Blog

Catch up on the latest news about our efforts to protect the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Photo by A. Armstrong

Donors raise $44,000 on Giving Tuesday

December 5, 2024
We can’t thank you enough! On Giving Tuesday, you helped raise $44,000 to support the Blue Ridge Parkway’s recovery after Hurricane Helene.  Your love and appreciation for this treasured place is awe-inspiring. In a time of great need, you stepped up for the park you love. We are so grateful.
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Ivey named Appalachian Leadership Institute Fellow

November 4, 2024
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) named George Ivey, North Carolina Development Director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation to participate in the 2024-2025 class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute, a leadership training opportunity that equips Appalachian community leaders to use economic development as a tool to drive positive change.
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Blue Ridge Parkway reopens 20 miles near Blowing Rock on Oct. 23 

October 23, 2024
News release from the National Park Service (Oct. 23, 2024) BLOWING ROCK, NC – On Wednesday morning, October 23, 2024, the Blue Ridge Parkway opened to traffic from milepost 285.5, at Bamboo Gap, to milepost 305, near Beacon Heights, in the Blowing Rock, North Carolina area. This is the first section of roadway to open in North Carolina since Hurricane Helene. Opening this section of the park provides improved transportation links while communities address ongoing storm recovery on other local routes.   
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CEO Message: The Blue Ridge Parkway and its neighbors need your help

October 22, 2024
From the start, the very idea of the Blue Ridge Parkway was monumental. Just imagine the incredibly ambitious undertaking of constructing a 469-mile scenic route over and even through mountains to create a new national park.  Today, we face a monumental challenge—Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic destruction. We desperately need you to come to the aid of your storm-battered park. We have never tackled a greater task in the 27 years since donors like you became stewards of the national park.
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Hurricane Helene Recovery Update – 198 Miles of Blue Ridge Parkway reopen in Virginia

October 11, 2024
Update from National Park Service 10/10/24 Asheville, N.C. – The Blue Ridge Parkway from milepost 0 to milepost 198 in Virginia, which closed due to impacts from Hurricane Helene, will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday, October 11. This includes the 198 miles of the scenic byway from Shenandoah National Park south to Virginia Route 685 - Skyview Drive/Turkey Ridge Road (near Fancy Gap):
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Hurricane Helene and the Blue Ridge

October 3, 2024
October 3, 2024 Updates on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Surrounding Areas: The Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed through North Carolina as crews continue their initial assessment of the damage from Hurricane Helene. The Blue Ridge Music Center remains closed as of today. Power was restored yesterday but the fire suppression systems need to be assessed before any operational decisions can be made. This means Midday Mountain Music is canceled through at least Monday, October 7.
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Denim Ball raises $245,000 for improvements at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park

September 25, 2024
Nearly 250 guests dined, danced, admired the mountain views, and bid in auctions during the seventh annual Denim Ball on Sept. 5 at Camp Yonahnoka at the Linville Golf Club in Linville, N.C. Thanks to the generosity of guests, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation raised more than $245,000 to fund improvements at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock. Denim Ball photo gallery
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Foundation helps bring adaptive kayaking sessions to Price Lake

September 9, 2024
In August, two groups set out on adaptive kayaking adventures at Price Lake near Blowing Rock. The excursion led by Waypoint Adventure, in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, paired trained staff and volunteers with individuals with physical or mental disabilities for morning and afternoon sessions of paddling. “That program was a highlight of the summer,” said Adam Combs, cofounder and North Carolina director of Waypoint Adventure. “I couldn’t think of a better way to close out our summer season.”
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Adaptive kayaking programs coming in August to Price Lake

August 5, 2024
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Waypoint Adventure are partnering to offer adaptive kayak training for volunteers and adventures for individuals with physical or mental disabilities in August at Price Lake, milepost 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Blowing Rock, N.C.
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2024 Parkway Impact Opportunities

June 13, 2024
Each year, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation collaborates with the National Park Service to identify critical projects that protect and sustain the scenic route. These initiatives are chosen to enhance the journey for the millions of visitors who explore this wondrous landscape to discover the rich historic, cultural, and natural resources it holds.
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Foundation celebrates park supporters at Roanoke reception

April 1, 2024
  The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation welcomed guests to celebrate the release of the new Blue Ridge Parkway license plate and discuss plans for improvements to the national park on March 21 at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. The nonprofit’s CEO Carolyn Ward and Whitney Brown, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, welcomed the audience to share their ideas for supporting the country’s most-visited national park.
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Remembrance: Ranger Chuck Robertson

March 27, 2024
We are so saddened to share the news that Ranger Charles “Chuck” Robertson, who welcomed thousands of visitors to Moses H. Cone Memorial Park over the last decade, passed away on March 14. He was a friend to our organization and held a deep commitment to the continued preservation of the scenic mountain estate.
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway license plate now available online

February 28, 2024
  Great news! Virginia drivers can now order the Blue Ridge Parkway specialty license plate online and request the plate at DMV offices. The tag depicts a colorful scenic view of the Parkway and is the only specialty plate in the commonwealth solely dedicated to funding projects and programs within the country’s most visited national park. 
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N.C. drivers raise more than $570,000 with Parkway plates

February 8, 2024
The Blue Ridge Parkway license plate is the perfect example of how a community of supporters can make a big impact. In 2023, North Carolina drivers raised $574,461 to enhance the national park by purchasing or renewing their Blue Ridge Parkway specialty license plate. That is the largest amount raised through the program in more than a decade.  Thank you, North Carolina plateholders! Your support allows us to rehab trails, restore historic buildings, train volunteers, monitor wildlife, and do so much more for the park you love. 
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