Friends Day at
Mast General Stores
September 13
Fall is almost here, and it's time to pick up outdoor gear for hikes, rides, and excursions, including treks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Thanks to Mast General Store, adventurers can feel twice as good about their shopping experience as the store celebrates its annual Friends Day. On Saturday, September 13, five Mast General Stores (Asheville, Boone, Hendersonville, and the Valle Crucis Main Store & Annex) will donate 10 percent of sales to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. Come by, say hello to foundation staffers, and get shopping for the cause.
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 Photo by Monty Combs
"Autumn...the year's last,
loveliest smile."
-William Cullen Bryant
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More than 27,000 North Carolina residents have the tag. Do you?
With a Parkway Foundation
Specialty Plate you can beautify your car
and help the Parkway!
Click here to learn more!
Protect the Parkway. Get the Plate!
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Fall is a gorgeous time to explore the
Blue Ridge Parkway and show your
support for the Foundation. At Parkway Plus dining and lodging destinations, you can add $1 to your tab or $1 for each night's stay to help ensure America's Favorite Journey® is protected. Click here for participating restaurants and inns.
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Save the Journey®
What do you love about the Parkway?
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Smile, You're Helping the
Blue Ridge Parkway
 Already shopping for the holidays? You can double your generosity when you shop at www.smile.amazon.com by designating that a portion of your purchases go to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. Signing up is easy: visit smile.amazon.com. If you already have an Amazon.com account, you'll be prompted to log in; if not, you'll be asked to create an account.
be asked to choose a charitable organization to receive donations. Pick
the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, and then every eligible purchase you make will help fund crucial projects.Happy shopping! |
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Revealing a Geological Gem at Linville Falls
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 | | The larger, enhanced viewing area at Upper Falls Overlook is slated to open in late September. |
An Expanded Viewing Area at Linville Falls Brings Visitors Closer to the Geological History of the Mountains
Wondering about all the activity going on at Linville Falls? Thanks to the generosity of our Community of Stewards, the Upper Falls Overlook at Linville Falls (milepost 316.4) will welcome more visitors with a larger viewing area, taking them closer to a geological gem, the Linville Falls Thrust Line. A new boardwalk and railing tied together with rock-clad columns create the enlarged vista point.
With the expansion come educational opportunities for students, geologists, and the public to see this section of rock that jutted up and over the younger Grandfather Fault Line more than a billion years ago. Until now, scientists and students needed special permission to visit the fault line. Carolyn Sparks, a maintenance mechanical supervisor with the National Park Service, is heading up the project slated for completion in late September. Interpretive signage is in the works to explain the significance of the geological feature. Sparks hopes the visitors enjoy learning about and seeing the thrust fault. "It will be a great highlight of the geology of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It will be one of the few places the public can view the structure. That's what makes it so unique."
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Meet the Steep Canyon Rangers
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 | | The Steep Canyon Rangers play the Blue Ridge Music Center on Saturday, October 11. |
Artists Reception Kicks Off the
Blue Ridge Music Center's Season Finale Concert
by the Steep Canyon Rangers
Forget hanging out by the tour buses after the show to meet the band: Grammy Award-winning bluegrass group the Steep Canyon Rangers will wrap up the Blue Ridge Music Center's concert season with a special preshow artists reception and concert on Saturday, October 11. Preshow ticket holders can meet the musicians, take in a song or two, and enjoy refreshments, including wine, beer, and hors d'oeuvres before taking
their reserve seats for the performance. The New Spring Valley Boys
will open the show.
Earlier this year, the Steep Canyon Rangers, who won a 2013 Grammy for their album, Nobody Knows You, partnered with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Bonesteel Films to protect Graveyard Fields, a treasured destination along the Parkway. The musicians from Brevard, North Carolina, shared stories about their connection to the beloved spot and performed their song "Graveyard Fields" for a public service video to help with
fund-raising efforts for improvements at the popular stop at milepost 418. Click here to see the film.
Special thanks go out to concert sponsors the Winston-Salem Journal
and Wells Fargo, as well as Creek Bottom Brews in Galax, Virginia, for supporting the artists reception.
It's been a stellar season so far with four more concerts leading up to the finale, including this Saturday's performance by Kripplekrunk &
The Dan River Girls. Don't miss the remaining shows at the open-air venue as the surrounding mountains provide a painted backdrop of fall color.
Artists reception & concert: The Steep Canyon Rangers + The New Spring Valley Boys, Saturday, October 11. Preshow artists reception & concert $50, 2 p.m.; concert $20, 4 p.m. Preshow tickets are limited,
so purchase them today by calling the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation office at 1-(866) 308-2773, ext. 245. Concert tickets are available at www.BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org.
 | | The Harris Brothers |
Great Shows Left to Go:
September 13: Kripplekrunk +
The Dan River Girls; 7 p.m. Saturday; $10
September 20: Big Country Bluegrass +
The Wolfe Brothers String Band; 4 p.m. Saturday; $10
September 27: Across the Blue Ridge: Collectors & Song Carriers; 4 p.m. Saturday; $7
October 4: The Harris Brothers + Kitty Amaral & The Stray Cats, 4 p.m. Saturday, $7
The Blue Ridge Music Center is 10 miles south of Galax, Virginia, and 20 miles north of Mount Airy, North Carolina.
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Kids in Parks Keeps on TRACKing
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Come Celebrate the Opening
of 3 New TRACK Trails on September 27
Our TRACK Trail kids have a lot of energy, so the Kids in Parks program is putting more adventures on the map to connect them with nature. On Saturday, September 27, the team will unveil a TRACK trail at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock, N.C., and two new trails at Falls Lake Recreation Area in Wake Forest, N.C.
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At the Carl Sandburg site, enjoy the peaceful settings of Connemara while discovering what makes the farm, fields and forests unique. In addition to the Hide & Seek, Nature's Relationship, and Need for Trees adventures that accompany this TRACK Trail, it features a special activity: "Farm, Field and Forest" which leads children on a walk from the point of view of Sandburg's grandchildren.
Two new routes at Falls Lake State Recreation Area mark a milestone for the program by serving as the first trails to include guide materials written in English and Spanish. "We're excited to offer two new bilingual brochures, allowing Kids in Parks to attract more children and families to the outdoors," says Jason Urroz, Kids in Parks program director.
Opening Days
Carl Sandburg TRACK Trail: Join the ribbon cutting followed by
a ranger-led hike at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 27.
Falls Lake TRACK Trails: The Beaverdam Recreation Area
TRACK Trail grand opening starts at 10 a.m. The Rolling View Recreation Area TRACK Trail grand opening will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, September 27.
Visit www.kidsinparks.com for more information or contact Jason Urroz at jurroz@kidsinparks.com.
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