Southern Gap Outdoor earns Blue Ridge Travel Association Event of the Year Award

Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure (SGOA) in Grundy has been awarded the Blue Ridge Travel Association’s (BRTA) “Event of the Year” award for 2019.

The BRTA region includes 29 counties in Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. The 11 counties in Virginia include Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Tazewell, Bland, Smyth, Grayson, Giles, Franklin, Patrick and Washington.

The award recognizes Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure for its hosting of UTV Takeover April 11-14, 2019. Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure will also host the 2020 event, with the date for it expected to be announced soon. Criteria for the award presentation notes the award is for “an event, new or improved, that brings positive development to the region.”

Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure successfully worked with the Pacific Northwest-based UTV Takeover, becoming the first Eastern location to host a takeover event. Traditionally, UTV Takeover hosts four-five events annually. Past events have also been held in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Oklahoma.

“We were really pleased to receive this recognition,” said Billie Campbell, who along with Patrick Owens, owns the cabins and campground facilities at Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure. “A lot of hard work went into both the planning and execution of this event. The Heart of Appalachia, Spearhead Trails and the Buchanan County Tourism office were our partners in this event and we look forward to hosting an even bigger and better UTV Takeover here this spring.”

“Our staff deserves a lot of credit, as do our friends and volunteers in the Buchanan and Dickenson County communities,” said SGOA Campground Manager Kristi Rose. “We could not have done it without them, without our local and regional sponsors and vendors and without the great guys and gals at UTV Takeover. We’ve made some lifelong friendships as a result of this event and we can’t wait for UTV Takeover 2020.”

The UTV Takeover event is designed to bring riders, sponsors and vendors together to enjoy a family-friendly, action-packed three days of fun and riding. The 2019 event featured group rides, night rides, mud bogs, barrel racing, an Easter Egg Mud Run, tire toss, rock-n-roll bingo, mini games, greasy pole climbing, daily raffles, a kids zone, Show-n-Shine Day and Night events and more.

The BRTA award was presented at the Blue Ridge Travel Association’s annual meeting held earlier this month in Ft. Chiswell.

Information about Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure may be found on its website at www.sgadventures.com; by calling 276-244-1111; or by looking them up on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat.