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Celebrate & Support the Parkway!
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| Live auction bidding at the 2017 Denim Ball. Photo by Jan Todd/DeepCreekPhoto.com |
Do you have a denim outfit picked out? Tickets are now on sale for the third annual
Denim Ball at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 3, at
Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock in North Carolina. This
benefit for Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is the most comfortable ball you'll attend all year because dressy denim is the outfit of choice. The night by the resort's lake will include music by the Jeff Little Trio, a buffet dinner, cash bar, and live and silent auction. The past two events have sold out, so purchase your tickets today.
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Find Your Pint and Raise a Glass
Now through July 15
32 Banks Ave., Asheville
933 Louise Ave., Suite 105, Charlotte
Beer: Blueberry Berliner Weisse
Giving: Donating $1 from every pint of the small batch brewed with wild blueberries picked on the Parkway
Special event: Kick-off celebration in Charlotte from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, June 23
July 20 until the batch is gone
12 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville
Beer: Special batch in honor of the Parkway
Giving: Donating $1 from every pint of the special batch sold
Special event: Kick-off celebration from 4 to 6 p.m., Friday, July 20
July 26 |
197 Hilliard Ave., Asheville
Beer: All!
Giving: 15% of all sales
Special event: Visit the Foundation table from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, July 26, to win prizes and learn more about America's Favorite Journey
October 4-7 |
356 New Leicester Highway, Asheville
Beer: Special batch of cider in honor of the Parkway
Giving: Donating $1 from each pint of the special batch sold
Special event: Kick-off celebration from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, October 4
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Pick Your Parkway Passion Project
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We know you love the Blue Ridge Parkway. That's why we select new projects every year that will make the journey even better. Take a look at our 2018 list of initiatives, and then help us make them come true.
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TRACK Trails provide outdoor family fun.
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EDUCATION & OUTREACH
Mileposts 63, 169 & 176 | Goal: $16,000
Our Kids in Parks program got its start in 2009 with the opening of the first TRACK Trail at the Asheville Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Today, there are five trails along the route that engage children and their families with the outdoors through activity brochures. You can expand these adventures for future land stewards by supporting the creation of new experiences at Rocky Knob/Mabry Mill and the James River Visitor Center.
Milepost 451 | Goal: $38,005
The Waterrock Knob Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C., occupies a unique position on the Parkway, having the potential to be either the first or last stop for travelers. With the help of your donation, the National Park Service will install new exhibits to replace the current time-worn displays that feature outdated information.
VISITOR AMENITIES
Milepost 241 | Remaining goal: $250,000
We are so close to
beginning the rehab of the former Bluffs Restaurant building at Doughton Park, near Sparta, N.C. Let's reopen the doors to new at this once-popular spot.
Milepost 86 | Goal: $56,700
Work is set to begin this summer to rejuvenate the little stone shelter that greets visitors at the summit of Sharp Top Mountain at the Peaks of Otter. National Park Service staff will scrub away extensive graffiti, repair and reset windows, doors, sills and thresholds, replace the roof, and stain the clapboard siding to prepare the building for future interpretive programs and secure it against the elements. Donations for this project will be matched through the Centennial Challenge program!
Parkway-wide | Goal: $11,500
Updated annually, the printed
Outdoor Activity Guide features trail maps, safety information, bear encounter guidance, and more. It is an essential guide to a well-planned Parkway excursion. With your support, 100,000 copies will be printed and made available to visitors for free.
NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION
Parkway-wide | Goal: $5,460
You can give citizen scientists the equipment they need to complete an important mission. This summer, volunteers are hiking off the beaten paths and using GPS coordinates to place motion-sensitive cameras in remote areas, returning periodically to find out what types of birds, mammals, reptiles, and other creatures have passed by the lenses. Their work will allow park biologists to cover more territory in a multiyear study of animal populations and their locations on Parkway land.
Parkway-wide | Remaining goal: $6,688
You can make sure the park is a place where bees and other pollinators can thrive. A gift for this project will give citizen scientists the tools they need to collect native wildflower seeds and survey populations of bees. The seeds will be used to re-establish wildflower display areas originally designed as part of the Parkway landscape, and therefore bolster pollinator habitats. The bee surveys have already begun, so please give today!
Plant and Wildlife Protection
Parkway-wide | Remaining goal: $2,264
In addition to all they do to keep the Parkway safe for visitors, law enforcement rangers also protect plants and animals from poachers in search of rare species, including galax, ginseng, and even bog turtles. However, with more than 80,000 acres of park land spread across 29 counties in two states, it's a logistical challenge to monitor the entire Parkway. Your gift for this project will purchase
equipment to increase this team's capacity to protect vulnerable species. The
Community Foundation of Western North Carolina is also providing generous support for this program.
