Blue Ridge Parkway

FRIENDS of the
Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc.

A National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway approved
partner organization dedicated to preserve, promote
and enhance the Blue Ridge Parkway, a national treasure,
for future generations.

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September 2008 eNewsletter

FRIENDS
 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc.
 
 
 
 Vol. 4 Issue: 9
September 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
 
QUICK LINKS
September Blooms
 
 Chapter Updates
 
Saving Parkway Views
 
 Join Now!
 
 Past eNewsletters
 
 
 More About Us
 
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
 
 
 
 
Volunteer Dinners:
Oteen Fish Fry- 9/26
Blue Rdge Musc Cntr - 9/28
Humpback Rocks - 10/14
Peaks of Otter - 9/25
 
Dear FRIENDS, 
Thank you for being a FRIEND of the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you are out there now you will see many beautiful wildflowers, such as the blue aster. Photo courtesy of Ben Keys.. 
 
Chapter News 
Rocky Knob Chapter has a meeting scheduled for September 22, 6:30 p.m.  Location will be the Meadows of Dan Community Center, Meadows of Dan.  Guest will be Rick Baker, Supervisor of the Plateau District.  He will provide an update on Parkway happenings and hopefully share some ideas on some possible projects.
 
The Rocky Knob Chapter provided tools, maps and brownies to a Boy Scout Troop from Mebane, NC who repaired benches on the Blue Ridge Parkway September 12.  Eight scouts and four adults worked 12 hours and hiked 13 miles up and down the Rock Castle Gorge. This dedicated group told Rocky Knob Chair, Gloria Hilton that they want to return next year!
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Roanoke Valley Chapter held its meeting on Wednesday,
September 17. Karen Hall, Gretchen Weinnig and Maggie Toole gave slideshow presentations. Awards were presented to the Sign Factory Company and Walter Hare, a volunteer who built one of the donation boxes.
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Fisher Peak Chapter reports a schedule of work days: 

  September 27 (9:00-12:00)
  October 20-24 (Notre Dame student volunteers)
  November 15  (9:00- to be determined)
 
The next meeting of the steering committee will be on September 22 at 7:00 p.m. Dottie Bramley would love anyone who is interested to join this meeting. It will be held at the library in Galax to accommodate a larger group. Dottie invites any input as always welcome (and needed!!) pdbramley@valink.com
 
There will be a schedule worked up soon for the week that the ND students will be here. There will be 12 students and volunteers are needed to work with them on trails, landscaping, and possibly fence repair. Volunteers are also needed to help with meals throughout the week. 
Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Celebration Kickoff The Blue Ridge Parkway will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2010, but you don't want to miss the anniversary launch in Roanoke this October - 75 years after President Franklin Roosevelt and Senator Harry Byrd conceived this scenic road connecting Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park - featuring a symposium on Thursday, October 9 and concluding at a press conference on Friday, October 10. Click here for more information.
Remember FRIENDS When You Make Your State Contribution 
 
North Carolina State Employees Combined Campaign (NCSECC)
Remember code 3608
FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is asking North Carolina state employees and retirees to remember the Parkway when they select their charity of choice through the North Carolina State Employees Combined Campaign (NCSECC).  This campaign allows North Carolina state employees and retirees to designate those areas they want to help with their charitable contributions.    Virginia State Employees Can Make a Difference on the Parkway: 
Remember code 3535 
FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is asking 23,000 Virginia state employees to "Remember the Parkway" when they select their charity of choice through the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) which begins November 1.  This campaign will run for two months, allowing Virginia state employees to designate where they want their contributions to go starting January 1.
Blue Ridge Masters of Guitar, Banjo and Fiddle
The Musical Heritage of the Blue Ridge Showcases will host the Blue Ridge Masters of Guitar, Banjo and Fiddle. The shows will be held on Sundays on October 5, 12 and 19, 2008 from 2-3 p.m. at the Blue Ridge Music Center in the Indoor Theater on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 213. Admission is free but seating is limited to 95. Come early.
Oct 5:  Kenny Smith, Steve Kilby, and Wayne Henderson
Oct 12: Sammy Shelor, Debbie Grim Yates, and Jeremy Stephens 
Oct. 19: Jimmy Edmonds, Richard Bowman, and Eddie Bond.
Go to www.blueridgemusiccenter.net or call 276-236-5309 for program information
Friday Night Beer Tasting 
Pre-Brewgrass Festival Friday Night Tasting with Dogfish Head will be held on September 19 between 5-8 p.m. at Bruisin' Ales, located at 66 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.
 
The entry fee is $4 with ID. Proceeds go to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway
 
Devin of Dogfish Head will be in-store on Friday, September 19 for an extended three-hour tasting of four brews by DFH, including the new Theobroma chocolate beer. 60-Minute IPA will be run through Randall (and who knows what we'll put in there to spice things up). Other beers mark the end of Aprihop season with a little Black & Blue on the side (Belgian-style dark ale brewed with blackberries and blueberries). For more information, visit the event calendar at www.bruisin-ales.com/beerblog. 
Operation Farthing
Blue Ridge Parkway officials announced the renewal this year of Operation Farthing, a multi-year initiative created to reduce motor vehicle collisions during the peak travel season for the park.  Following a five year decline in traffic accidents between 2002 and 2006, accidents increased last year and current figures are showing the potential for another increase for 2008. Click here to read more.
Friends Sponsors Weed Workshop
The Asheville Chapter of the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway will host a Weed Identification Workshop on Saturday, September 27th from 10 a.m. until 12 noon at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost #380).  Led by local plant expert, Jane Hargreaves of Hargreaves Associates, the workshop will focus on the identification of exotic, invasive species of plants in the area and demonstrate control and eradication measures available to homeowners. Click here for more information.
Photo of "Oriental Bittersweet" by J.R. Allison, Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources  
Blue Ridge Parkway 469 Mile AwardFRIENDS, in cooperation and partnership with the National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway, would like to celebrate your Parkway journey! If you have experienced all 469 miles of the Parkway from beginning to end, whether by automobile, bicycle, motorcycle or by foot - we want to hear from you. FRIENDS is asking all Parkway travelers who have made the journey to complete the FRIENDS' application and receive recognition for your accomplishment. Click here for more information.
National Public Lands Day 
Saturday, September 27, 2008 National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. In 2007, 110,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, planted trees and plants, and removed trash and invasive plants. Click here to learn more about how you can become involved.
 
 September Blooms  Click here for more information.
 
  Mountain Ash                     Closed Gentian                          Grass-of-Parnassus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photos by Ben Keys
Drawing for Natural Images of the Southern Appalachians Book
First Drawing: Mr. and Mrs. Douglas L. Hankins of Copper Hill, VA
Second Drawing: Mr. and Mrs. W. Eric Stuenkel of Morgantown, NC
Third Drawing: Charles and Cynthia Witt of Dover, DE
Fourth Drawing: Mr. Marsden E. Champaign of Waynesboro, VA