Augusta County kicks off Jamestown 2007 planning

DATE: May 23, 2005
CONTACT: Nancy Sorrells, 540-377-6390

VERONA--The work of the Augusta County Virginia 2007 Committee officially got under way Monday with the raising of the Jamestown commemorative flag. The flag symbolizes the county’s involvement in the historic statewide celebration marking the 400^th anniversary of the first permanent settlement in the New World at Jamestown.
   Rather than focus the world’s attention strictly on that tiny fort at Jamestown in 2007, a proclamation by Governor Mark Warner has helped make the multi-year celebration one that touts the diversity and uniqueness that make all of Virginia’s communities special. Participating communities create citizen steering committees to plan events and projects that showcase their particular area and leave a lasting legacy beyond 2007. More than 130 communities across the state have now signed up as Virginia 2007 Communities.
   The Augusta Committee represents a partnership between the County of Augusta and the Augusta County Historical Society. Leading the planning committee are Ron Sites, director of the Augusta County Parks and Recreation Department; Nancy Sorrells, Augusta County supervisor; and Linda Petzke, president-elect of the historical society. The committee is also partnering with local financial sponsors, the first of which is Hampton Inn
   Although planning is in the formative stages, the local committee is already looking at a series of events beginning later this year that would culminate in a multi-day cultural event in the spring of 2007. Augusta’s overall motto is “Freedom’s First Frontier.” Other projects being discussed are the development of thematic driving and cycling maps that highlight the area’s outdoor and cultural resources, the launching of local farm visits; the creation of an original musical about Augusta County, and a project to preserve the area’s school history.
   Part of the importance of linking with the state’s planners is that all local events will be advertised through Virginia’s tourism network, meaning Augusta County’s events and projects will be showcased nationally and internationally. The Commonwealth’s “Come Home to Virginia. . . Our Nation’s Birthplace” advertising and website are already in place. It is estimated that an additional one to two million visitors will come to Virginia in 2007, giving communities across the state a real economic boost.
   “The rec department is looking at this as an opportunity to expand our programming and show people what is so wonderful about Augusta County,” noted Sites. “Starting later this year we want to carry this theme forward in our educational activities.”
   “The history of Augusta County is so important to state and to the nation,” said Petzke. “We want people to know that our county once went to the Mississippi River. People should know about some of the famous people, like Grandma Moses and John Colter, who hailed from here. But they also need to know about all those other people who helped make Augusta County the special place it is today.”
   “We have so much to offer in Augusta County. We have outdoor recreation, we have beautiful agricultural landscape, and we have history. You can hardly turn around in Augusta County without seeing something special. We have the opportunity to invite the rest of the world here for a visit and we plan to make that visit memorable,” added Sorrells.