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
Tag Archives: tourism
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
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
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
Season Two, Episode 3
In our third episode of the season, we see how Pocahontas, Virginia–a town of less than 400 residents–is using an exhibition coal mine to reclaim its place in coal mining history. We hear more from Pearisburg mayor Robert Dickerson about the importance of the town’s Farmers’ Market, while Tarah Kesterson of Virginia’s Department of Mines,… Continue Reading Season Two, Episode 3
St. Paul end of season wrap-up
The first season of Save Our Towns is over, but we had to come back with an update on St. Paul, the town we followed for a year. How did mayor Kyle Fletcher fare in his goals to strengthen his town? Watch and see!
Episode 7
This month, we visit Bristol, Virginia, where leaders paid tribute to the town’s heritage by building the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, a state-of-the art facility with an $11 million price tag, and Catherine Brillhart shares her thoughts in three questions for a mayor. In St. Paul, mayor Kyle Fletcher discusses the town’s plans to transform… Continue Reading Episode 7
Episode 5
This month’s Example of Awesome shows how the town of Marion, recovering from the effects of the 2008 recession, encouraged new business by creating an eight-week entrepreneurship program. Also looking for new business is St. Paul mayor Kyle Fletcher, who hopes that the new wastewater treatment plant, now under construction, will draw industry into town. Randall… Continue Reading Episode 5
Episode 4
This month, we see how Carroll and Grayson County are growing niche products–pumpkins and Christmas trees–in order to grow their economies, and our expert tip comes from Wayne Waldrop, lending manager for Virginia Community Capital, which offers loans to companies involved in the fresh-food industry. We return to St. Paul, where mayor Kyle Fletcher extols… Continue Reading Episode 4
Episode 2
In this episode, we see how leaders in Galax and the Twin Counties have worked towards job creation and training in their communities, while in St. Paul, mayor Kyle Fletcher talks about the importance of building tourism in his town, while Carroll County administrator Gary Larrowe offers an expert tip about the lessons that can… Continue Reading Episode 2
