Feb. 5, 2014. Virginia Powell, an organizer of the Middle Fork Greenway Trail project that will connect Blowing Rock and Boone, along with Anne Burgess, “the mother of the Middle Fork Greenway,” will be the guest speakers at the Feb. 12 luncheon of the Democratic Women’s Club of Watauga County at Bandana’s BBQ & Grill (1475 Hwy 105).
Members and guests will gather at 11:30, with the speaker scheduled for High Noon. The luncheon is open to everyone.
The all-volunteer Middle Fork Greenway Association formed in 2000 to begin building support for a walking path along the Middle Fork of the New River. The Middle Fork rises in Blowing Rock and flows north to Boone, where, joined by the East Fork and Winkler’s Creek, it empties into the South Fork, which zigzags into northeastern Ashe County where it joins the North Fork and becomes the New River.
Sites for parks along the planned greenway were acquired during Phase 1 at the Payne Branch, Goldmine Branch, and Sterling Creek tributaries and are in various stages of development. Plans, maps, and photos detailing all three projected phrases of the trail’s development may be accessed at http://www.middleforkgreenway.org.
Virginia Powell has been an active member of the trail taskforce and will unveil the vision, the achievements, and the challenges of completing this ambitious project in a PowerPoint presentation.