June 30, 2021 Tourism Tidbits A newsletter from Henderson County TDA

Fourth of July Festivities The Henderson County Tourism Development Authority and Henderson County Parks and Recreation are teaming up and expanding this year’s event to four blocks of Main Street from 2nd Avenue to Caswell Street.

Music on Main 4th of July Celebration Concert will feature the popular band Dashboard Blues playing classic rock on the Visitor Center stage, located at 201 South Main Street. They will perform such perennial favorites as Day Tripper, Margaritaville, Ain’t No Sunshine, Drive My Car, Stand by Me and How Sweet It Is.

It is being held in conjunction with the Henderson County Parks & Recreation Department is hosting a bluegrass concert featuring Lynn Goldsmith & the Jeter Mountain Band in front of the Historic Courthouse, along with games, face painting, craft corner, inflatables, food trucks and more starting at 7 pm. The activities will be held between 2nd Avenue to Allen Street.

Enjoy the free Music on Main concert and fireworks from the comfort of your chair from 7:00-9:30 pm. The sparkling fireworks display starts around 9:30 pm, which will be synchronized to music on local radio station WTZQ, found at 1600 AM on the dial. Additional Music on Main seating will be available between Allen & Caswell Streets to provide social distancing. Concessions available.

The Fireworks may be viewed from downtown Hendersonville and the south side of town near the intersection of Hwy. 225 South and Hwy. 176. A large red balloon will be launched the morning of the 4th to signify the visibility of the fireworks show, if you can see the "Big Red Balloon", you can see the fireworks from your location. The fireworks launch site is off of South Grove Street.

Bring a chair, the concert seating area opens after 5:30 pm; early admission is strictly prohibited. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be postponed for an hour; if the weather doesn’t improve by 8 pm, it will be canceled. No alcoholic beverages, backpacks, or coolers are allowed.

For more information call the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority at 828-693-9708, 800-828-4244 or online at https://www.visithendersonvillenc.org/music-on-main-street or Henderson County Parks and Recreation at 828-697-4884 or online at https://www.hendersoncountync.gov/recreation

Tourism After Five Tourism After Five is a friendly and relaxing way to meet new people in the tourism industry and develop lasting partnerships. Make sure to bring a friend! Sponsored by the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority.

Thursday, July 8, 2021, from 5-7 pm, The Baker’s Box, 1508 Asheville Hwy., Hendersonville The Baker’s Box offers homemade bread, pies, special occasion cakes, pastries, cookies, bread & butter pickles and sides. The specialty meat sandwiches are locally sourced, seasoned and roasted in-house. Learn about this successful restaurant and catering operation.

Please RSVP to Julie Hayes at [email protected] or call 828-693-9708. The schedule is available to download at https://www.visithendersonvillenc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021-Tourism-After-Five.pdf

Tourism Tidbits Page 2

Update Your Room Vacancies Henderson County is approaching the peak travel season now that school is out and summer camps are in full swing. It’s crucial for accommodations to update their listing on the HCTDA Room Availability Report at https://www.visithendersonvillenc.org/room-availability regularly. The report is an easy, convenient way for travelers to see who has a vacant room in Henderson County—and it only takes a few minutes for accommodations to report vacancies. The Room Availability page is also a tool the Visitor Center uses to direct guests to area accommodations. We can’t share your availability with travelers if you don’t share it with us! If your property hasn’t already registered for the program, make sure you do so soon. Every day which goes by that you haven’t updated your listing is a day you could miss out on a potential overnight stay. If you haven’t joined the Room Availability program and wish to set up an account, contact Karen Baker at [email protected].

47M Americans Will Travel This Fourth of July AAA expects travel will increase by 40% compared to last year, with road trips continuing to dominate.

According to AAA, more than 47.7 million Americans will take to the nation’s roadways and skies this Independence Day weekend, with travel volumes expected to nearly fully recover to pre-pandemic levels. This will be the second-highest Independence Day travel volume on record, trailing only 2019.

Overall, just 2.5% fewer Americans are expected to travel this year compared to Independence Day in 2019. This represents an increase of nearly 40% compared to last year, when total travel fell to 34.2 million.

“Travel is in full swing this summer, as Americans eagerly pursue travel opportunities they’ve deferred for the last year-and-a-half,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “We saw strong demand for travel around Memorial Day and the kickoff of summer, and all indications now point to a busy Independence Day to follow.”

While all modes of travel will see increased demand this Independence Day, road trips continue to dominate this summer. Despite the highest gas prices in seven years, more than 91% of holiday travel will be by car. An expected 43.6 million Americans will drive to their destinations. With 3.5 million people planning to fly, air travel volumes this Independence Day will reach 90% of pre- pandemic levels, and increase 164% compared to last year.

Another 620,000 Americans are expected to travel by other modes this Independence Day, an increase of over 72% compared to last year, but 83% lower than in 2019. This includes travel by bus and train, and also the return of cruising. Cruise lines have announced limited sailings resuming from U.S. ports beginning in late June.

Media Spotlight HCTDA Sponsored = Times-News / HCTDA Monthly Column Events https://www.blueridgenow.com/story/news/2021/06/22/henderson-county-tourism-development-authority-seeks-input/7776692002/ = 4th of July Concert & Fireworks = Hendersonville Lightning th https://www.hendersonvillelightning.com/news/10554-tda-urges-residents-to-fill-out-tourism-survey.html July 4 / 7- 9:30 pm / Visitor Center = WLOS / Fireworks = Summer Concert Series – https://wlos.com/news/local/henderson-county-to-host-special-expanded-4th-of-july-celebration-ahead-of-fireworks-show Jul 9 & Aug 12 / 7-9 pm = Our State magazine Eblast / Fourth of July Visitor Center = The Loafer / Tennessee Tri-Cities / Fourth of July https://theloaferonline.com/2021/06/29/expanded-fourth-of-july-festivities-in-hendersonville-nc/ = HCTDA Board Meeting / July 27 = Blue Ridge Parkway / Summer Concerts 1pm / Visitor Center https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/event/music-on-main-street-concerts-in-hendersonville/2021-07-30/ = Group Sales Forum / July 28 = KiddingAroundGreevillle.com 10-11am / via Zoom https://kiddingaroundgreenville.com/fireworks-july-4th

Contact Us 201 S. Main St. Hendersonville, NC 28792 828-693-9708 [email protected] Fax: 828-697-4996 www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.org Facebook.com / VisitHendersonvilleNC