Coca-Cola, which has over the past four years donated more than $4 million to national parks for restoration and renovation projects, will award a $100,000 grant to the state or national park that receives the most online votes between now and Aug. 31 as a "favorite park."
There is no limit on how many votes an individual can cast during this period.
Votes can be cast for Lumber River State Park online by visiting www.livepositively.com/#/americasparks/vote. For the name Lumber River State Park to appear, voters only need to enter NC by the "state" link.
The Lumber River currently leads among North Carolina's state and national parks, with more than 5,800 votes as of Thursday afternoon, but is far from the polls leader as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has more than 100,000 votes.
Commissioner Guy McCook, chairman of the county's Parks and Recreation board, is among those who support the Lumber River State Park initiative.
"I think it's a fantastic opportunity for us to bring regional tourists into the area –
people who are just looking to take their family at for a day," McCook said.
People in larger cities don't have that option, he said.
"I think it has the opportunity to put us on the map and give us some notoriety and help people see what a great place Scotland County is when they come to visit," McCook said.
Corey Hughes, director of the Scotland County Tourism Development Authority, hopes area residents will back the new bid by the park for recognition.
"It's such a unique opportunity to have something like that in our backyard," Hughes said.
The river is "a hidden gem" in Scotland County, he said, and $100,000 prize could go a long way in improving the facility.
"There is so much more that it can be turned into," Hughes said.
At the Chalk Banks access point north of Wagram, he says the park could add picnic areas and bike trails while improving canoeing opportunities.
"It may be short staffed, but it makes a great place to visit," Hughes said.
The TDA is taking its own steps to boost visits to the state park. The county agency is finalizing a web page for the Chalk Banks location on its website: www.visitnc-soul.com/
Two organizers in Robeson County for the earlier campaign – Mickey Gregory, executive director of the Lumberton Visitors Bureau, and Jan Tedder-Rogers, the manager of Biggs Park Mall – have already endorsed the new effort, hoping to go two for two with the new voting measure.
"If we put on our competitive britches, there is no reason we can’t win this thing," Gregory said. "If everyone gets the word out to those on their e-mail lists, and everyone votes several times from now until the 31st, just look how those votes will multiply."
Gregory knows all about how to get the community behind an online-voting campaign. Earlier this year, she and Tedder-Rogers were instrumental in organizing the community behind an online contest held by Land for Tomorrow, a coalition dedicated to supporting the preservation of North Carolina land and water resources.
The result of their efforts, and the strong community support they received, was that the Lumber River was named one of the state’s top 10 natural wonders.
Both Gregory and Tedder-Rogers say that having the distinction of being home to one of the state’s 10 natural wonders goes a long way in making the river and state park a tourist destination and boosting the area’s economy.
"This is a beautiful place to go," Gregory said of the park. "It’s a place where people can go to unwind, relax and enjoy nature."
Tedder-Rogers couldn’t agree more.
"I’ve always loved the park, ever since I was a young girl living in Fairmont," she said. "In Robeson County, when we get passionate about something, we get real passionate."
"I’m excited about this contest," said Tedder-Rogers. "I’m trying as hard as I can. I never take my competitive britches off ... If we don’t win this time, at least we will have made more people aware of the park."
The Robesonian contributed to this report.
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