Visitors’ Center Celebrates Certification

By Tom Wanamaker
Published: February 29, 2008

The Greene County Visitors’ Center officially opened its doors on June 29 with a reception at the center. The well-attended event celebrated the state certification of the center and featured the unveiling of a beautiful mural depicting county history.

“This is an exciting time for Greene and a step in the right direction,” said Shawn Hayes, chairman of the Greene County Economic Development Authority (EDA) during his introduction of guest speaker Alisa Bailey, president of the Virginia Tourism Corp. (VTC).

“Tourism is big business in Virginia,” said Bailey, adding that 33 million tourists visit Virginia and spend a total of $14 billion here each year.

“This visitors’ center represents a welcome mat for tourists,” she told the Record. “It allows them to plan an itinerary and often extends their stay in the area, during which they’ll spend more money in the county.”

Bailey explained that VTC offers customer service and other training to tourism centers and certifies those who successfully complete it.

One benefit of certification is that VDOT will now provide signage on Routes 29 and 33 directing visitors to the center, a move certain to increase visitor traffic. Another is the placement of Greene’s promotional brochures at other visitors’ centers throughout the state. Those brochures are still in development.

“It is truly a pleasure to work with Andy Hagy,” Bailey said. “He understands tourism and is a great advocate for the county.”

For his part, Hagy, EDA’s director, said the visitors’ center represents “a good example of a public/private partnership working for the benefit of each other.”

The Greene County Visitors’ Center, located just east of Stanardsville on Rt. 33 Business, is a joint effort between the public and private sectors. The EDA partnered with the Virginia Company, a catalog retailer making a move into storefronts. As its name suggests, the company sells a variety of Virginia-made products.

“This is the first visitors’ center we’ve gotten involved in,” said Willis Logan of Virginia Co. “The people here in Greene were excited and ready to work with us in actively marketing products from the region.”

“It was a no-brainer for us when Andy approached us,” added Logan’s colleague Grey King on the idea of promoting Virginia-made goods to tourists. He added that the retail outlet in Greene is the company’s third and also acts as a warehouse. The company has retail outlets in Charlottesville and Warrenton.

“The retail component of this center will help ensure its success,” predicted Bailey.

The Visitors’ Center is staffed by volunteers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. But because the Virginia Co. remains open during regular business hours, there is always someone on hand to assist visitors.

The center seeks to create a “Greene flavor” with displays of locally made antique quilts and works by area artisans and a wall-length mural depicting county history, making it a good place for local residents to bring out-of-town guests for an introduction to Greene.

Painted in oil on five panels, each measuring approximately four feet wide by six feet high, the colorful mural portrays county history chronologically, beginning with the Monocan Indians in the pre-colonial days. Other events shown include the Spotswood Expedition, the Battle of Stanardsville and the forced removal of the mountain folks during the creation of the Shenandoah National Park on the Blue Ridge.

Betty Brubach, credited with conceiving the mural concept, took a few minutes to explain the development and creation of the five-canvas series, giving credit to her daughter-in-law Alison Brubach, a native of Scotland, and Ana Marie Liddell, who hails from the Netherlands.

This article is adapted from one that originally appeared in the July 8, 2004 edition of the Greene County Record.