daily304 - Episode 12.04.2024
Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Today is Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. Check out the vast variety of agriculture attractions in Almost Heaven--from Christmas tree farms to wineries to maple sugar shacks…Calling all artists--the WVDNR seeks submissions for the 2025 WV Wildlife Calendar (You could win a cash prize!)...and travel back in time to the bustling spa community of the Greenbrier Valley…on today’s daily304. #1 – From WV EXECUTIVE – West Virginia agritourism offers wild and wonderful opportunities no matter what part of the state you’re in or what season it is. Many farmers and business owners have turned to this growing industry to diversify their income and expand a typical growing season. With more than 300 agritourism operations across the state, West Virginia offers a variety of fun on the farm. Choose from fall farm attractions, Christmas tree farms, u-pick flower fields and orchards, farm stays, wedding barns, maple sugar shacks, wineries, distilleries, cideries, and fairs and festivals. The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is working to promote this new industry by offering an interactive map with agritourism operations across the state. Visit agriculture.wv.gov/ag-business/agritourism to learn more. Read more: https://wvexecutive.com/fields-of-fun/ #2 – From WVDNR – Calling all artists, now is your chance to have your wildlife paintings featured in the 2026 edition of the West Virginia Wildlife Calendar! You have until Feb. 19, 2025 to send your artwork to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Each year, the WVDNR selects 12 paintings for its award-winning calendar. All artists, especially those from West Virginia, are encouraged to submit their work. A $200 prize is awarded for each chosen painting. The artist whose artwork is selected for the cover receives an additional $500. Art must be original color paintings on canvas or another flat surface and must depict native game and fish species or other wildlife found in West Virginia, such as snakes, frogs, turtles, salamanders, bats, songbirds, small mammals and nongame fish. For additional information, visit wvdnr.gov. Read more: https://wvdnr.gov/wvdnr-seeks-art-for-west-virginia-wildlife-calendar-contest/?userID=7f85ea4b-1edd-4679-9347-793447ba25fe&campaign_name=wv_dept_of_commerce&campaign_medium=advocacy&campaign_source=everyonesocial&es_id=45daf73df3 #3 – From WV EXPLORER – Today, The Greenbrier stands as an enduring symbol of West Virginia’s spa resorts. In fact, the scenic Greenbrier Valley was among the early large-scale resort communities in the U.S. and featured a state-supported road system designed to lead travelers from resort to resort. Though colonial farmers were the region’s first inhabitants in the 1700s, by the early 1800s, the area had become a tourist destination, according to David Sibray, the publisher of West Virginia Explorer Magazine and a real estate agent marketing historic properties in the region. As early as the 1740s, George Washington and his family were visiting the “warm springs” at Bath, now better known as Berkeley Springs. By the turn of the 19th century, resorts were being established at points as far-flung as Mineral Wells near the Ohio River. The pleasant climate and promise of healing attracted thousands of visitors to the Greenbrier Valley in the warm months, where mineral springs were perhaps more common or better marketed. “Aside from the presence of these old resorts at such places as Blue Sulphur Springs, White Sulphur Springs, Red Sulphur Springs, and Salt Sulphur Springs, there remains a network of roads that led among these destinations,” Sibray said. Read more: https://wvexplorer.com/2024/11/19/greenbrier-valley-white-sulphur-spring-west-virginia-resort-community/ Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to y
