Mark Garner VFW Post 7794 donated cash for some of their expenses along their hike. |
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Trail Angels Bob and Suzanne Puckett of Elkin provided housing for the MST thru-hikers.
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Joe Hicks of EVTA sending Jack and Michelle down the Yadkin on the next leg of their MST trip.
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Blue Ridge Trail Works going at it on the Elkin Creek Mtn Bike Course.
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Natural Surface, Great Elevation Change.
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Is This Really That Close to Civilization?
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ELKIN CREEK MOUNTAIN BIKE COURSE...
Get Ready for a Fall Opening!
It won't be long, folks, til EVTA is ready for our next Grand Opening Celebration. Elkin will have a five mile (soon to be expanded) single track, in-town loop for mountain bikers, runners and hikers. There will be a loop for moderate riders and a more challenging loop for those who are easily bored. Stay tuned for opening day. We can't wait to open one of the most exciting sections of our trail network. Thanks to our Dirty Thursday volunteers for creating this awesome trail for everyone to enjoy!
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Thank You, Elkin First Baptist Church Volunteers!
Elkin First Baptist Church sent some great volunteers to do some trail work on the Streamside Loop Trail. What a wonderful, energetic group that dedicated a few hours out of their day to make sure our trails stay in good shape.
If you or your business, church or social group would like to pitch in on the trails that we all love, please respond to Denise Lyon via this email. We have many other volunteer opportunities, some of which we haven't even thought of yet!
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Time to Sign Up for Elkin's 5k Trail Race and EVTA Fundraiser!
Saturday, October 22
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A Dream for our Community - a Mountains to Sea Trail Park ...
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Brookfall to Carter Mill Work Continues....
Our EVTA volunteers are putting in a lot of hours to connect a mile long section of trail between Brookfall Dairy Road and Carter Mill Road. While this section is under the radar and we can't easily witness the progress, it is nevertheless a very important missing link in the effort to connect the Grassy Creek Winery Trail to downtown Elkin. Steady work, smart planning and generous landowners are allowing us to get closer to our goal. Stay tuned for the opening of this section this Fall. Thank you, VOLUNTEERS!
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A very fun group of hikers from Alamance County.
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Folks are Coming From All Over to Walk our Trails!
ALAMANCE COUNTY HIKING GROUP
SPENDS THE DAY IN ELKIN...
A fun and active hiking group visited Elkin recently and hiked the E&A Rail Trail to the 178-ft bridge and back, had lunch at 222 Public House, then drove out to Grassy Creek Winery & Vineyard to hike the Grassy Creek Trail to Byrd's Branch Campground. There the group ate hand-dipped ice cream, hiked back to Grassy Creek Winery, where most of the group participated in a wine tasting (minus the driver, of course). Both Grassy Creek Winery and Byrd's Branch Campground opened up for them on their day off. Jason Taylor and Bill Blackley of EVTA did the full day with the group. As Bill says, "It was lots, I mean, LOTS of fun meeting and walking with these folks and showing off our work".
Melissa Hoose, Recreation Supervisor of Community & Outdoor Programs, City of Burlington Recreation and Parks heard Bill Blackley speak at the Piedmont Pathways Summit and was excited to hear about all the good things happening in Elkin. She reached out because she provides outdoor programs in Burlington and had a group of active senior adults that meets weekly to hike.
Hey Alamance County hikers...we look forward to seeing you again on the trail! Thanks for coming!
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