Food Is the Front Door: How VA's Northern Shenandoah Valley Collaborates Around Food Every Summer

Featuring Renee Bayliss of Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Rick Kriebel of Newtown History Center Food is one of the most immediate ways visitors connect with history. A recipe can carry stories of migration, agriculture, family traditions, changing tastes, and the communities that shaped a region. When historic sites, farms, restaurants, libraries, and other local partners interpret those stories together, food helps visitors experience the destination as a connected whole. As Creative Design & Visitor Services Manager for the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Renee Bayliss has helped develop Hungry for History, a regional event that brings local history to life through food and drink experiences across Virginia’s Northern Shenandoah Valley. We’ll explore how the event grew from an idea into a ten-day collaboration, how partners create experiences that are both historically meaningful and appealing to visitors, and how destinations can use food to connect sites, communities, and stories while encouraging visitors to explore more of the region. Rick Kriebel, Manager of Collections and Programs at Newtown History Center, will also join us to share what participation looks like from a museum’s perspective, and how the event benefits individual sites as well as the wider destination.