Highland Tourism Council Awards Grants

February 24, 2021

According to a press release, the Highland Tourism Council has awarded two organizations with funding from the 2020 Marketing Assistance Program, which was developed to market Highland County as a tourist destination.

The Highland County VA Blog, run by Dorothy Stephenson of Sundance Media and Design, was awarded $2,200 to their efforts to market Highland County, focusing on compensating local writers and photographers to be featured in future blog posts. Starting in 2020, this privately-owned blog at highlandcountyva.blog is devoted to Highland County’s community, history, attractions, beauty and blessings.

The Highland Historical Society was awarded $800 for marketing of the 100th Anniversary of the 1921 classic silent film, Tol’able David.  Executive Director of the Historical Society, Lori Botkin, will utilize the funds to create a driving tour brochure of the sites that were filmed in Highland County and featured in the movie, most of which look the same today as they did back then. The brochure will be in addition to other marketing efforts by the Society, which include advertising and an expanded display at the Mansion House in McDowell. The Mansion House plans to open in May.

The Tourism Council increased the available funding of the annual Marketing Assistance Program from the previous year, appropriating up to $3,000 in available assistance for Highland County organizations or businesses to stimulate new tourism initiatives or assist in the growth of existing programs or events through the creation of tourism partnerships. The objective of the program is to leverage the limited marketing dollars obtained through the Transient Occupancy Tax, resulting in increased visitor spending, revenue, and jobs within the county. Successful candidates partner with the Council to have a positive impact on the local economy while promoting Highland culture, traditions, and natural beauty.

For more information about the Highland Tourism Council, visit www.highlandcounty.org/tourism-council.

Story By

Bonnie Ralston

Bonnie Ralston is the Assistant Station Coordinator at WVLS and a Highland County news reporter. She began volunteering at Allegheny Mountain Radio in the fall of 2005. In 2006 she became an AMR employee and worked in Bath County for eight years as the WCHG Station Coordinator and then as the news reporter there. She began working in radio while in college and has stayed connected to radio, in one way or another, for more than thirty years. She grew up in Staunton, Virginia, while spending a lot of time on her family’s farm in Deerfield, Virginia. She enjoys spending time outside, watching old TV shows and movies and tending to her chickens.
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