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Save Our Towns Season 3, Episode 4, The Fortunes of Fries, Virginia

Season 3, Episode 4

This month, our Example of Awesome takes us to Fries, where town leaders used its physical assets to bring the town back to prosperity. We skip our Cleveland update to take you to Roanoke, Virginia, where we asked attendees at the CityWorks Xpo about the essence of small towns, and in Maxwell’s Number, graduate student… Continue Reading Season 3, Episode 4

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Season 3, Episode 3

In this month’s Example of Awesome, we discover how leaders in Rocky Mount made their town a destination for music lovers by investing in a performance venue. Our Cleveland update details the big money that has been rolling into town–more than $2 million in grant dollars. We introduce a new segment, “Maxwell’s Number,” featuring graduate student… Continue Reading Season 3, Episode 3

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Season 3, Episode 2

See how Blowing Rock, N.C., makes the most of its location on the Blue Ridge Parkway, providing a great example for towns in Southwest Virginia, while we return to Cleveland, where a new business, GRIP Outdoor, has opened up shop. Our expert tip comes from Melissa Kramer at the Environmental Protection Agency, and we hear… Continue Reading Season 3, Episode 2

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Save Our Towns-S03E01

Season 3, Episode 1

Season Three opens with a bang, featuring a profile of Independence, Virginia, and an introduction to the town of Cleveland. Jim Brooks of the National League of Cities offers up an expert tip for town leaders, while we hear about the work of Virginia Tech faculty member Stephen Schoenholtz, the director of the Virginia Water… Continue Reading Season 3, Episode 1

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Pearisburg, Va – End of season wrap up

In this wrap-up episode, we take a look at the progress Pearisburg has made over the last year.

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Season 2, Episode 8

Our final episode takes us to Norton, where city leaders turned a coal mining mess into an asset, while we hear about a bevy of businesses that have opened in Pearisburg. For our expert tip, Kitty Barker of the Virginia Tourism Corporation emphasizes the importance of having a staff member dedicated to tourism. We focus… Continue Reading Season 2, Episode 8

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Season 2, Special Edition: The Flint Crisis

We take a brief departure from Appalachia with this special episode from Flint, Michigan, where its water crisis could provide important lessons for leaders in small towns.

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Season Two, Episode 7

The town of Haysi is featured in this month’s Example of Awesome, as the community came together to market its envious natural landscape, while our Pearisburg update shows how the town turned trash from the New River into artwork. Belinda Sheridan of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center provides an expert tip on how town leaders… Continue Reading Season Two, Episode 7

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Season Two, Episode 6

For this month’s Example of Awesome, we visit Galax, where a successful grant writer has brought millions of dollars into her town. We skip our update from Pearisburg to bring you a series of brief interviews from the annual conference of the Rural Planning Caucus of Virginia, where planners talk about the biggest problems and… Continue Reading Season Two, Episode 6

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Season Two, Episode 5

This episode of Save Our Towns will take you on a trip back to the Ice Age as we visit the town of Saltville, Virginia. We also don our hiking boots to join Robert Dickerson, mayor of Pearisburg, Virginia, on a hike up a mountain. Our expert tip comes from the University of Virginia’s Susanne… Continue Reading Season Two, Episode 5

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