Promoting our county

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: August 4, 2008

People can’t seem to agree on the number of years the Dan River Boat Race has been held in western Rockingham County.
We know this: The recreation department tried to organize a race in 1988 – the year the Lindsey Bridge Access Site opened.
“We only had four canoes show up for a race at the dedication, so I guess it’s a question of whether or not that actually counted as the first Dan River Boat Race,” Dixie Penn said. “If so, that makes this the 21st annual race. See what I mean about confusing?”
It’s somewhere around 20, anyway. Truth is, it really doesn’t matter.
Saturday’s race, and events like it, promote our rivers—as well as our beautiful landscape—and bring people to the county. A July piece on UNC-TV highlighted the race and increased its popularity, whether one considers it a grueling race or simply a fun event.
Penn is director of the Madison-Mayodan Recreation Department. “I think that PBS documentary a couple weeks ago really spurred a lot of interest from people that hadn’t heard about our event before,” she said.
More people than ever showed up for the race Saturday, and they’ll leave here and tell others about the wonderful river opportunities in Rockingham County. Maybe they’ll return for the upcoming Eden Riverfest, the county’s premier festival, which focuses on, well, our rivers.
Attractions such as the waterways and Chinqua Penn are hard to miss by state media, but we should set our sights on gaining regional and even national interest. Should the Horse Park of the South ever come to fruition – and it appears it’s headed in that direction – then a consolidated, countywide marketing effort should be forthcoming.
County officials and residents know that large-scale industry is not returning to Rockingham County, at least not how we remember it. We must turn to tourism, and we must work toward developing a strategy to promote the county beyond not only its borders but our state lines as well. We know what we have to offer, but much of the state does not. We can bring attention to our county, as evidenced by the PBS piece, but it takes hard work and a concerted, professional effort.