Aug 26, 2007
The Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority wants the public’s help in naming the sports complex it is planning in Henry County.
The authority is sponsoring a contest to pick a name for the complex to be build at the intersection of the U.S. 220/58 Bypass and Virginia 650 in Henry County.
“We’re trying to get the community involved in the process of naming it and interested in the facility,” said Dennis Toney, executive director of the authority.
Toney is hoping creative people in the community will come up with a name that embraces the nature of the complex or center, which may include field activities such as soccer and lacrosse, water activities such as boating and fishing, and family activities such as biking and hiking, and playground equipment.
He also hopes the name will reflect the region of the facility, such as Southern Virginia or Piedmont. Naming the facility after an individual or business will not be allowed.
“We’ve seen a lot of sportsplexes, sport parks, recreation complexes with some name attached to it,” Toney said.
He talked as he drove through Georgia and noted he had seen a Blanchard Park, named after someone in a particular area, and Patriot Park, south of Augusta.
Entries are due by 5 p.m. Sept. 12. The winner will be announced Sept. 28.
The winner will get a $300 prize. The second- and third-place winners will get $150 and $50 respectively.
Entries may be faxed to 634-4781; emailed to dtoney@co.henry.va.us; or mailed to Martinsville Bulletin, c/o Naming Contest, P.O. Box 3711 Martinsville, Va., 24115. For more information, go to www.martinsvillebulletin.com and click SVRFA Naming Contest.
A panel will narrow the entries and present five recommendations to an impartial representative body, which will vote on the entries.
The authority reserves the sole copyrights of the winning entries and may alter them, according to a list of 10 rules and regulations for the contest.
For more information, contact the authority at 634-2543.
