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Walhalla Partners for Progress Recognized
For Immediate Release: November 17, 2011
Devon Harris, (803) 734-1743, dharris@scprt.com
Walhalla Partners for Progress Recognized
Clemson- Walhalla Partners for Progress was awarded the Heritage Tourism Advancement Award at the 2011 Heritage Development Summit in Clemson this week.
This award is presented annually to a tourism site, partnership, organization, company, or individual within the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor (SCNHC) that demonstrates best practices in sustainable heritage tourism based on the five principles: collaboration, balance between community and tourism, educational programming, authenticity, and preserving and protecting heritage resources.
Since the year 2000, the Walhalla Partners for Progress has geared itself towards improving and revitalizing Walhalla. The members of this organization saved and repurposed two historic treasures for tourism initiatives and also served as a catalyst for several other historic renovation projects in the downtown area.
Through fundraising hundreds of thousands of dollars and hard work, Walhalla Partners for Progress has opened the Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau in the historic Earle House, and also relocated and restored the endangered Old St. John’s Church, now a meeting house.
The Partners also worked to make downtown more user friendly by placing public restrooms in old storefronts and committed to the replacement of historic trees in the downtown district. Their ultimate goal is to continue to work with local, state and federal organizations to create the critical mass of attractions necessary to making Walhalla a tourism destination.
Michelle McCollum, president and CEO for the SCNHC, presented the advancement award to Walhalla Partners for Progress at the closing luncheon for the Summit at the Conference Center and Inn at Clemson University.
“Walhalla Partners for Progress have done an exemplary job of facing and meeting obstacles head on. Their passion for historic preservation and creating community pride through positive and creative partnerships is to be commended,” said McCollum.
The SCNHC, a National Heritage Area, extends 320 miles across the state from the mountains of Oconee County, along the Savannah River, to the port city of Charleston. Through tourism sites, interpretative signage, travel guides and maps, the Corridor leads the visitor on a journey of experiences while telling the story of South Carolina's Native Americans, the Colonial Settlement and the western migration into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. For more information on the SCNHC, visit www.sc-heritagecorridor.org.
