NEWS RELEASE: Journey Through Hallowed Ground & Mid Atlantic Receptive Services (MARS) Host Whistle Stop Tour to Celebrate Secretary of Transportation’s Designation of Journey Through Hallowed Ground as National Scenic Byway. Press stops in Adams, PA, Frederick, MD, Loudoun, Culpeper, Orange, and Albemarle, VA.
On October 16, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the Secretary of Transportation has named the 180-mile long thoroughfare running through the Journey Through Hallowed Ground- Route 15, 231 and 20 (the Old Carolina Road) - from Gettysburg, PA, to Monticello, VA, a National Scenic Byway, one of the highest distinctions the Secretary can bestow upon a public road.
Mid-Atlantic Tours (MARS) was recently named the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Official Tour Operator, and will be developing product for the organization under Take the Journey™ to Where America Happened™ with MARS. A portion of the proceeds from this exclusive tour product will be given to support efforts of the partnership.
Mid Atlantic Receptive Services joins Journey Through Hallowed Ground in hosting a Whistle Stop Tour which will celebrate the accomplishment, as well as the potential economic impact of this designation, with elected officials, state tourism officers from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, and members of the press.
Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is a four-state partnership from Gettysburg to Monticello bringing businesses, developers, preservationists, heritage sites, farmers, students, teachers, concerned citizens, and elected officials to the table to celebrate America’s heritage in the most historic corridor in our nation while simultaneously fostering opportunities for economic growth and creating educational programs for students of every age.
MARS is the industry leader for custom group travel packages to Washington, D.C., the Mid Atlantic Region, and beyond. Operating more than 450 tours per year, MARS has a proven reputation for quality and reliability. MARS offers expertly planned custom tour arrangements including accommodation, sightseeing, meals, transportation, guide service, and entertainment. Through industry partnerships and bulk buying power, MARS offers wholesale travel rates to groups of all sizes and interest levels. For more information please call 800-769-5912, or to access our online tour catalog please visit www.takeafuntrip.com.
Overview:
Where?
The day begins at the Historic Train Station in Gettysburg, PA, but press can join at any of the stops below.
When?
October 21, the day-long Whistle Stop Tour will ride through the entire Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway, stopping at a handful of sites representing the diverse spectrum of the historical, cultural, natural, and environmental characteristics found within The Journey. Press are invited to join the day-long bus ride as well as cover each of the six designated locations. Here is the itinerary:
What?
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground & Mid Atlantic Receptive Services Partnership will host a day-long Whistle Stop Tour, where the JTHG Partnership will celebrate the accomplishment and its economic impact with a bus tour through the Journey accompanied by elected officials, state tourism officers from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, heritage site and destination management organizations, local business owners, and the citizens who live within the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, many of whom worked diligently to obtain this honor. Press are invited to join the day-long bus ride, where food and drink are provided as well as cover each of the six designated locations seen below.
Press Briefings & Other Interesting Events:
A series of press briefings on a range of associated themes are anticipated. The tentative agenda begins at 8:30am at the Historic Train Station in Gettysburg, PA. Heading south the following sites will be visited: Catoctin Mountain Orchard in Thurmont, Maryland; General George Marshall’s Home Dodonna Manor in Leesburg, VA; the Museum of Culpeper History in Culpeper, VA; James Madison’s Montpelier in Orange, VA; and finally Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA.
Contacts:
Devon Smith: ext 120
Ann Marie Brown: ext. 110
Mid Atlantic Receptive Services
P.O. Box 1390
Stephens City, VA 22655