Blue Ridge Parkway 2-Part symposia kicks off at ASU with April retrospective (Mountain Express)
February 28, 2010

In conjunction with the various events, activities, programs and celebrations along the Blue Ridge Parkway during its 75th anniversary, two symposia regarding the future of the Parkway in the 21st century are scheduled for 2010.

The first symposium, April 22-24 at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, “Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 21st Century: History, Scenery, Conservation and Community,” will be held at the college’s Plemmons Student Union.

Keynote speaker for the symposium is landscape historian and University of Virginia associate professor Ethan Carr, who specializes in public landscapes in the United States and worked for New York City’s Central Park Conservancy and as a New York City park historian before becoming a National Park Service historical landscape architect. He is the author of Wilderness by Design: Landscape Architecture and the National Park Service and Mission 66: Modernism and the National Park Dilemma.

Carr’s address, “Parks, Cars and Landscape Architecture: The Blue Ridge Parkway and American Design,” will be presented from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. April 23rd following dinner.

“While the conference will deal with academic topics, the programs presented should appeal to anyone interested in the Blue Ridge Parkway, its history and its future,” said Dr. Neva J. Specht, chair of Appalachian’s Blue Ridge Parkway symposium committee, and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In addition to Carr’s address, U.S. Rep. David Price will speak during the Saturday luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Price was named a “Champion of Science” by the Science Coalition in 2002, and the North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club has recognized Price as their “Legislator of the Year” in 1992.

The April symposium will also include a retrospective exhibit and discussion of 1930s camping as a way to use living history to interpret the past. A 1930s camping site will be set up on Sanford Mall, along with displays by nonprofit organizations and book publishers. A film documentary will preview at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22.

North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti will offer brief remarks on Friday. Other topics include Parkway management in the 21st century, the Parkway and partnerships, and a discussion about the Parkway’s oral histories and their relevance. A plenary session will also examine technology and the Parkway.

Tours of the Parkway and sessions examining the Parkway’s legacies in recreation, traditional music, storytelling and oral history will continue on April 24. The vital role of the Parkway as a gateway to adjoining communities will also be discussed. The final session will explore “The Parkway at 100 — Looking Forward With An Eye To The Past.”

Cost to attend all conference events is $130. One-day registration for Friday or Saturday events is available for $75, and students with a university ID can attend the entire conference for $35. Deadline for registration is April 9. For conference details, a complete schedule and a link to online registration, visit http://blueridgeparkway75.org/events/view/128/. For additional information about the symposium, contact Dr. Specht at asubrp75@appstate.edu

Lead sponsor for the symposium is the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area with additional sponsorship support from Appalachian State University and Blue Ridge Parkway 75th, Inc.

The second part of the two-part symposia, “Sustaining Communities, Environments, and Economies,” will be held October 14-16 at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA, and will be hosted by Virginia Tech.

The two symposia will be linked in terms of content, themes, participants and relevance with presentations and discussion of serious Parkway-related research from many disciplines in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. At both symposia, participants from many academic disciplines, partnership organizations, governmental agencies, natural and cultural resource organizations and Parkway communities will share new research and engage in outlining a vision for the Blue Ridge Parkway for the next 75 years and beyond.

Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc. is the nonprofit organization designated by the National Park Service to lead the Parkway’s 75th Anniversary celebration. With representation from all of the Parkway’s partner groups, the states of North Carolina and Virginia, and community leaders along the 469-mile scenic route, Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc.’s mission is to engage local communities and all visitors in an anniversary that focuses attention on a sustainable and healthy Parkway for future generations. For more information, visit http://www.blueridgeparkway75.org