Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 21st Century is a two-part conference and conversation about the past and future of this national treasure on the occasion of its 75th anniversary.

Part I – History, Scenery, Conservation, and Community – will be held on April 22-24, 2010 at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Part II – Sustaining Communities, Environments, and Economies – will be hosted by Virginia Tech and held October 14-16 at The Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA.

The Appalachian State University (Part I) and Virginia Tech (Part II) sessions of Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway will be linked in terms of content, themes, some participants, and mutual relevance. Both conferences will stand alone, however, and registrants and participants may come to one or both.

At both sessions, participants from many academic disciplines; partnership organizations; local, state, and federal government agencies; natural and cultural resource organizations; Parkway communities; and other constituencies will share new research and engage in conversations that will outline a vision for the Blue Ridge Parkway for its next 75 years and beyond.

Part I: Appalachian State University, Boone, NC Conference Program, Registration, and Housing April 22-24, 2010

Part I of the conference, to be held at Appalachian State University, will have a more academic focus, featuring presentation and discussion of serious Parkway-related research from many disciplines in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Inquiries about Part I can be made to Dr. Neva Specht, University Liaison to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Department of History at Appalachian State. Contact can be made by phone at 828-262-6879 or by email at asubrp75@appstate.edu.

To sign up, follow the conference registration link below:
› Conference Registration – Deadline April 9

For more information about the symposium Part I and housing information please visit the Official Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary website.

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Shop online for 75th Anniversary commemorative merchandise at the Blue Ridge Book Store. The anniversary collection includes apparel, mugs and coasters, limited edition artwork and more! Your purchase of any 75th Anniversary item also creates a donation to the Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc.