Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Fieldale Heritage Festival, held each year on the third Saturday in May, has been voted one of the “Top 20 Festivals in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society for May 2012.

Each month various events from across the region are chosen by the Southeast Tourism Society to be featured as the Top 20 Events and Attractions in the Southeast. The list of winning events is sent to more than 1,600 media outlets around the country and are listed on SoutheastTourism.org and EscapeToTheSoutheast.com.

The Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp.’s Tourism Division and members of the Festival Committee began discussing the possibility of applying for the award in 2010, according to a release. After seeing the success of the 2011 event, they decided that it was time to apply.

They worked collaboratively to submit a nomination for the seventh annual event in early fall, compiling photographs, promotional materials and media coverage since the inception of the festival.

According to Jennifer Doss, director of tourism, “The Fieldale Heritage Festival is a wonderful event that celebrates the heritage and interesting story of rural life in this southern Virginia mill town. By winning this prestigious title of being a Top 20 Event, we expect that the 2012 festival will draw additional attendance as the event receives publicity from around the region and becomes more widely known.”

The committee already is lining up of events for the 2012 festival that will include music, food, historic exhibits, children’s activities and crafters.

According to Beatrice Bullard, festival co-chairman, “The Fieldale Heritage Festival Committee is actively planning some special new additions which will add to and enhance the festival this coming year.”

Festival co-chairman Alice-Anne Gwynn added, “We are so happy to have worked with the EDC on this nomination. The committee’s budget for the festival advertising is limited and the additional marketing that this award provides will help the Fieldale Heritage Festival continue to grow.”

The 2012 Fieldale Heritage Festival will begin at 7 a.m. May 19 with the traditional pancake breakfast. It will end at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Any groups wishing to promote their upcoming events on the Martinsville-Henry County Tourism Website, VisitMartinsville.com, may do so free by contacting the EDC’s Tourism Division at 403-5940.