Work on the historic carriage roads at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of several significant projects the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation hopes to fund this year/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is marking its 20th anniversary this year, and part of the celebration involves looking to the future with important projects on the horizon.

So far, with your help, the Foundation has contributed more than $12 million since 1997 to support cultural and historical preservation, education and outreach, natural resources protection, and enhanced amenities for millions who visit the Parkway each year. The Foundation is working harder than ever this year to make the Foundation's gifts go further.

Here's a look at projects the Foundation is raising money for:

The Sharp Top Shelter is in desperate need of restoration/NPS

Rehabilitate Sharp Top Shelter
Fundraising goal: $122,706

Milepost 86 - Sharp Top Shelter was built in 1858 by the Otter Peaks Hotel to provide rustic overnight lodging for guests willing to make the challenging hike to the summit. The stone building nestled in rock is greatly deteriorated due to weather exposure and vandalism. With your support, the building will be restored to host interpretive programs and provide a safe shelter for hikers during inclement weather.

Reopen Bluffs Coffee Shop at Doughton Park
Fundraising goal: $827,487

Milepost 240 - Now that the mold has been removed from the building, the Foundation needs your help to finish repairing the former Bluffs Coffee Shop. With your support, the Foundation will bring this beloved gathering place back to life

Mabry Mill & Groundhog Mountain Structural Repairs
Fundraising goal: $144,782

Milepost 176-188 - With your help, the Foundation will preserve and protect five historic structures surrounding Mabry Mill and the Groundhog Mountain picnic area. The shake roofs of four of the buildings will be replaced, as well as rotting logs in the cabins. Additionally, a leaking flume that supplies water to the mill’s wheel will be repaired. These sites form an outdoor museum that helps interpret and preserve elements of early pioneer life in the region.

Craggy Flats Bald Trail Repairs
Fundraising goal: $16,320

Milepost 367 - The Foundation needs your help to rehab this popular trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway from the picnic area to the open field of Craggy Flats Bald. Work will include the removal of encroaching vegetation, elimination of braided trails that damage the habitat, and repairs to areas that contribute to erosion. Your donation will support a youth crew to complete the project.

Craggy Gardens Visitor Center Exhibits
Fundraising goal: $14,275

Milepost 364 - You can help replace faded and outdated interpretive exhibits at Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. New, interactive displays will tell the stories of air quality, weather, climate, and vegetation at this high elevation as well as the history of tourism at this spot that has attracted visitors for generations.

Wildlife cameras help monitor populations of black bears and other animals that live or pass through the Blue Ridge Parkway/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

Wildlife Cameras & Citizen Science
Fundraising goal: $18,415

In 2017, you can provide as many as 25 cameras, 10 GPS units, and other equipment to monitor remote locations for wildlife. The more wildlife specialists learn about creatures that call the Parkway home, the more they can do to ensure the animals’ management and safety. Volunteers will be invited and trained to participate in this citizen science project.

Bass Lake Comfort Station
Fundraising goal: $12,000

Milepost 294 - Your donation keeps the restrooms at Bass Lake on the grounds of Moses H. Cone Memorial Park clean and open to visitors year-round.

Blue Ridge Music Center Programming
Fundraising goal: $30,000

Milepost 213 - Through concert ticket sales, memberships, grants, and generous donations, the Foundation keeps the sounds of the mountains playing at this major attraction along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Spring through fall, thousands of visitors come to enjoy some of the region’s finest traditional music, including bluegrass, old-time, folk, Americana, and country blues at the venue’s scenic outdoor amphitheater at the base of Fisher Peak. The Blue Ridge Music Center offers free admission to its daily Midday Mountain Music performances, featuring talented regional pickers and players, and the Roots of American Music Museum, an entertaining and interactive exhibit that explores the region’s rich musical history. Your continued support keeps the music alive.

Kids in Parks
Fundraising goal: $8,000 per trail.

This signature program is a network of hiking, biking, paddling, and disc golf trails outfitted with free activity guides for children and families. The mission behind these TRACK Trails goes beyond fun; the goals are to encourage kids to be active and help them build meaningful connections with nature. In turn, these goals help inspire the next generation of stewards, who will care for all public lands, including the Blue Ridge Parkway. Your donation helps us expand the network of TRACK Trails.

Blue Ridge Music Center Trees & Picnic Tables
Fundraising goal: $10,000

Milepost 213 - With your help, the Foundation will plant a row of mature trees along the hillside at the amphitheater to provide shade for concert-goers and performers on the stage. Additionally, picnic tables will be installed to offer daytime visitors a place to enjoy a meal or rest after hiking one of the on-site trails.

Replace High Meadow Trail Bridge at the Blue Ridge Music Center
Fundraising goal: $25,000

Matching Opportunity!
Milepost 213 - Both the High Meadow Trail and Fisher Peak Loop at the Blue Ridge Music Center were once accessible by a bridge over Chestnut Creek. In 2014, the bridge was washed out by heavy rains and has made access to the trails difficult. With your support, park staff will install a new bridge to allow visitors to cross the creek safely and to protect the habitat along the stream. An anonymous donor has agreed to match donations, dollar for dollar, up to $12,500!

Your $100 donation to the Foundation's Renew The View campaign will be rewarded, in part, with a copy of this lithograph of the Blue Ridge Parkway/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

Renew the Views

The designers of the Blue Ridge Parkway created 216 overlooks to offer astonishing views of rippling mountain peaks, lush valleys, and more. Over time, vegetation has obscured many of the original vistas. With your support, the Foundation is setting out to clear these overlooks. For a limited time, when you make a donation of $100 or more to the Renew the Views program, you’ll receive a lithograph of The Blue Ridge Parkway by artist Eric Fitzpatrick.

Remake History at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
Fundraising goal: $1.5 million

Milepost 294 - Anyone who strolls the trail around Bass Lake, rides horseback or hikes the carriage paths, or explores Flat Top Manor makes a connection with this 3,500-acre estate created by denim magnate Moses H. Cone in the early 20th century. Last year, the Foundation committed to raise $3 million to address crucial repairs and maintenance at Flat Top Manor as well as trail work and landscape restoration for this treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Foundation is halfway to its goal, but still needs your support to protect this special place.

Your gift to Moses H. Cone Memorial Park will:

• Protect iconic Flat Top Manor from fire by installing a fire suppression system (work slated for this year!)
• Replace the manor roof (work slated for this year!)
• Add interpretive signs (work slated for this year!)
• Protect Flat Top Manor by replacing exterior wood components, including doors and windows, and ensure structural integrity
• Repair historic stone walls
• Enhance interpretation of the manor’s immediate landscape, outdoor recreation areas, and farm and garden landscapes
• Recreate the experience of the carriage trails by repairing the surface and removing encroaching vegetation to restore vistas
• Rehabilitate the vast landscape and care for original plantings
• Construct new parking areas
• Print new interpretive maps

The Denim Ball
Join us for the second annual Denim Ball to benefit Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on August 4 at Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock! Tickets at
brpfoundation.org/thedenimball