“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. ~ Anne of Green Gables
I love October, but it did seem to go by way too fast and was too warm. If there is one month where Patrick County really shines with opening the doors to our family, friends, neighbors, and tourists, it must be October. From all the great community events, food offerings, and fall foliage, Patrick County shines this month.
The beginning of the month saw the chamber advocating on behalf of county businesses to our regional, state, and federal officials on the economic impact of closing the Blue Ridge Parkway. We are thankful that the National Park Service was able to open the parkway as soon as possible to help minimize the negative economic impact the closure was having on communities in Virginia that rely on those busy October tourism visits.
The chamber hosted a successful Apple Dumpling Festival 5K on October 19. We had over one hundred walkers and runners finish the race. That was our largest participant crowd ever. The majority of the participants stayed after the race to enjoy the festival and great festival food.
The chamber was notified that we were selected to participate in the Rural Investment Collaborative from the Federal Reserve of Richmond. This five-month program will help us build more relationships and learn how to leverage local support and funding to prepare stronger grant proposals. We will be focusing on enhancing and extending the Mayo River Rail Trail.
As we work to finish out the year, the chamber will be busy promoting the plethora of holiday events, especially our popular Hometown Christmas in Stuart on December 6th and 7th.
We cannot close out October without talking about how fun the 9th Annual Stuart Spooktacular was. The turnout was unbelievable, due in part to such great weather. We are happy to assist One Family Productions in helping to continue this event. Partnerships with other community organizations help bring this event to life. The chamber assists with getting the word out and signing up vendors to hand out candy, along with helping with the setup and tear down. The Town of Stuart has stepped up in assisting with getting the street ready, assisting with logistics of trash cans and barricades. Thank you to Branch Civil for donating the use of light towers to help keep participants safe, along with the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office. Adcock Veterinary Orthopedic Solutions assists with donating all the wonderful large-scale decorations, and Patrick County Tourism is a long-time supporter.
The chamber of commerce events for November will consist of our popular “Lunch with Leaders.” This year, we are able to use the Star Theatre with the event happening on Wednesday, November 20 starting at 11:30 a.m. A light lunch will be served before the program starts with tickets on sale now through our website for $15. We hope you can come and join us as we hear updates from Primland, STEP Inc., Patrick County Government, Town of Stuart, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Patrick County Economic Development and Tourism, and Branch Civil, along with a few others.
The chamber is also helping to sponsor Stuart Rotary’s “Newcomer Mixer” on November 21. This fun mix and mingle event at Pickle & Ash is open to newcomers and long-time residents to come meet people and find out what is going on in Patrick County. For tickets, check out Pickleandash.com.
For more information about our upcoming events, visit www.patrickchamber.com or call (276) 694-6012.
The chamber welcomed new members: The Depot Station, Rich Creek Arts, A Little Bit of Everything, U.S. Blower Door Testing.
(Adcock is director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce)