HISTORICAL & CULTURAL PRESERVATION
Milepost 294 | Remaining goal: $1 million
Your gifts are truly remaking history at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. Flat Top Manor is regaining its grandeur with much-needed exterior repairs. The carriage trails are clear of overgrown vegetation and ready for hikers and horseback riders to explore freely. Soon additional exhibits will be installed in the manor to tell the story of the Cone family, house staff, and farmers who called the estate home, and outdoor panels will feature trail maps.
Two years ago, we set out to raise $3 million to remake history at the park. Today, we are working to secure the last $1 million to continue the improvements this landmark deserves. With a donation, you can keep us on the path to a bright future for the estate
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New logs are being installed at the barn at Humpback Rocks Farm
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Milepost 5 | Goal: $75,056
Crews with the National Park Service are putting their skills in log structure repair and stone stacking to work on Ramsey Cabin and a collection of hand-hewn structures that make up the late 19th century farmstead at Humpback Rocks. With a gift, you can make sure this fascinating place continues to pass down the story of pioneer families in the mountains. Donations for this project will be matched through the Centennial Challenge program!
Milepost 213 | Goal: $55,000
The Blue Ridge Music Center is hosting a fantastic
season of concerts, and you can take center stage in making the Roots of American Music series a success. Your gift givers visitors the chance to experience old-time, bluegrass, folk, Americana, country blues, and gospel performances and learn about how these forms of music took root and grew into an American sound.
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Parkway Place Photo Challenge
 Follow the Foundation on
Facebook
and
Instagram
to tell us which location this is
under the matching image to enter the Parkway Place Challenge. One winner will be drawn from those with the correct answer and will receive a Blue Ridge Parkway RIDE license plate.
Good luck!
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Volunteer at a Visitor Center!
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The N.C. Museum of Minerals is looking for volunteers. Photo by Vicki Dameron
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Do you love meeting new people and the Blue Ridge Parkway? The National Park Service is looking for volunteer visitor service assistants at the Linn Cove Viaduct and Linville Falls visitor centers and the N.C. Minerals Museum near Spruce Pine. The duties will include greeting travelers, operating the visitor center information desk, providing information and trail directions, and answering questions about the Parkway and surrounding areas. If you have time to volunteer from now until October and can commit to a regular weekly schedule, contact Clary Pickering at
[email protected] or
click here.
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Moses Cone Estate View by John Mac Kah
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Sponsorship Opportunity
We're seeking sponsors for an intriguing event this fall. The Foundation is partnering with the Saints of Paint for an art show fundraiser titled,
Of Valley & Ridge: A Scenic Journey Through the Blue Ridge Parkway
. Works of 21 Western North Carolina fine artists will be featured October 26-28 at the historic Zealandia estate in Asheville. You can help make the event a success by becoming a presenting, gold, silver, or bronze level sponsor. Proceeds from a kick-off gala and art sales through the weekend will support the Foundation's work to protect, preserve, and enhance the scenic route.
Learn more
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Catch a Show at the Blue Ridge Music Center
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Sierra Hull
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Sierra Hull
7 p.m., Saturday, June 23
Blue Ridge Music Center, milepost 213 on the Parkway, near Galax, Virginia
Grammy nominee Sierra Hull's musical journey began at eight years old when she received a mandolin from her grandmother. Her musical path has included a deal with Rounder Records, touring with her band, Highway 111, developing her own songwriting perspective, and collaborating on albums by Rhonda Vincent, Mac Wiseman, and Brandon Heath. She was named Mandolin Player of the Year by IBMA in 2016 and 2017. Hull will be accompanied by her husband, multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses. Tickets
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Kruger Brothers
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The Kruger Brothers
7 p.m., Saturday, June 30
Blue Ridge Music Center, milepost 213 on the Parkway, near Galax, Virginia
Originally from Switzerland, brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger moved to Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in 2002 to be closer to their musical hero and friend, Doc Watson. In 1995, the brothers teamed up with bass player Joel Landsberg, a native of New York City with an extensive musical upbringing in classical and jazz music. With Jens on banjo, Uwe on guitar, Joel on bass, and all three on vocals, they established the original sound that The Kruger Brothers are known for today. Tickets
The Foundation proudly supports programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center to preserve the cultural and musical heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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Road to the Past
In this photo from the early 1950s, a park ranger visits with guests at Rocky Knob Cabins at milepost 174 in Virginia. Do you remember staying in the cabins before they closed? If so, we'd love to hear your story. To send us a note about your memories of this charming retreat,
click here.
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High Pass Boogie Rides to Success
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High Pass Boogie 2018
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This spring's High Pass Boogie motorcycle event was a hit! Riders enjoyed a weekend of fun and raised
$13,000 for the Parkway. Frontline Eurosports and Eurosport Asheville presented the event. Past Boogies have raised critical funds improvement projects at Graveyard Fields, Mount Pisgah, Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, and Craggy Gardens. Thank you to all who participated and showed their support!
Would you like to host an event to benefit the Parkway? Click here
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Paving Underway South of Asheville
Pavement preservation work has begun on the Parkway from milepost 393.6 to 412.8, south of Asheville through the Mount Pisgah area.
Learn more
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