Want to make sure the Blue Ridge Parkway gets that grant? Vote as many times as you can between now and September 6th, and be sure to tell your friends and family to vote too!

VOTE NOW!

Want to make sure the Blue Ridge Parkway gets that grant? Vote as many times as you can between now and August 31, and be sure to tell your friends and family to vote too!

VOTE NOW!

Answer:
Founded in 1997 The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is a non-profit fundraising organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Blue Ridge Parkways natural beauty.

The foundation recieves no government funding and relies solely on private contributions, grants, and corporate support. The Foundation is not a membership organization, nor does it engage in political activity or advocacy.

The foundation has been involved in restoration and preservation projects at the Moses Cone Manor, Camp Catawba, Grave Yard Feilds, Rough Ridge trail and many others.

If you would like to learn more or make a contribution visit The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Foundation Executive Director Dr. Houck Medfords blog, or visit The Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore where a portion of all proceeds go to support the foundation.

Cone Bass Lake Restrooms Are Priority Resource Provided Through Partnership of Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Blue Ridge Parkway, Town of Blowing Rock and Generous Donors

What happens when well over 300 people come together with one single mission?

It’s spelled S U C C E S S for the project and R E L I E F for those who will benefit from its service.

On Thursday, October 8th, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will celebrate the completion and opening of the new Bass Lake comfort station. It is built as a miniature replica of the grand Flat Top Manor, the mountain home of Moses and Bertha Cone that overlooks the picturesque lake that is a recreation destination for thousands. The need for restrooms at Cone Bass Lake was identified by Parkway patrons as a priority for the park. It has become one of the busiest spots along the entire 469-mile national scenic highway that connects the Shenandoah in Virginia and Great Smokies in North Carolina.

As has been the case in numerous projects along the most visited National Park in America, the first to step up to meet the need was the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. In partnership with Parkway officials, the Town of Blowing Rock, and over 300 donors, the Foundation led the effort to design and construct a unique facility that will not only fill the need, but make it an architecturally appealing asset to the Moses Cone Park.

The Bass Lake Comfort Station will become an important resource for the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Moses Cone Estate, so important that a special ceremony is being planned to celebrate its opening.

“I’ve seen a lot of structures celebrate their completion with a ribbon cutting,” said a daily Bass Lake walker. “But I believe this is the first time I’ve heard about one to celebrate the opening of a restroom.”

“But I’ll be there,” she said. “It should be fun.”

Fun will be the emphasis on October 8th when dignitaries come together at 10 a.m. to lead donors and friends in a dedication ceremony that will feel more like a party than a serious and formal program of events.

For instance, you could be “King (or Queen) for a Day” by giving the comfort station a creative and funny name just for the day of the celebration, bringing a smile and a chuckle to those attending the ribbon cutting.

Norris Barnes of Blowing Rock, who has been a contributing patron of the celebration committee, put this part of the program into perspective.

The Aussies call it the “Thunderbox’”, he said. “Some call it the ‘Long Drop’, ‘Half Moon Mansion’, or even ‘Grandpa’s Office’. We’re hoping that our friends and neighbors will submit their creative name for the Comfort Station, one that will be for one day only, on October 8. The winner will claim their throne as the king or queen for the day, and the first to answer nature’s call at the brand new comfort station.”

Barnes said the rules are simple, just mail or e-mail the suggested name to committee member Jerry Burns (P.O. Box 1373, Blowing Rock, N.C. 28605), or email at burnsjn@bellsouth.net. The winner will be selected by the committee and announced at the October 8 ceremony.

The naming of the new comfort station is just one of the activities planned for the ribbon cutting. While at least one of the events will remain secret until the ribbon cutting, some of the other activities on the program include a number of local and regional dignitaries, including Harvey Durham, Vice-Chair of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. Joining the Vice-Chair will be the Parkway’s Superintendent Phil Francis, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Houck Medford, Blowing Rock Mayor, J.B. Lawrence, and a number of other special guests from the Town of Blowing Rock, Watauga County, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Each person attending the event, to be held near the Bass Lake Parking area at the new Comfort Station, will be given a ticket making them the possible winner of a magnificent panoramic photograph of Flat Top Manor in Autumn by Foundation Board member David Combs and beautifully framed by Tim Miller of Blowing Rock Frameworks and Gallery.

