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Muddy ACCE Race Event is Fun Along the New River Water Trail

ACCE March Column

Muddy ACCE Race Event is Fun Along the New River Water Trail

 

Giles County- The unseasonably warm weather has students looking forward to summer and the school years beyond. Access to Community College Education program students look forward to their next year in the program, and seniors in high school are making big decisions about their future. The Access to Community College program in Giles County helps both students and families on the path to academic success. Every month we bring you a story of someone involved in either the ACCE Program or the very popular Muddy ACCE Race event, which is scheduled for September 16, 2017. This month we talk to a runner in the race, Kyle Higginbotham.

 

Q: Please tell us a little bit about yourself

A: I’m in high school and I play soccer. I am more academic than athletic and I plan on going to college at Radford.

 

Q: How did you participate in the ACCE Program?

A: I was a runner in the Muddy ACCE Race

 

Q: Why did you get involved with the Muddy ACCE Race?

A: It looked like it was really fun and I enjoy running, so it sounded like a great event for me.

 

Q: What is the one thing you’ll take away from the ACCE program or MAR event?

A: It was a great time and I would love to do it again next year.

 

Q: If you could share a sentiment to those considering the program, perhaps as a student or parent, or considering running in the 2017 event—what would you tell them?

A: It made my month. It was so much fun to run in the Muddy ACCE Race and all of the money goes to a great cause.

 

Kyle completes one of the many mud pits at the MAR event forcing participants to get muddy, all for a good cause & a good time.

 

 

Kyle Higginbotham completing the first annual Muddy ACCE Race event. As a high schooler he ran for fun & the experience.

 

 

If you are interested in learning more about the NRCC ACCE program in Giles, please visit www.gilescounty.org. For more information on the 2017 Muddy ACCE Race, www.muddyaccerace.com.

CategoriesEvents, News by

Apr 22- VIRGINIA’S OUTDOOR LOVERS EXPO featuring the NRWT

VIRGINIA’S OUTDOOR LOVERS EXPO

The 2017 Virginia’s Outdoor Lovers Expo to be held April 22nd at Bisset Park in Radford, Virginia.

From our friends at the New River Valley Regional Commission.

Radford, VA – The Virginia’s Outdoor Lovers Expo is coming to the New River Valley, April 22nd. This free, family-friendly event will be held at Bisset Park in Radford from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The event will host a 300-foot zip line, paddleboard demonstration pool, outdoor gear raffle and gear swap, local food, brews and live music all staged alongside the New River. Appalachian inspired entertainment such as County Connections and RYZ are scheduled to perform on the main stage.

The Kid Zone with a rock wall and bounce house, and demonstrations such as; chainsaw carving, outdoor survival tips, and Leave No Trace outdoor ethics awareness will round out the event. This year’s expo will have upwards of 100 outdoor related businesses, organizations and attractions including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Mountain 2 Island Paddleboard, Cabela’s, Virginia State Parks, and many more. Come celebrate Earth Day with all of Southwest Virginia as you browse interactive booths and demonstration areas.

The Virginia Outdoor Lovers Expo began in Abingdon in 2014 and for the first time ever, will be held in the New River Valley. The event’s focus is to raise awareness of the diverse outdoor recreation opportunities that are abundant across Southwest Virginia while providing a platform for businesses, clubs, organizations, and communities to form and strengthen ties throughout the region. This event promises to be the perfect opportunity to connect, explore and plan your next outdoor adventure. Brought to you by generous sponsors including the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Blue Ridge Outdoors, Carilion Clinic, and Mountain Lake Lodge.

Outdoor related vendor applications will be accepted until April 1st. Registration can be accessed on the website. The Expo planning committee will also continue to accept sponsors. For information on sponsorship and applying for a vendor booth contact James Jones at jjones@nrvrc.org or call 540-639-9313. More details on the event and how to participate, along with updated information can be found at www.swvaoutdoorexpo.com.

For more information or to set up an interview, contact James Jones, 540-639-9313 or jjones@nrvrc.org

 

