Blue Ridge Parkway to celebrate park centennial with festival on Aug. 5

Blue Ridge Parkway and Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Celebrate the National Park Service Centennial and Welcome Feast to the Beat on August 5th

(Asheville, NC) –The Blue Ridge Parkway is celebrating the National Park Service Centennial on Friday, August 5, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a special event at the Visitor Center located at Milepost 384 in Asheville, North Carolina. In cooperation with a nation-wide road trip, Feast to the Beat, the event will encourage attendees to experience the Blue Ridge Parkway in a whole new way. The day long experience will feature interactive activities, chef demonstrations of regional food, and five local bands playing throughout the day in JAM IN THE VAN, a solar-powered mobile recording studio. Bands include Stop Light Observations (rock), Aaron Woody Wood (Appalachian Soul), The Fritz (Funk Rock), and The Broadcast (Americana Soul Rock). In between recording sessions, local chefs Ally Phillips of Ally’s Kitchen, and Arlene Cotler will demonstrate and compete using local foods to highlight the cuisine of the Blue Ridge mountains. In addition, parkway staff and volunteers will host a book signing and offer family friendly activities highlighting the NPS Centennial and Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information: http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/news/feast-to-the-beat http://www.feast2thebeat.com/blue-ridge-parkway/     www.facebook.com/feast2thebeat/ Event Partners: About the Blue Ridge Parkway The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park to the north with Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the south. The Blue Ridge Parkway travels the crests, ridges, and valleys of five major mountain ranges, encompassing several geographic and vegetative zones ranging from 600 to more than 6,000 feet above sea level. It provides visitors with many varied vistas of scenic Appalachian landscapes ranging from forested ridgetops and mountain slopes to rural farm lands and urban areas. The parkway offers a “ride-a-while, stop-a-while” experience that includes scenic pullouts, recreation areas, historic sites, and visitor contact stations. It is known nationally and internationally for its designed landscape as a scenic motorway.  About the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, designated by Congress and the President in November, 2003, works to protect, preserve, interpret, and develop the unique natural, historical, and cultural resources of Western North Carolina for the benefit of present and future generations, and in so doing to stimulate improved economic opportunity in the region. National Heritage Areas are locally-governed institutions that encourage residents, non-profit groups, government agencies, and private partners to work together in planning and implementing programs that preserve and celebrate America’s defining landscapes.