Blog Category: VBR Bookstore News
Congratulations to Katie Karr of Kansas City, Kansas! Katie has won an amazing Blue Ridge vacation package through Virtual Blue Ridge Giveaways. As winner of the Blue Ridge Springtime Giveaway, Katie was awarded a two nights stay at the Iris Inn Bed and Breakfast in Waynesboro, VA. Dinner at South River Grill and a horseback riding adventure for two were also part of this exciting giveaway package.
The Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore got involved by donating an official “Parkway Guide Kit” to help Katie prepare for her amazing trip. This kit included the popular book Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway by Victoria Louge, a laminted Parkway map and a Virtual Blue Ridge CD-ROM.
Thanks to everyone who entered! Keep your eyes peeled for more chances to win, our next giveaway will be announced within the month! Giveaway information is posted at www.virtualblueridge.com/giveaway.
Due to popular demand a patch bearing the Official Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary logo has been created!
This official 75th Anniversary product is now available online at the Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore and in visitor centers along the Parkway.
Don’t forget that proceeds from the sale of all 75th Anniversary products directly benefit the Blue Ridge Parkway and BRP 75th Anniversary programs.
Other Official 75th Anniversary products include:
» Browse all Official Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary merchandise
Anne Mitchell Whisnant, author of “Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History“, will be speaking at Appalachian State University on Thursday July 8th, 2010. She will be discussing her book as well as addressing the impact of the Parkway, both regionally and nationally. She will also be sharing many facts about the construction of this national treasure.
Anne’s appearance is part of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway and is sponsored by ASU’s Belk Library and Information Commons. It is also part of the library’s Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Lecture Series. Parking for this event is available on campus in the parking deck on College Street. For more information please contact Lynn Patterson at 828-262-2087. Read more »
Dr. Carolyn Ward, President of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, formally announced Laura Hope-Gill as the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s first Poet Laureate at Asheville’s Wordfest.
To commemorate the event, Dr. Ward presented her with a watercolor painting of a sacred Cherokee location and a very special “soul tree” created by Houck Medford, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
He stated “this adds a whole other dimension to the Parkway experience. The Parkway is so visual but its rhythms can easily be conveyed in poetic language. We look forward to hearing and ‘seeing’ this new imagery as it becomes part of our Parkway visitors’ journeys.”
To learn more about Laura, her work and this exciting announcement please visit Virtual Blue Ridge.
Check out Laura’s book, The Soul Tree, at the Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore. Her collection of contemporary poetry is set to beautiful images of the Southern Appalachians by local photographer, John Fletcher.
Preview or Purchase The Soul Tree
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“A Park Ranger’s Life: Thirty Two Years Protecting Our National Parks” is now available through the Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore. You can access the store by clicking on Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore in the right column on this page.
Twenty seven of my years as a National Park Ranger were spent working on the Blue Ridge Parkway and many of the tales have the Parkway as their setting.
What is a park ranger’s life?
- A wild bear who favors Kentucky Fried Chicken
- A fugitive wanted in eight states
- A dog that saves his owner’s life
- Wildland firefighters battling nature and fire
- A ghost haunting a colonial mansion
- Hikers who stay lost because they think searchers calling their names are wild animals
- Being willing to risk your life to make our parks safe and help preserve them for the future
These are just a few experiences you will read about in A Park Ranger’s Life. Drawn from the thirty-two-year career of National Park Ranger Bruce W. Bytnar, you will discover what it takes to be a park ranger, what threats to visitors and resources they deal with on a daily basis, and what you can do to help protect and preserve our national heritage.
