BURKE’S GARDEN, Va. — The Virginia Tourism Corporation came to Tazewell County, Va., on Thursday to spread “LOVE,” on one of the county’s most precious resources — Burke’s Garden.
“The LOVEworks barn quilt is located just off of a Virginia Scenic Byway Route 623 that leads visitors into Burkes Garden, a high elevation mountain valley community on the National Register of Historic Places,” according to a Tazewell Department of Tourism press release.
“The LOVE barn quilt compliments a number of beautiful barn quilts that can be found in the Burkes Garden area. Round the Mountain artisans, Don and Ellen Elmes constructed and painted the barn quilt, and Bret and Kim Hall, the owners of the barn, graciously allowed for the installation.”
“We got a break in the rain for about 20 minutes, and I said, ‘Let’s do this if we’re going to do it,’ so we did it,” David Woodard, Tazewell County tourism coordinator said. “After the unveiling, we went to the Amish Store and to the Parsonage Guest House on Burke’s Garden Road for a great lunch.”
Burkes Garden is home to an Amish community with a small country store. Outdoor enthusiasts also visit Burkes Garden to bike the beautiful farmland roadways as part of the Heart of Appalachia bike route or hike the Appalachian Trail. The Burkes Garden Fall Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors each year, will be held this year on Sept. 26.
“We are pleased to have been part of this pilot project of recognizing, in a beautifully tasteful way, a place of tourism in our state. We hope this project will be repeated in other locations to promote tourism in Virginia,” Ellen Elmes said in the press release of the project.
“We are happy that the Virginia is for Lovers LOVE themed barn quilt will greet the many visitors to the beautiful Burkes Garden area of Tazewell County,” Rita McClenny said. McClenny is president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Travelers will be in for a special treat this fall, when Virginia will welcome many leaf peepers, scenic drivers, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts that come to enjoy this special time of year in our mountains.”
“This is a great first project for Tazewell County and the LoveWorks program,” Woodard said. “We are thrilled to have the very first Virginia is for Lovers Barn Quilt in the state and look forward to seeing more around the region.”
Others at the unveiling included John Absure, western district representative on the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors, Patricia Green, interim Tazewell County administrator, Woodard and Megan Brown of the Tazewell Tourism office, Joan Yates of Historic Crab Orchard Museum, Ellen and Don Elmes, Aaron Reidhammer, Bret Hall, Mike Thompson, Diana Blackburn, Irma Mitchell and Less Mitchell.
Virginia has more than 40 different LOVEworks throughout the state to greet visitors, all made possible by partnerships with localities, the private sectors, and artisans. The iconic large white LOVE letters are also available to rent for weddings.
Burke’s Garden, often referred to as “God’s Thumbprint” because of the mountain-valley’s unique geological characteristics is named for James Burke, a pioneer who planted potato peelings near a campfire in 1948, and they grew into potato plants the following your.
Burke’s Garden was one of the places that Dr. Thomas Walker visited during his circa 1750 exploration of the region when he discovered the “coal lands” of southwestern Virginia. Burke’s Garden is said to have been Vanderbilt’s first choice to build his Biltmore estate that is located near Asheville, N.C.
— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
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