JBR Vineyards & Winery and the Pearisburg Festival in the Park both received a $5,000.00 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC)’s Special Events & Festivals Sponsorship Program (SEF) for the 7th annual Pawpaw Festival and the 41st Pearisburg Festival in the Park, respectively.
Debby Ring, proprietor along with her husband Jessee, of JBR Vineyards & Winery will continue the development of this culturally rich event using their slogan ‘Grow history in your own backyard.’ The Pawpaw Festival will take place on their vineyard property in Giles in September of this year. Debby shared that “We appreciate the grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation for our annual pawpaw festival.” The popularity of the event continues to grow annually and this award “allows the festival to remain free to attend. People can not only learn about growing this native fruit in their back yard, but can enjoy live music, a trail to the pawpaw patch, fine wines, and a beautiful afternoon in the mountains.” Debby said.
Hope Harrell, Pearisburg Town Treasurer and Festival Committee member will utilize funds to offset the entertainment the Festival brings to Pearisburg every summer. Additionally funds will be used to market this long-standing community festival to families throughout the New River Valley and neighboring communities in West Virginia. “Our 41st year is hard to imagine, seeing as many community members have attended majority of the years, but we are very happy to pull together live entertainment, live professional wrestling, and carnival rides for our families to enjoy,” says Hope. The Pearisburg Festival in the Park is scheduled for June of this year and is open and free for the public to attend.
Virginia Tourism Corporation will award more than $885,733 in matching grant funds to 88 special events and festivals during this grant round, ultimately impacting 324 combined partners. Both of these Giles County awardees have agreed to match their grant awards with either cash spend or in-kind value to support a robust marketing and production plan which they presented in their application to the state funding program.
The VTC Special Events & Festivals Sponsorship Program is designed to increase visitor spending by maximizing limited marketing and event production dollars to stimulate overnight visitation through new tourism marketing and event expansion partnerships. The program also extends the iconic Virginia is for Lovers brand to drive special event and festival visitation. Each GO Virginia region is allocated 20 percent of available funds, creating a diverse portfolio of supported events across the Commonwealth.
In this funding cycle, local partners will commit more than $4.8 million in public-private funds to match VTC funding, generating more than $5.68 million in new marketing and event production activity focused on increasing overnight visitation to Virginia in 2026. In total, the awards will support 88 special events and festivals and impact 526 tourism-related partners statewide.
Using the hub-and-spoke tourism model to create itineraries, entities partner together to apply for funding. Partners may consist of Virginia cities, towns, counties, destination marketing organizations, restaurants, museums, attractions, and other tourism-related businesses. With the special event or festival as the main lure, the program encourages visitors to extend their stays to experience Virginia Main Streets, boutique shopping, distinctive dining, and historic sites, generating significant economic impact beyond the event itself. These partnerships have proven results in driving creativity among applicants and attracting new visitors to a destination.
“We’re very excited to see both the Pawpaw Festival and the Pearisburg Festival in the Park receive the Special Events & Festivals Sponsorship Program awards. These funds will support our rural destination events that attract visitors to Giles and provide family and friends culturally rich entertainment and activities to enjoy in their community,” said Cora Gnegy, Tourism Director for Giles County, Virginia. “Both of these events will have the support of Giles Tourism to achieve the goals outlined in their applications to draw attention to the unique offerings they provide through their events.”
“Special events and festivals are at the heart of what makes Virginia such a compelling destination,” said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Through the Special Events & Festivals Sponsorship Program, we’re proud to support these experiences that bring communities together, inspire travel, and encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more across the Commonwealth.”
VTC will have additional grant and sponsorship rounds opening throughout 2026. Organizations and businesses that are interested in applying may visit vatc.org/grants for more information.
A full list of funding recipients can be found here.
Out-of-state visitors and Virginians alike are encouraged to visit www.virginia.org to start travel planning for these special events and festivals in 2026.
