Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Has Cultural Tourism Been a Pot of Gold? The Crooked Road and Franklin County, Virginia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Virginia has capitalized on cultural and historical tourism, evidenced by sites such as Colonial Williamsburg and Jefferson’s Monticello. In recent years, The Crooked Road has been developed, sponsored by a number of federal, state, and local agencies. The Crooked Road is a “non-profit organization founded in 2004 whose mission is to support economic development in Southwest Virginia by promoting this region’s rich heritage of traditional music” (“The Crooked Road,” https://www.myswva.org/tcr/about).
While some studies have hailed the economic benefit of the Crooked Road to these communities (“Virginia Tech study finds Crooked Road Music Trail generates $9 million annually,” 2016), I will examine the impacts on Rocky Mount and Franklin County Virginia. For example, the Town of Rocky Mount remodeled an old hardware store/farm implement dealership building into a music venue, and it’s taken several years for the venue to actually turn a small profit. Several businesses have tried to capitalize on the venue, and not always successfully.
I will examine these issues through space and place theories and questions presented in Krims (Music and Urban Geography, 2007) and draw data from resources such as official town documents (town council records, reports) and newspaper articles promoting the Crooked Road and reporting on the various activities and benefits of the project. I also plan to draw on existing work examining cultural and heritage tourism in Appalachia (e.g., Arbogast et al in Sustainability, 2017). While cultural tourism brings a boost to the local economies, it is unlikely to replace the steady income streams of long-gone factory jobs.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
A Virginia native, Laura Gayle Green has served as Head of the Warren D. Allen Music Library at Florida State University since 2012. Her previous positions include Director, Music/Media Library at the University of Missouri—Kansas City (1993-2012) with an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Conservatory of Music and Dance, and Visiting Assistant Librarian, Music Cataloger at Indiana University (1990-1993). At FSU, Green performs on upright bass and vocals in the Old Time Music Ensemble.
Has Cultural Tourism Been a Pot of Gold? The Crooked Road and Franklin County, Virginia
Virginia has capitalized on cultural and historical tourism, evidenced by sites such as Colonial Williamsburg and Jefferson’s Monticello. In recent years, The Crooked Road has been developed, sponsored by a number of federal, state, and local agencies. The Crooked Road is a “non-profit organization founded in 2004 whose mission is to support economic development in Southwest Virginia by promoting this region’s rich heritage of traditional music” (“The Crooked Road,” https://www.myswva.org/tcr/about).
While some studies have hailed the economic benefit of the Crooked Road to these communities (“Virginia Tech study finds Crooked Road Music Trail generates $9 million annually,” 2016), I will examine the impacts on Rocky Mount and Franklin County Virginia. For example, the Town of Rocky Mount remodeled an old hardware store/farm implement dealership building into a music venue, and it’s taken several years for the venue to actually turn a small profit. Several businesses have tried to capitalize on the venue, and not always successfully.
I will examine these issues through space and place theories and questions presented in Krims (Music and Urban Geography, 2007) and draw data from resources such as official town documents (town council records, reports) and newspaper articles promoting the Crooked Road and reporting on the various activities and benefits of the project. I also plan to draw on existing work examining cultural and heritage tourism in Appalachia (e.g., Arbogast et al in Sustainability, 2017). While cultural tourism brings a boost to the local economies, it is unlikely to replace the steady income streams of long-gone factory jobs.
