FRIENDS Annual Fundraiser

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Join us Friday, November 1st at the 
  Brugh Tavern at Explore Park in Roanoke for a 1940s  Night on the Parkway!

  • Dinner and a cash bar featuring Twin Creeks Brewery
  • Swing music by Keenan McKenzie and the Rifters
  • 1940's cars on display with photo ops
  • Silent auction filled with gift certificates to Parkway experiences
  • Dressing for the theme of 1940's is encouraged but not required. Otherwise, attire is business casual.
 


Tickets: $60 per person or $100 for two

To purchase visit: 
or call 540.772.2992


Proceeds benefit FRIENDS  and our projects 
along the Parkway.
News from the Parkway
Interesting Sightingssightings
What do you see?

A FRIENDS trail adopter who photographed this tree has a background in music. When he passes this tree on his adopted trail, he always sees a tuning fork. Tuning forks were typically used before the time of digital electronic tuners in order tune the first note of a musical instrument, thereby setting the baseline for the rest of the notes.
Ever thought of adopting a trail?
Chapter News Briefschapterbriefs
Humpback Rocks Chapter

Humpback Rocks held its final concert of the season. The weather was fantastic this year!  Over the season hundreds of visitors and locals were able to listen to old time favorites at the Humpback Rocks Farm. Thank you to:
  • Jim Harrington who works throughout the year to make the concerts happen 
  • Bill and Jean Ann Bolling whose foundation provides the financial support to make the concerts possible

During September at least 2 bears have been spotted climbing into the trees around the visitors center early in the morning and again later in the afternoon almost daily.
To help out, the Humpback Rocks Bear Patrol, led by Grant Heggie, has been increasing shifts and seeking more volunteers to educate visitors about the bears. Debbie Morris and Janet Rollings were 2 of the volunteers who donned their volunteer vests and set out to support Ranger Ann Coyne to educate the visitors while keeping them safe.
The founding chair of the Humpback Rocks Chapter, Latane Long (pictured, right) has stepped down.
She will be greatly missed as the leader, but she will still be around lending a hand.

Thank you, Latane, for all you have done!
Karen Orlando (pictured, left) has taken over as chair. Welcome, Karen!

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Roanoke Chapter

The Roanoke Chapter finishes up the concert series this month. The weather was great this year allowing thousands of guests to enjoy over 30 concerts at the Roanoke Mountain Picnic Area. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped greet and safely assist visitors with parking so all could enjoy the show.

The chapter celebrated a successful year with an appreciation event. The chapter surprised outgoing chair  Mike Davis with a token of their appreciation for his leadership. The plaque was presented by Carol Whiteside.

Mike will continue to volunteer with the chapter primarily assisting with the student groups. Thank you to Mike for all he has done for FRIENDS.

George Blanar has taken over as chair. Welcome, George!
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Fisher Peak Chapter

The Fisher Peak Chapter was busy again this past month as they:


  • Retrieved a wildlife camera and deployed a camera.  The retrieved camera had been placed in a flood plain with plenty of habitat to attract wild turkeys.
  • Worked on hiking trails several times during the month.  On Public Lands Day (Sept 28) nine volunteers clipped new growth and performed other necessary work on the Music Center trails. Thanks to first time, or new this year, volunteers Amy, Greg, Derrick, Susan, and Kevin!  The Chapter is growing!
  • Assisted the Park interpretive rangers with a music program for 22 local 2nd graders.  After learning about musical instruments from the earliest times of human history to present, the kids worked together to build homemade banjos!
  • Performed music demonstrations for 106 Parkway visitors in front of the visitor center during the month of September.
  • Held an appreciation event for employees and volunteers.  The Park presented lapel pins to those who had reached milestones of 100 hours, 250 hours, 500 hours, and one who earned FIVE THOUSAND hours of cumulative volunteer service to the Blue Ridge Parkway!
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High Country Chapter
 


A volunteer crew from the High Country Chapter worked to reclaim the Cold Prong Loop trail. The lovely trail off the back of Cold Prong Overlook at Milepost 299 was overgrown and in the need of some attention. They worked to widen the path by cutting back foliage.  Thank you to Brian, his daughter Emily, Timothy, Ken and Julie! They really rocked it and made a difference in this neglected trail.
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Asheville Chapter
   
The Asheville Chapter recently hosted a group from North Carolina State University for their Fall alternative break. On the first day, Nancy Midgette met the NCSU students at the Visitor Center, a ranger spoke with them, they saw the film, then she took them up to hike Craggy Pinnacle.  On Saturday they met at Pisgah Picnic Grounds.  Steve and Sharon Estep, McFerrin Smith, and Virginia Rainey joined the group.  The students cleaned and sealed 8 picnic tables and did a lot of productive lopping.  This is the third year in a row they have come, and they plan to return for their Spring break.

