Beth

Beth

Outdoor Recreation Economy Plan for Valdese

Friends of the Valdese Rec and Town of Valdese worked together to submit a technical assistance planning grant from Appalachian Regional Commission and the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The program is called “Creating Outdoor Recreation Economies (CORE)” and the…

Painting for Kids Grant

Thanks to a grant from Burke Youth Organized Philanthropists, 36 children (K-5) will learn the art of Plein Air Painting from a professional instructor at the kick off of the Valdese Plein Air Fest during Friends of the Valdese Rec’s…

Economic Impact

View the full Economic Impact Report here Highlights of the report……. What does Valdese Lakeside Park bring to Valdese in visitor and resident spending? Does the park save residents money? Do visitors really stop in town to eat? These are…

Valdese Greenway Complete

Friends of the Valdese Rec (FVR) held an NC Year of the Trail grand opening group walk on Sunday, April 16 to celebrate the completion of the Valdese Greenway. The entire 2-mile greenway is now crushed cinder for an easier…

Story Book Trail Ribbon Cutting

Just in time for Read Across America Day, and to celebrate NC Year of the Trail, Friends of the Valdese Rec held the ribbon cutting for their new Story Book Trail at Valdese Lakeside Park. The home school community was…

VLP Survey Results

From Jan 30 to Feb 27, 2023, FVR collected information via a Google Survey form about Valdese Lakeside Park. The link was provided on our web site, on Facebook and at our events. We had 82 responses from the following…

Discover Valdese Suspension Bridge

Sunday, March 12 at 2pm As a part of Discover Burke Trails Day and NC Year of the Trail, Friends of the Valdese Rec will host a group hike along the easy, mostly flat 2 mile greenway. Sunday, March 12…

Lakeside Park Survey

We need your help – to plan a better park! Please complete this quick survey…. mostly check boxes! Form Link at We have general park counts – 200 on weekdays and 400 on weekend – but knowing more will…

New Year’s Resolution Trail Runs

Usually, we have our New Year’s Resolution Runs on New Year’s Day. However, January 1, 2023 fell on a Sunday. So, we gave Saturday, December 31, 2022 a chance and it was the biggest race yet!! Even in the rain.…

365 Mile Challenge

Challenge yourself in 2023 to get out on a Valdese Trail!! #FVR365 (Registration Closed) Walk. Run. Hike. 365 Miles in 365 Days. $10 Registration Long Sleeve t-shirt at beginning Prizes for completing 365 miles Everyone will be able to see…