Some $37 thousand dollars is coming to Fentress County through a Tourism Enhancement Grant.
Big South Fork and Pickett State Park draw in over a million people to visit. However, Fentress County Mayor Jimmy Johnson said a third park is set to get this grant money.
“We came up with the thought of having a kayaking launch site hopefully or a canoe launch site and we’re gonna have it down here by the Alvin C. York State Park down here in Pall Mall, Tennessee,” Johnson said.
Other plans include paving work, a building for the park to house kayaks and canoes and provide safety training for those who want to get on the water. Alvin C. York State Park brings in a quarter of a million visitors each year.
“Kayaking and Canoeing is getting to be a pretty big thing here,” Johnson said.
The county applied for the tourism grant in July, 2019. As an at-risk community, Fentress County can improve the community through tourism, Johnson said.
“Tourism is one of the biggest things we depend on up here because we’re in a rural area and there’s not a lot of jobs up here,” Johnson said.
Some 17 communities across the state received grant money.
