GATE CITY — Scott County officials unveiled a giant sculpture Tuesday in Gate City that is part of a statewide campaign to promote tourism in Virginia through the use of social media.
Scott County was one of 16 localities statewide chosen by the Virginia Tourism Corporation to build and promote a piece of art known as a “LOVEwork.”
The giant Scott County LOVEwork is located at the intersection of Kane Street and U.S. Route 23 in Gate City and is one of 20 located throughout Virginia.
“I think about 30,000 cars a day go by that location where the sign is,” Scott County Tourism Director Pam Cox said. “Hopefully people who aren’t from here will see that and think that’s interesting, let’s go into Gate City. So we hope it will draw people who are coming through the county to stop and see all of the great and wonderful things we have to offer.”
According to the VTC, the LOVEwork initiative is an outgrowth of the “Virginia is for Lovers” campaign and is designed to share the message that “love is at the heart of every Virginia vacation.”
“Virginia is for Lovers is about love — pure and simple, and has been for more than 40 years,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “This program uses the power of social media to promote Virginia as an ideal destination for families looking to completely connect on a Virginia vacation.”
Visitors to Scott County will be encouraged to take a picture with the LOVEwork sculpture and share it on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Photos from all 20 LOVEworks in Virginia, including Scott County’s, will also be displayed on www.facebook.com/VirginiaisforLovers and can be seen on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #LOVEVA.
That tie-in with social media and other LOVEworks in Virginia should provide greater exposure for Scott County to potential tourists, Cox said.
“I think the most important thing about this is we go on the map with all of the other LOVEwork signs,” Cox said. “There are a total of 20 across the state and the main purpose of this is for social media, to get folks to take photos and post them on Facebook and Twitter and use that to build awareness.”
The Scott County LOVEwork sculpture, which was made by Weber City’s DesignsDunnRight, was inspired by the county’s “We’re a natural” motto, Cox said.
The artwork features the word “Love” in approximately 7-foot-tall stylized letters that features a cowboy boot for the “L”, an inner-tube for the “O”, and fiddle and bow for the “V” and a fishing rod and crossbow for the “E”.
“We have so much to offer,” Cox said. “The sign is based around the things that we do have to offer. It plays on the nature theme with horseback riding, and hiking and the rivers that are so important to us. There’s also the country music element, and even hunting and fishing.”
Construction on the LOVEwork began in late February and was funded in-part by a $1,200 grant from the VTC.
In addition to those funds, Cox said the cooperation of local businesses like DesignsDunnRight and Sunshine Auto Sales — which donated the land the sculpture sits on — also helped make the LOVEwork possible.