Another framed print from the collection of artist Richard Tumbleston will go to a second winning ticket holder at the gathering.

Refreshments will be provided by the Blowing Rock Historical Society, and there will be special commemorative souvenirs for everyone present.

More detailed information about the ribbon cutting ceremony will follow. The event is open to all and those planning to attend should mark the date (Thursday, October and time (10 a.m.) on their calendars.

Pictured from left to right, Houck Medford, executive director of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation; Becky Smucker, president of the Carolina Mountain Club; Willa Mays, director of development for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation; Jeff Brewer, president of the FMST; Don Walton, sectional trail chief for the Carolina Mountain Club; and Kate Dixon, executive director of FMST.

When I was growing up in Waynesville, it was easy to recognize and know the people that were doing things because that was all they talked about — and in this particular case it was a couple known by Doris (Dr. Doris) and Frank (Dr. Frank) Hammett. The perpetual topic was the Balsam Highlands Task Force without it’s other descriptors — more specifically the Balsam Highlands Task Force of the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail. Whew! I guess you are getting the picture but I grew up in the Balsams and they certainly seemed fine to me. Why would they even need a task force? I am convinced at this point of my life that the task was to join Dr. Doris in “combating the park service” and whoever else that might need to be “forced” or coerced to bend to her will to put a trail that was to have stretched from Clingman’s Dome in the Smokies to Jockey’s Ridge at Manteo exactly where she wanted it. Much of this trail was to be along the Blue Ridge Parkway. And her primary partner in this venture is the founder, mentor to Dr. Frank and Dr. Doris, and still going strong at the age of 83 Allen DeHart.

This group has made mountainous strides with enough “tasks forces”to blanket the state and now for the first time in its history, a full-time and very capable executive director, Kate Dixon.

Want to volunteer by building a trail, spending time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and being associated with a wonderful group of people? FMST would be a great place to start.

Upgraded electical service to support more support from volunteers ...

One of the nice pleasures of traveling between the campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway is visiting with the campground hosts. These are volunteers who are most often retired, have committed the whole or part of a season to serving the public, and simply enjoy this as a way of life for a season in a beautiful location.

I am always full of anticipation any time I pull in to the campground because their reserved spot is near the front where there is a power and water hook-up. Being a campground host is a special subset of R.V.’ers who like a turtle, carry their home around on their back. The conveniences of this special camping sect most-often have all the conveniences of a real home including power appliances, air-conditioning (when and if needed), hot showers, and satellite connections to TV and the Internet.

Interestingly, the power requirements to support this turtle home have outstripped the power capacities of many of the campgrounds electrical services. Such is the case now at at Crabtree Falls when I found these maintenance and engineering staff dredging to install a new power hookup to the host site. I was a little naive in my question by just guessing how large a service they were installing. I asked “a 50-amp service, “no”, they replied — “200-amp”

200-amp is a full-scale standard residential electrical service. Certainly a worthy investment for the Blue Ridge Parkway, but an expense that most would ever guess as being a maintenance item to attract and retain these special volunteers.

James Coman, III, (L) the founding executive director of the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust; and Dr. Bill Herring (R), chairman of the conservancy's board of trustees. Photo courtesy of Miles Tager.

The first time that my wife and I met James Coman was at his personal request for us to meet him on a mountain top. It was a blustery day in January of 1998. He was working then to acquire Bullhead Mountain in Alleghaney County for a bird sanctuary and to protect one of the grand views from the Blue Ridge Parkway. The project took him two years and a half millions dollars (we made our gift; his personal request was too compelling); it is now in the hands of the State of North Carolina and managed by the North Carolina office of the National Audubon Society. Two words are on the back of James’s name tag – persistent determination.

In 2008, he was named “Conservationist of the Year” by the Governor of North Carolina.

The last time we saw James was on his farm at Piney Creek just before Christmas; we called ahead and he graciously encouraged us to please come by. “Do you remember how to get here?”, he asked. “As long as the driveway is still marked by bluebird houses”, we replied.

As we arrived, he appeared on his porch, as was his custom for all arriving guests. He immediately took us downstairs to the “conservation office” and ebulliently related his progress on a joint project we were engaged with him at Doughton Park.

