By Rebecca Adcock
Strange that in seventy-degree weather we are now experiencing, just a few weeks ago we had snow, snow and more snow. February was a month of disruptions and pivoting due to the weather. Cancelling meetings and working to reschedule them in an already busy calendar. The Chamber continued to work on events for the year, as well as advocate with our state officials on some initiatives that will benefit our county.
Patrick County Leadership was able to attend sessions in Richmond and meet with our local officials. I stayed behind and advocated with phone and email messages for support on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library state funding. That funding covers half of our operating costs for our local chapter as well as all the local chapters across the state. With our state facing challenges in lower reading scores, having books directly mailed to children is one of the best ways to help create early readers and thus better prepared teens and adults.
We also advocated for the state to help match the “Federal Dollars” to support the ongoing work of Blue Ridge Rising Initiative from Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. This plan is a multi-prong approach to help address how to increase tourism, economic development, and workforce development in the communities along the Parkway. With the expansion of Highway 58, enhancing the Parkway and visitor experience will lead to more tourism spending and visitation in our county.
The Chamber was also happy to cohost our County Citizen Committee Interest meeting on February 24th. The county has many volunteer boards that help guide our county, including the Economic Development Authority, Tourism Advisory Council, Public Service Authority, The Blue Ridge Regional Library System, and many more. We had a great turnout and are happy to see people interested in serving their community. We have scheduled our next Local Government seminar for March 31st at 5:30 p.m. This seminar will be for those who want to learn more about the steps involved to become a local candidate for elections. This covers individuals for the Board of Supervisors, Town Council, School Board and our local Soil and Water Conservation.
Also on February 24th, we hosted a workshop for local organizations and businesses on ADA Digital Compliance. The Americans with Disabilities Act has guidelines for websites, flyers and social media that are changing in April 2026. This seminar was to encourage awareness of those new guidelines, and how they can ensure more equitable design to work for everyone. We are working on our next Lunch and Learn program. Stay Tuned.
March is sprouting quickly with it being the meteorological start to spring. Events are starting to populate our calendar. I encourage everyone to check them out. There truly is something for everyone. Lots of new programming at our local library, so if you are not a big reader, there is lots of programming that might interest you. We also encourage any resident to attend the Planning Commission’s input session regarding the County’s Comprehensive Plan on Tuesday, March 10th, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Patrick and Henry Community College – Stuart site. Come learn and help shape where you want our county to grow over the next ten years.
Welcome new members: Stillwater’s Cafe and NaanStop Indian Cuisine.