Volunteers by the Numbersvolnumbers
We asked and YOU delivered!

Thank you for reporting your volunteer hours. 
From October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019 (the NPS fiscal year), FRIENDS volunteers logged:

13,444 volunteer hours
o n the Blue Ridge Parkway

You made this a tremendous year!

 
 Volunteers with 50 + Hours Logged in 2019
We congratulate the following volunteers :

Bill Abbuehl
Harlan Goodreau
 Joe Robinson
Ross Akin
  James Harrington
 Charles Rose
Aubrey Arrington
 Reginald Hassler
 Cary Simms
Lorene Becker
 Bob Johnson McFerrin Smith
Billie Bryant 
 James Keighton Joyce Speas
Skip Capone
 Paul Kitchen
 Curtis Stiff
Julie Carpenter
 Pete Lascell
 Walt Thrower
Ken Carpenter
 David Lennox 
Tom Tolle
Drew Daniels
 Latane Long Kathy Van Duzer
Mike Davis
Rusty Mansel
 Jane Wallace
Thomas Dillon
Nancy Midgette
 Carol Whiteside
Sharon Estep
 Dave & Phyllis Moulton  Libby Wilcox 
Steve Estep
 Scott Noe Mark Zeinert
Marilyn Evans Tanya Poole
Sandy Gallagher
 David Poteet
Your name next?
   
Keep reporting your hours!
 
Drum roll, please!
The Results for the (Fiscal) Year!

Volunteer Hours by Group
October 2018 - September 2019 (NPS Fiscal Year)
Have you been out on the Parkway working? 
Do you have hours to report?  
  • Email them to: staff@friendsbrp.org
  • Mail them to: PO Box 20986, Roanoke, VA 24018
  • Or click the button below to send them through the Google form
NOTE: If you are part of a chapter, check with your chapter chair about how to enter your hours. They may be sending them in for you. 
 
Volunteer Incentive Program
FRIENDS has started a volunteer incentive program to recognize the outstanding work our volunteers do for the love of the Parkway. Read more about it in the volunteer manual. Click the button below:

Help Wanted jobopening


Volunteers Needed: Trail Adopters

FRIENDS is always searching for volunteers to adopt trails.  While we presently have many active trail adopters up and down the Parkway, we also have plenty of trails waiting to be adopted.  And those trails may go unattended for some time due to
 constraints on the time available for Park maintenance employees to perform such functions.

Recently, several of our volunteers, including one new volunteer, took the extra step of working on Doughton Park's Bluff Ridge Primitive Trail, an unadopted trail in the area of trails they already maintain as individuals or as a group.  Participating in this activity were Cary Simms, Aubrey Arrington (not shown), David Memory, and new volunteer and new FRIENDS member Kevin Byrne.  Thanks to those folks for taking on this one-time project of removing fallen limbs and trees, redigging water drainages, and clipping new growth that was beginning to close in on the trail.

If you have a trail nearby that has not been adopted and is looking under-appreciated, we hope you will consider helping in keeping that trail open to hikers until an adopter is found.  It is always a good idea to report your activity to the chapter in that area or let the FRIENDS office know.  Some chapters plan work activities to maintain unadopted trails.  By informing someone of your plans, a chapter can place their efforts elsewhere.  

If your past volunteer work has not involved trail maintenance, the FRIENDS office can provide you with basic information on what volunteers are permitted to do and what should be reported to the attention of Park maintenance.



"Volunteers don't necessarily have the time; they just have the heart." 
--Elizabeth Andrew

Upcoming Events

For a full listing of Parkway events visit the  Parkway Events Calendar or the
Are you a member of FRIENDS?
As a FRIENDS  volunteer , you give your  TIME  for the love of the park! 

But have you ever wondered how the vistas are restored or the demonstration gardens are funded? 

Our  members support the work of NPS staff and FRIENDS volunteers. Every year we create a list of funding requests that we hope to fulfill. Gifts from our annual members make that happen. 

For $40 a year you can become a member of FRIENDS and help the park and other volunteers!

 
Volunteer Resources
Click the links below to quickly access resources:


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