Ten days ago, we received a message from the land trust board chairman. “James can no longer get down the stairs”.

Over the weekend, we received another message, “James is no longer with us.”

But this mountain of a man’s spirit will always be with us. He has single-handedly left his mark on more conservation easements than any other land conservancy in the state of North Carolina.

Parker the Bear, the Bear That Shares - trademarked

My earliest memory of giving for a cause was as a sixth grader when I collected nickels, dimes, and pennies to save the USS North Carolina battleship from the scrap yard. The Save Our Ship campaign was conceived by Governor Terry Sanford and led by campaign chair, Hugh Morton. Over 700,000 children participated, demonstrating one of the most marvelous aspects of this campaign — the many small, heartfelt contributions of thousands school children adding up to save something so large.

Their contribution established a perceived “ownership” of the Battleship. No matter that the donations were small — a nickel, a dime, a penny — those youngsters in 1961, who are adults today, feel “ownership”. And that ownership translates into long term stewardship. When I return to Wilmington and see the great ship secured at its berth, I experience a surge of pride, although it is forty-seven years later. I would give again.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation wants to build the same kind of loving attachment for our national park. Parker the Bear introduces children to the wonder of nature and teaches children about park stewardship. A bear bank that is mission based; Parker’s purpose is to build a lifelong connection to the Blue Ridge Parkway. And, the Parkway needs the love. Long term budget constraints have made their mark. And without intervention, parts of the Parkway may eventually have to close.

This great national park site could be helped by a child’s investment of nickels, dimes, and pennies. And, when they “Journey” there 47 years from now, they will experience the thrill of being a part of something grand built upon generosity that came from the heart. Save the Journey.

(L-R ) Houck Medford, executive director of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation; Marla Stellpflug O'Byrne, executive director of Friends of Acadia; K.B. Medford, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation (photo by Mike Stagg)

When the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation was incorporated in the spring of 1997, its leaders examined two existing partner groups to serve as models for its creation — Friends of Acadia and the Yosemite Fund. These were two of the most successful park partner organizations in existence, and remain so to this day. I quickly established relationships with the model group leaders, Ken Olson and Bob Hansen — both of which have recently retired after many years of serving their organizations. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation was successful in its second year to reach a threshold of $100,000 which qualified it to become a member of the Friends Alliance — an ad hoc group of park partner professionals who met annually to discuss mutual issues of concern from fund raising to national park service policies. Both Ken and Bob have remained true to this day, available at any time for advice and counsel. I am grateful to you both for your continued availability in your new life.

Maine and California, where these organizations are based, have not exactly been an easy access to us because of their locations. During the tenure of Ken Wilson, then chairman of the board of trustees of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, a jointly sponsored trip was actually planned to Acadia National Park for the constituency of the Friends of the Smokies and the Parkway Foundation, but had to be scrubbed because the travel agency which was arranging the trip needed solid commitments from its travelers months before the actual excursion. Sound familiar? People were just as busy then in their daily lives as they are now.

This fall, a long-term dream became a reality with a visit to Acadia National Park, as a component of a necessary personal trip with my wife – K.B. The organization was everything that I had expected it to be. Park partner types always carve out the time to compare notes on our successes and “modi operandi”. It was gratifying to both of us to compare our notes as we learned as much from Acadia as did Acadia from the Blue Ridge. And yes, Ken Olson is still omnipresent in Bar Harbor making whatever group he is serving the best it can be. Thank you Ken Olson and Marla for your hospitality

Volunteers from the Carolina Mountain Club, photo courtesy of Mark Monroe

The budget crisis of the Blue Ridge Parkway can in many ways be likened to the energy crisis for the for the United States — it will take more than a solo solution answer e.g off-shore drilling for the U.S. fuel supply vs. an increased budget for the Parkway. The solutions are multi-factorial and one important component for the Parkway’s success will be a larger commitment of volunteer man-hours. The Parkway has made a step in the right direction with hiring a volunteer co-ordinator to work from the Parkway’s headquarters and whose task will be to bring greater capacity to the park in recruitment, management, and recognition.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is fortunate to have such a dedicated volunteer work-force and we can now expect those numbers to grow.

