Residents from the Blue Ridge Parkway region are invited to attend the Blue Ridge Rising two-state summit on Dec. 5 and 6 at Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock, N.C.
The event is an opportunity to help shape a strategic action plan for the 29 counties that border the national park.
Hosted by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the summit is the culmination of a nearly year-long planning effort designed to engage and unite Parkway-adjacent counties in North Carolina and Virginia to determine strategies that will benefit the region, with an emphasis on travel, tourism and outdoor recreation.
Attendees will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas for the emerging Blue Ridge Rising action plan and connect with people from all across the Parkway corridor to foster regional unity and growth.
Summit highlights include:
- An opening dinner and keynote address by Dan Chapman, author of A Road Running Southward, Following John Muir’s Journey through an Endangered Land. Chapman will highlight the challenges and possible solutions to protecting the region’s natural bounty.
- A morning keynote by Eric Eikenberg, CEO, The Everglades Foundation, who will share highlights and lessons learned from taking a regional approach to saving Florida’s Everglades.
- The Blue Ridge Sampler & Social, a celebratory evening to enjoy regional fare and engage in conversations about the future of the region.
- Music from renowned guitarist and luthier Wayne Henderson of Grayson County. Henderson was awarded a National Heritage Award by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The summit fee is $150 and includes admission to all sessions, all meals and refreshment breaks.
For more information, visit BlueRidgeRising.com.
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Crystal Graham
