Outer Banks Forever, the nonprofit partner of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, is heading off the islands.
The group will be in Richmond, Virginia on Feb. 4 for”RVA Loves OBX,” an event for Outer Banks vacationers to share ideas and feedback, and get a sneak peak at 2020 projects for the national parks.
RVA Loves OBX kicks off at 4 p.m. at the 1717 Innovation Center at 1717 E. Cary St. in Richmond with an introduction about Outer Banks Forever, and meet-and-greet with David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina. The event ends with a reception from 6-7 p.m. with light hors d’ourves and wine.
The Richmond is event is the first of potentially three this year, the others in Raleigh and the Norfolk/Chesapeake area, said Outer Banks Forever Director Jessica Green.
“Those cities, along with Richmond were high on the Visitor’s Bureau’s list of top cities OBX visitors come from,” she said. “If those are successful, we’ll take the lead from our donors and supporters on where else we might want to hold them in the future.”
The goal is to get insight from Outer Banks visitors who live in those cities about what they’d like to see happen at the parks, and how to best engage them in supporting the parks.
“We also hope these events will forge a stronger connection between OBX and cities like Richmond,” Green said. “Our community is more than a vacation spot – it’s a lifelong tradition, it’s part of their lives just like the city they live in. So we thought, why not bring the place they love to them?”
Green said she chose Richmond to kick off the events because Outer Banks Forever has donors in the area and the group partnered with Boomer Magazine last year for their annual OBX edition.
“I’m also from the Richmond area so I know first hand OBX really is the go to vacation and 2nd home destination,” she said.
So what about the sneak peak at those 2020 projects for the Outer Banks’ national parks? Green said the board of directors just approved 2020 projects earlier this month, and they plan to announce them publicly during National Park Week.
“I can say that we’re helping the park with things like a new program that celebrates the arts and our national parks, enhancements at Wright Brothers National Memorial that will extend the improved Visitor Center experience outside, and if you love to walk, run, or bike in the parks we have a big announcement to get excited about!”
If you’re in the Richmond area and want to attend RVA Loves OBX, RSVP to Green by Jan. 29 at 804-240-8281 or JessicaGreen@OBXforever.org. Not in the Richmond area? Contact Jessica Green for more information about hosting an event in your area.