I attended the annual awards event in Asheville recently and heard the accolades for those which were selected district winners. They were heart warming, but having worked as a Parkway volunteer and having started the Parkway’s Adopt-A-Trail program years before there was even a Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, all the volunteers, regardless of level of commitment or hours of service need to be recognized as the “Blue Ridge Parkway Volunteer of the Year.”

Bob Henard working the show ...

I am convinced that if the Lord was remaking this man’s blood today, he would replace his hemoglobin with the Blue Ridge Parkway. The oxygen molecule would be substitued for a Parkway view.

Bob live’s in Raleigh and of the thousands of miles that were put on his Goldwing last year, most of them were accumulated driving from Raleigh to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back home. “Once I am on the Parkway, I feel like I am at home.”

Bob’s wants his Parkway motorcycle license tag in the worse way but also in the best way – he volunteered to man a booth for the entire weekend of the Goldwing Regional Rally this past weekend in Asheville. I would check in with him by cell to see “how he was doing.”

I arrived in the late afternoon of the last day to pick up our gear and supportive accoutrements that kept Bob happy and hydrated for three days. I overheard him give the presentation to the couple in the photograph. It could not have been better presented.

Thank you, Bob, for the 18 new tag applications and the ones that dribbled into the office over the weekend bringing our total to 258 of the needed 300.

Anyone else want to man a booth at your favorite rally? We will do what we did for Bob — pay for your room and gas.

My opening question: “Do you know about the new Blue Ridge Parkway license tag for motorcycles?” His response: “Do I know about it? I have distributed over a thousand of your applications and I just finished talking to those two guys over there asking them the same thing. By the way, who are you, anyway?” Well, I had to tell him.

I knew Bob only from the telephone conversations that I had overheard with Lynne Fletcher (our director of donor services) when he was asking her to send him more tag applications, almost on a monthly basis. Our Doughton Park conversation was the first that we had ever had in person.

Thank you Bob, you are a real champion for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Your very praising word-of-mouth referrals make you one of the best missionaries we could ever have. Thank you!

Under the banner of Cruis’in the Blues, Richard McDevitt of Charlotte and Ray Mayeu of Asheville have provided the leadership for a very small scale event when they ride from one end of the Parkway to the other — sometimes, north; sometimes, south but always staying in the best that the Parkway has to offer — Peaks of Otter Lodge, Doughton Park, and the Pisgah Inn. I have accused them of riding, eating, and sleeping; riding,eating, and sleeping; riding, eating, sleeping. They do not deny the accusation and I witnessed the same when after what I consider a very full meal at Tuggles Gap Restaurant, deserts were ordered almost all the way around.

Their perennial grins are what bring me back every year to offer my encouragement; to congratulate them on their accomplishment and endearing enthusiasm for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The check that they present to us every year for the “money raised” pales to their sincere patronage that is genuinely portrayed in the expressions on their faces.

We thank them for sharing in the journey of the Blue Ridge Parkway which connects, as they have discovered, a lifetime of enriching memories.

I have only (1) major concern for someone that needs to really give thought about bicyles on the Blue Ridge Parkay. A lot of folks come to bike and enjoy and leave scared to death. If anyone thinks by putting up \”biking\” signs on the side of the road makes its safe really needs a reality check. Lets make funds available to put a bike lane. Today there are more bikers than ever and more trails than ever. Let folks enjoy there family/clubs time but safey should always be #1. There is now and always been only room for two vehicles on the parkway, God forbid if there is camper travling. Either fix the problem or take the signs down. Right now even motorist are in danger as well.

The national audience regards the Blue Ridge Parkway as one of the grandest bike routes in the United States because of its mostly gentle grades and yes, low traffic volume. One would expect that bicycle / automobile incidents would be fairly common; but the fact is, that they are not. Almost no accidents between cars and bikes occur within a season and the belief that the Parkway is unsafe for joint use seems to be untrue. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Bike lanes have been suggested a number of times by various interest groups for the Parkway but we must remember that the Parkway was created in 1935 as a pictorial canvas and as the largest landscape architecture construction project in the history of the United States. The Parkway is now poised to be designated National Historic Landmark and to change the Parkway’s aesthetic character by widdening the road, creating bike lanes, whatever … would significantly alter the Parkway’s original design intent and signigicantly alter the subliminal experience that our travelers currently enjoy.

More later about biking the Parkway safetly …