Halifax County: Sharing the LOVE
Everyone knows that Virginia is for Lovers, thanks to the
Richmond based advertising agency Martin and Woltz, Inc, who created the
“Virginia is for Lovers” slogan 46 years ago.
The slogan, which first appeared in the March 1969 issue of Modern Bride
Magazine, was considered at the time to be provocative and bold. It has since
been called one of the most iconic ad campaigns in the last 50 years by
“Advertising Age,” and is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable
tourism slogans in the nation. More
recently, the Virginia Tourism Corporation set out to prove, in accordance with
their slogan, that love is at the heart of every Virginia vacation. As a symbol
of such, they have created giant artworks in the shape of the word “LOVE,”
simply called LOVEworks. You may have
seen or even had your photo taken with the giant letters that spell out the
word LOVE, as these signs can, upon request, be transported and displayed at
various festivals and events across the Commonwealth. When Virginia Tourism offered to assist
localities in creating their own LOVEworks by awarding grants to qualifying
applicants in 2014, Halifax County Department of Tourism gladly applied. Bursting with local flavor and rich cultural,
natural, and recreational opportunities, Halifax County is rich in tourism
opportunities.
Thanks to the Halifax County Tourism Department and a grant
awarded by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Halifax County now has its own
LOVE sign. Collaboratively designed and built by South Boston resident Jim
Luedtke, the sign makes its home in front of the South Boston-Halifax County
Visitor Center, located at 800 Bill Tuck Highway in South Boston at the
intersection of Highways 360 and 58, where VDOT estimates 13,000 vehicles pass
by every day. Each letter of the LOVE
sign represents a piece of Halifax County, from the arts to agriculture.
Halifax County is for Land Lovers. A Halifax County tractor tire was chosen to
make the O, as there exists here a tremendous sense of agricultural heritage.
Generations old tobacco barns, cantaloupe fields, dairy farms, and family farms
turned vineyards are all a part of this heritage. We celebrate this part of our
proud heritage from the SoVA Wine Trail to the Cantaloupe Festival to the
Harvest Festival and the Halifax County Heritage and Antique Machinery
Festival, as we embrace new agri-business trends, organic farming, the farm to
table movement, and our local farmers markets.
The tractor tire serves as the common thread among these similar, yet
vastly varied farming institutions and represents the richness of the land and
those who tend to it.
Halifax County is for Water Lovers. Two kayaks propped
together form the shape of the V. Hand in hand with the richness of the land,
is the quantity and quality of our natural recreational surroundings. Halifax
County boasts four rivers, a lake, and two state parks. The Southern Virginia
Wild Blueway, with access points in Halifax and neighboring Mecklenburg
Counties, is growing in popularity, and provides an outlet for those in larger
surrounding cities to get away and back to nature. Our system of waterways and
our two state parks – Staunton River State Park and Staunton River Battlefield
State Park - are used for boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, picnicking,
bird watching, camping, hiking, geocaching, photography, star gazing, and more.
Halifax County is for Racing Lovers. A black and white
checkered pattern is painted on a large E to represent the history of racing
here in Halifax County. The South Boston
Speedway, a NASCAR short track that has attracted visitors to Halifax County
since 1957, has given many NASCAR drivers their starts, and entertained the
masses for more than 58 years. More
recently, the South Boston Speedway has become home to the Denny Hamlin Short
Track Showdown, a nationally recognized fundraising event for the Denny Hamlin
Foundation’s cystic fibrosis research fundraiser, which returns to South Boston
this April 23. The Virginia International Raceway is another Halifax County
racing icon. Established in 1957 and
reopened in 2000, this venue attracts car enthusiasts from around the United
States.
Halifax County is for Arts and Entertainment Lovers. A vibrant arts culture is at the heart of our
community, so it seems fitting for the foundation on the LOVE sign to be
decorated with laminated theatre production posters from Halifax County Little
Theatre and Prizery productions throughout the years. Halifax County Little
Theatre celebrates its 60th Anniversary this year, as The Prizery Community
Arts Center celebrates its 10th. Halifax
OCunty suffered a great loss this past year, but widely renowned artist Bob
Cage’s metal sculptures still grace our presence across the county and in his
own sculpture farm, and the Robert F. Cage Gallery continues to house rotating
arts exhibits. The Parsons-Bruce Art Association works tirelessly to promote
the arts within our community and educate children through its Kids Kollege
program. The Destination Gallery promotes both local and regional artists
through receptions and art sales. Every public preschool child in Halifax
County takes part in arts education courses at the Prizery, and grant funding
and private donations make it possibly for school children to attend
educational programming, including live theatre, the Richmond Symphony
Orchestra, and the Richmond Ballet. Whether in the form of dance, drama,
painting, sculpture, photography, music, poetry, design , or the culinary arts,
there is an unparalleled sense of creative expression and appreciation that
keeps Halifax County a lively, fun, and entertaining place to live and to
visit.
The LOVE sign is temporarily on display at the site of the
Crossing of the Dan in South Boston, and will be there until after the Crossing
of the Dan reenactment and related events on February 14. Feel free to pose for pictures with the sign,
and share the LOVE by posting your photos to facebook, twitter, and instagram
using the hashtag #LOVEHalifaxVA. To
find other LOVE signs across Virginia, see the interactive LOVEworks map on the
state tourism website at www.virginia.org.
xoxo, Erin
Southern Virginia Mom
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