By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — If it is late July turning into early August, it must be time for the annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show’s Hunter-Jumper competition.
For 126 years, Blowing Rock has served as host to the longest, continuous-running equestrian event in the United States. Several years ago, an economist team from Appalachian State estimated that the horse show, which spans a total of three weeks in the summer (a week of Saddlebreds in June and two weeks of Hunter-Jumpers in July and early August) has upwards of an $8 million economic impact on the High Country region, centered in Blowing Rock.
This year’s Hunter-Jumper show, comprised of two consecutive weeks of competition, brought 500-plus horses competing in more than 100 different classes. To support those entries, there are an estimated 2,500 owners, trainers, riders and support staff drawn to the Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve. They are people from all over the U.S., but especially from NC, SC, Tenn., Va., Fl., Ga., and beyond. While here, they rent lodging choices, eat at our restaurants and shop in our stores. That explains the economic impact.
The Rotary Club of Blowing Rock has partnered with the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show since 1946. The relationship has grown over the years and, today, selling advertising for the Horse Show event program and manning the entry gates has become Blowing Rock Rotary’s biggest money maker. The bonus for Blowing Rock and the High Country is that nobody in Rotary gets paid. It is an all-volunteer effort so 100 percent of the club’s earnings is reinvested in the community through grants to deserving local non-profit agencies and college scholarships.
You might call Rotary’s partnership the “multiplier effect” of Horse Show’s economic impact.
The Rotary Club of Blowing Rock meets each Monday, 11:45 a.m., at the Meadowbrook Inn.
MORE RANDOM IMAGES. All photographic images by David Rogers for Blowing Rock News