 Vendors Participating in the Virginia’s Outdoor Lovers Expo

  1. Grillizza
  2. Till and Grill
  3. Bootleg BBQ
  4. Foothill Guide Service
  5. New River Valley Bicycle Association
  6. Blue Ridge Discovery Center
  7. Giles Mountain Vineyard and Winery
  8. Back Country Ski and Sport, Inc
  9. Floyd Yoga Jam
  10. Arbor Real Products, LLC
  11. RU Outdoors
  12. Recreation, Parks and Tourism Department Radford University
  13. Virginia Tech – College of Natural Resources and Environment
  14. Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority
  15. Paul Tomorrow/St. Paul Main Street
  16. Dickenson County Chamber/Visitor Center
  17. Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
  18. Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority
  19. City of Norton
  20. Tazewell County
  21. Blue Ridge Heritage, Inc.
  22. Montgomery Regional Tourism
  23. Clinch River Valley Initiative
  24. Scott County Tourism
  25. Town of Narrows
  26. New River Retreat and the Junction
  27. Mountain 2 Island Paddleboard Company
  28. Appalachian Horseback Adventures
  29. Crimper’s Climbing Gym
  30. Mountain Lake Lodge
  31. New River Conservancy
  32. Town of Pennington Gap
  33. Virginia State Parks
  34. Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum/ County of Bland
  35. Springhouse Community School
  36. Appalachian Trail Conservancy
  37. Good Samaritan Hospice
  38. Camp Alta Mons
  39. Massanutten Resort
  40. Virginia Department of Forestry
  41. Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers
  42. Breaks Interstate Park
  43. Wytheville Convention and Visitors Bureau
  44. Floyd County Tourism Office
  45. Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure
  46. JBR Vineyards, LLC
  47. New River’s Edge Inc
  48. City of Galax Tourism
  49. Chantilly Farm
  50. Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA)
  51. Across-the-Way Productions
  52. FloydFest
  53. Ferrum Outdoors
  54. Ferrum College
  55. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
  56. Damascus Old Mill Inn and Restaurant
  57. New River Outdoor Co
  58. Town of Pearisburg
  59. Smyth County Tourism
  60. On The Water
  61. Apple Ridge Farm
  62. Franklin County, Virginia
  63. Project Healing Waters, Roanoke/New River Valleys Program
  64. Appalachian Voices
  65. Southwest Virginia Mountain Rescue Group
  66. Pulaski Bikes
  67. American Chestnut Foundation, Virginia Chapter
  68. Tangent Outfitters
  69. Woodchuck Woodcarving
  70. Venture Out
  71. Dick’s Sporting Goods
  72. Walkabout Outfitters
  73. Giles County Tourism
  74. Real Time Pain Relief
  75. Town of Pulaski
  76. Pulaski County
  77. HK High Kicks, LLC
  78. Friends of Claytor Lake
  79. Mountain Shepard Survival School
  80. Primland
  81. Cabela’s
  82. Visit Bedford Virginia
  83. com
  84. Trailhead ATV Resort
  85. New River Outdoor Adventures
  86. Mount Inspiration Apparel
  87. GoJourni
  88. Fat Bean Taco
  89. Narrows Trail Club
  90. ReNew the New

Sponsors for the Virginia’s Outdoor Lovers Expo

Virginia Community Capital

Montgomery County Regional Tourism

Walkabout Outfitter

New River Outdoor Adventures

WMEV FM94

WVTF / RADIO IQ

Virginia Tech – College of Natural Resources and Environment

Y-100.5 FM

Carilion Clinic

Backcountry.com

Giles County Tourism

City of Radford

Floyd County Tourism

Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce

Mountain 2 Island Paddleboard Company

Trailhead ATV Resort

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Bristol Herald Courier

Virginia Tourism Corporation

Blue Ridge Outdoors

Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure

GearHead Moto Tours

Virginia Tech’s Venture Out Program

Visit Bedford Virginia

Cabela’s

Union Bank & Trust

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CategoriesNews by

Rally Southwest Virginia Arrives in Narrows

Rally Southwest Virginia Arrives in Narrows

 

Giles County, VA- Rally Southwest Virginia is building community leadership capacity and reinforcing collaborative communities across the region of Southwest Virginia. The region consisting of 19 counties from Giles to the far southwest counties in Virginia, has embraced this program and others to find creative outlets for suppressed economies and the revitalization for downtown areas.

 

The Town of Narrows is the first community in the New River Valley to participate in this new min-grant program, facilitated by Opportunity SWVA. The mini-grant program provides a $3,000 award to communities to implement a community development project through a team structure. The team in Narrows is comprised of citizens, small business owners, town staff, and county representatives. The group gathered for the initial meeting to discuss the potential of the Rally program and begin brainstorming how this mini-grant could be utilized to support ongoing development efforts in Narrows.

 

At the initial meeting, participants heard from Robyn Lee, Entrepreneurship Coordinator for Opportunity SWVA. Through partnerships with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) this program has already seen success in other communities in the region. Chilhowie, Cleveland, Coeburn, Damascus, Dungannon, Haysi, Pocahontas, and Tazewell have utilized the award monies to build and install kiosks, develop wayfinding signage for their downtown, create art in public places, and more.

 

A goal of the project, aside from a short-term completed project, is to build a cohesive and engaged group at the local level to help facilitate future development in the community. This small group locally, will then serve as energetic leaders to support other community and small business efforts. The goal of attracting and supporting entrepreneurs and their ventures to Narrows  has been the topic of conversation as the community has participated in master planning sessions for over a year.

 

All five towns in Giles County, Pembroke, Pearisburg, Narrows, Rich Creek, and Glen Lyn are all actively engaged in revitalization planning under the guidance of the New River Valley Regional Commission with funds from DHCD in the form of their Community Development Block Grants. Pembroke and Narrows are nearing the time to submit for implementation funds from their master planning process, while the other communities are beginning their visioning and coordination phase of the process.

 

For the next six months Narrows will be considering, designing, and implementing a project to support the town as a place for business as it relates to the master plan that focuses on outdoor recreation as a driver for economic development. The group that recently met, while no final decisions were made, enjoyed the ideas revolving around signage, façade improvements, or a beatification project to welcome residents and visitors to this wonderfully natural, mountain town in Southwest Virginia.

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For additional information on RALLY Southwest Virginia please feel free to contact Robyn Lee at 276-376-3453 or rlee@uvawise.edu.

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For more information about planning your visit to Giles County or about activities and events, please visit www.gilescounty.org or contact us at tourism@gilescounty.org.