Jam-Packed Day in Southwest VA
After his round table discussion in Roanoke on Thursday, the Governor made his way through Craig, Giles, Bland, and Pulaski Counties, and ended the day at Floyd County’s Floyd Fest.
In Newcastle, Del. Jim Shuler led Governor Warner on a tour around the Craig County Courthouse before he stopped by the “Mick-or-Mack” grocery store to greet and chat with customers. One woman was on the phone with her sister, a huge fan of Governor Warner’s, and the Governor took the phone and thanked her for her support.
On his way to Pearisburg, Governor Warner stopped by Tangent Outfitters in Pembroke, a gas station/store/restaurant that also runs fishing/boating/hiking/biking trips. While the Governor grabbed lunch he got a chance to talk to some of the other diners that were there. The owner, Sean Hash, was appointed to the State Tourism Board by Governor Warner.
Once he got to Pearisburg, Mayor Barbara Stafford and Giles County Administrator Chris McKlarney took Governor Warner on a tour of the Giles County Courthouse and took him through Main Street Pearisburg, where they stopped by a slew of local shops and a couple of restaurants.
After the Main Street walk, we visited ABB, which manufactures electrical transformers. In 2003, Governor Warner announced an expansion of the facility that created 75 new jobs. Now, ABB is one of Bland County’s largest employers, with over 410 employees. He got a briefing from management, then met employees during a shift-change, and toured the plant facility.
On his way to Pulaski, Governor Warner stopped by the Bland County Courthouse, where he met Commonwealth Attorney Clinton Kegley. On his way out, he popped his head into a local bank.
About 60 supporters greeted us when we got to Pulaski and the marquee at the Pulaski Theater said “Welcome Governor Warner”. He toured Downtown Pulaski and its Main Street with Commonwealth Attorney Mike Fleenor. From there, he went to the New River Valley Fair, where he called a round of bingo.
“Hello, my name is Mark Warner, and I’m unemployed,” he told the bingo players.
Click here to read the story from Pulaski’s Southwest Times.
We ended the day at FloydFest, an annual multi-day music festival in Floyd County, where Governor Warner made a headlining appearance.
He was escorted around FloydFest by Republican Floyd County Sheriff Shannon Zeman. He told countless people:
“I’m a Republican, but I’m voting for him because Mark Warner is the best Governor Virginia’s ever had.”
Loose Leaf Notes wrote about Governor Warner’s stop:
Eating a meal in the FloydFest hospitality tent, Warner playfully referred to himself as “an unemployed Governor,” and joked that campaigning earlier that day was just an excuse to end up at FloydFest. … After his meal, he walked through the crowd, introducing himself and shaking hands with festival goers. He, an outgoing and popular governor that even some Republicans like, was obviously enjoying himself. One of his three aides (all in their twenties) said that Warner was hard to keep up with.
We have some great pictures from the day. Check them out: