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Local committee outlines Smith County events, reports $19,000+ in grants for VA250 programs
Summary
Smith County's VA250 committee briefed the board on a film series, mobile museum visits and signage; presenters said the committee received over $14,000 from Virginia Tourism and $5,000 from Virginia Humanities to support programming and marketing.
Members of the Smith County VA250 committee presented the county’s plans for 2026 commemorations tied to the 250th anniversary and asked for continued community partnerships.
A committee representative told supervisors the group is promoting events across the county, including a free Sunday film series at the Lincoln Theater and a visit from the VA250 mobile museum during the Hungry Mother Festival. "We received a grant 2 different marketing grants from Virginia Tourism last year and this year, totaling over $14,000 in marketing dollars, and an additional grant from the Virginia Humanities for $5,000," a committee member said.
Presenters described a network of local partners — the Tourism Association, Smith County Historical Society & Museum, Museum of the Middle Appalachians, Preservation Society, the Chamber of Commerce and the three incorporated towns — and showed prototype portable storytelling panels and printed brochures for distribution at the visitor center, hotels and the Virginia Welcome Center.
Committee members encouraged community organizations to host panels and signposted planned activities including a film schedule, a reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 4 and a late-September exhibit on the Battle of Kings Mountain at the regional museum. They also said they intend to continue low-cost, high-impact outreach and to rotate materials among venues across the county.
Board members thanked the committee and asked about merchandising and outreach; committee members offered to supply display materials and to work with local institutions to increase visibility. No board action was required beyond receiving the report.
