Southern Virginia Wild Blueway Launch and Upcoming Festival

Welcome to the Southern Virginia Wild Blueway

When Linda Shepperd, Halifax County Tourism Director, first mentioned to me in the fall of 2013 that she wanted to write a grant for a blueway right here in Southern Virginia, my response was, "A what?" I don't think I had ever heard the term "blueway" before, and wasn't quite sure how it would fit into Southern Virginia. She explained to me what a blueway is, described the other blueways in Virginia, such as the Alleghany Highlands Blueway, The Upper James River Blueway, and The Roanoke River Blueway. When she finished speaking, my thought was, "That is exactly what we need here in Southern Virginia!"  

So, what is a blueway? In short, a blueway is an organized waterway trail system.  The Southern Virginia Wild Blueway here in Southern Virginia is comprised of three rivers and two lakes with access points in three state parks spanning two counties, Halifax and Mecklenburg.  The blueway will link different assets found on the rivers and lakes, making water recreation more readily accessible.  The number of people using state parks, rivers, and lakes, who are not only fishing, but who are canoeing, kayaking, rafting and tubing, camping, and using waterways has grown exponentially over the past few years, and people have renewed their love of the great outdoors as options for au naturale adventures are increasing. 

Did we build anything? No. Are we manufacturing anything? No. We have obviously always had rivers here. Staunton River State Park was one of the first in Virginia, with cabins built by the CCC in the 1930s. Buggs Island Lake, also known as Kerr Lake and John Kerr Reservoir, began construction in 1947. The rivers? As far as I know, they have been here since the dawn of time. The beauty of creating an organized blueway system is that it promotes what already exists naturally in our area and makes it more accessible for our residents to enjoy, and encourages and invites others to come to our area and take advantage of our unspoiled scenery and waterways. Now that's something you cannot build or buy.

The project was initiated when Virginia State Parks, the Corps of Engineers, the Dan River Basin Association, Upper Reach and several towns in both Mecklenburg and Halifax Counties formed a partnership in 2013.  Linda Shepperd and I started writing the grant from our end in the fall of 2013. Justin Kearns from Mecklenburg County Tourism assisted and Virginia State Parks helped by providing matching funds for the project.  The grant was written to establish, brand, and market what is now The Southern Virginia Wild Blueway. The Virginia Tourism Commission granted the funds to move forward. I played a very minor part in this process, but still it felt great that I had contributed to something that would be used to promote what I consider to be one of the most beautiful places on earth - Southern Virginia. 

The Southern Virginia Blueway Launch Ceremony was held at the Staunton River State Park on June 16th. Pictured here is the very fitting ringing of the bell, which is a nautical or boating tradition, in lieu of a ribbon cutting.  See that unspoiled natural setting in the backdrop and the water waiting to be navigated? That's part of the Southern Virginia Wild Blueway.

Linda Shepperd (far left) is the Halifax County Tourism Director, Nancy Pool is the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Sheila Bradley is on the Halifax County Tourism Board of Directors, and I'm on the right. 

Mikula-Harris, a branding and advertising agency in Vinton, Virginia, was hired to brand and market the blueway project. Their highly professional and expertly skilled team crafted a wonderful promotional project. Thank you kindly, Mikula-Harris for your direction and creative strategy!  The website they developed is up and running, and can be viewed at www.sovablueway.com.  Take a peek!

One more thing... There is going to be a blueway festival called the Wild Blue River Festival this September 13, 2014 in the Town of Halifax, with an adventure race at 8 am to crafts, vendors, a river cleanup, music, food, and more! Be there!  You'll surely hear more about this sooner than later, but in the meantime, check out event info for yourself at The Town of Halifax's website here.   

Before I call it a wrap, here's a mathematical recap:

3 Rivers (Dan River, Staunton River, Banister River) + 3 Virginia State Parks (Occoneechee, Staunton River, Staunton River Battlefield) + 2 Lakes (Hyco and Kerr/Buggs Island) + 2 Southern Virginia Counties (Halifax and Mecklenburg) = 1 Southern Virginia Wild Blueway

You may be tested on this math problem later, so do your homework by visiting the Southern Virginia Wild Blueway! www.sovawildblueway.com  Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on the blueway. Hope to see lots of folks at the Blueway Festival in Halifax September 13. 

 

See you on the water, Erin