BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — With weddings on the calendar, summer concerts taking shape and a longtime courthouse venue drawing steady bookings, the Martin County Tourism Commission painted a picture of a tourism season beginning to fill in.
During its April 20 meeting, the commission welcomed Karen Thoma as its newest member, approved spending on brochures and signage and received updates on event bookings, courthouse improvements and the commission’s summer schedule.
Chairwoman Nita Collier said activity at the Historic Martin County Courthouse has remained strong, with private rentals continuing to bring people into the restored building.
“Saturday, we had a baby shower,” Collier said. “We had two photographers inside for the prom. And everybody who was there left everything in great shape.”
The old courthouse was booked for a wedding over the weekend, while May bookings include a wedding, a baby shower and a class reunion. The facility also has a wedding booked for October.
The board also looked ahead to a busy summer of public events.
Collier announced the Warfield Liberty Celebration is scheduled for June 13 at Warfield Park.
She also said the Summer Jam concert series will return this year, beginning with Bluegrass Jam on June 19, followed by Country/Rock Jam on July 17 and Gospel Jam on Aug. 21.
As the commission continues to use the courthouse as both a community venue and a tourism asset, Collier said work remains to improve the building.
“There are still holes to patch,” she said.
Collier told the board she had spoken with Appalachia Reach Out about plans to renovate the upstairs bathroom this summer. The project will include removing a stall barrier, repainting the tile floor and tile walls and installing a new sink area.
She said she had purchased a bicycle and found a butcher-block board to use as a base for a sink in the men’s bathroom.
The Martin County Health Department also donated a sink for the downstairs men’s restroom, Collier said.
“That’s going to be nice,” she said.
The board briefly joked about whether growing rental activity might help cover the courthouse’s monthly utility bill.
“Heck, we might be able to pay the electric bill for one month,” Commissioner Jarrod Slone said.
Collier said the electric bill runs about $2,000 a month.
“We would be broke,” she said.
When Commissioner Brenda Davis asked whether the tourism commission was responsible for paying it, Collier said the county is covering the cost.
“No, Carolea [Mills, deputy judge/executive] is taking care of it,” Collier said, explaining that the county uses the downstairs while the tourism commission oversees the upstairs and Davis Hall, the former district courtroom on the first floor.
Collier also reported that Mills is working with a videographer on a tourism promotional video.
The commission approved the purchase of 100 additional brochures at 80 cents each.
It also approved $1,650 for framing and installation of a welcome sign at the Pike County line on Route 292.
Commissioners spent part of the meeting discussing signage elsewhere in the county, including a proposed “Home of the Wolves” plate for the Pigeon Roost Big Chair and a QR code at the trailhead.
Davis asked whether the “Welcome to Wolf Creek” sign that was mistakenly installed at the mouth of Pigeon Roost had been moved.
Collier said the sign was not a tourism commission project. According to Muncy, the county installed the sign.
Slone said he was unfamiliar with the sign.
“They put it at the mouth of Pigeon Roost,” Davis explained. “And Wolf Creek is the other way … That is true—that is Pigeon Roost. Wolf Creek runs all the way up and just goes straight.”