Thread Trail sponsors photo contest marks 100th mile

The Carolina Thread Trail, a 15-county initiative to connect the Charlotte region with trails, greenways and blueways, celebrated its 100th mile of trail in Davidson on Nov. 17 and is looking for entries for its first social media photography contest, which runs through Dec. 10.

The “100 miles, 100 Memories Photo Contest” is to encourage trail users to share their experiences from the Thread Trail. Photographs can be any category, from nature to people to pets.

Five photos with the most likes on the Carolina Thread Trail Facebook page will be entered into the final contest and the one photo with the most likes will win the grand prize.

The grand prize winner will receive four AllSport Daily Passes to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte as well as a $50 gift card to the River’s Edge Bar & Grill.

The second prize winner will receive a two-hour fly fishing class for up to three people from Orvis, a retail and mail-order business specializing in high-end fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods, as well as a $100 gift card and gift bag from Jesse Brown’s, an outdoor retailer based in Charlotte.

The Carolina Thread Trail, commonly known as the Thread, began in 2007. The Thread is a vision to connect a 15-county region with a network of hundreds of miles of trails, linking more than 2 million people to regional destinations, parks, towns, neighborhoods and conservation corridors.

“Today that vision is becoming a reality, mile by mile,” said Ann Browning, project director for The Thread. “Our fifth anniversary and 100th mile are significant milestones that we are celebrating with our trail users, volunteers, government leaders and corporate partners – all of which have made significant contributions to support and advance The Thread.”

Carmen Bray, communications director of the Catawba Lands Conservancy and the Carolina Thread Trail, said it is the volunteers who, during the last five years, have played an integral role in helping to successfully build sections of the Thread.

More than 60 people attended the fifth anniversary and 100th mile unveiling, Bray said, and after the event, Davidson College Professor Emeritus David Grant led a guided nature hike along the trail.

She said the focus of the trails is to bring communities together and for people to enjoy the region. “When people get together, good things can happen. Volunteers can help us move forward,” Bray said.

Bray said volunteers are needed for events such as trail-build days, trail cleanup and other jobs. Sign up is available on the website.

There is a new interactive map site to search for Lake Norman area trails available.