Cycle North Carolina is coming

Cycle North Carolina is a recreational mountains-to-the-coast bicycle tour of the Tar heel state. Over 1,000 bicyclists from 44 states and two countries participated in the October 2008 tour. CNC expects to have more than 1,100 participants on the 2009 ride scheduled for September 26 to October 3. The 2009 route will begin in Blowing Rock and end in Surf City, with overnight stays in Lenoir, Statesville, Thomasville, Sanford, Dunn and Kenansville. The meeting point in Duplin County will be the Duplin County Events Center is in Kenansville. There will be camping available there, but many riders choose to stay in local hotels along the route. The riders and their families and support staff will also be looking for local restaurants to visit, and local shops to explore. The Chambers of Commerce and Duplin County Tourism will be looking for volunteers to help at the Events Center, to direct riders to local restaurants, hotels and shopping both Friday, October 2, and the morning of October 3. Duplin County area restaurants should be prepared with extra staff and extra supplies for meals those days. The estimated economic impact to the area from this event is $50,000.00-$75,000.00. This is a great opportunity for our county to make new friends with a great many tourists- so pleae call Rob Wells, Duplin County Tourism Director at 910-296-2181, and find out how you can help!