We spend money every day, during trips to the grocery store or the pharmacy, for example. But each day, Vance County residents shop alongside visitors to the community who may be camping at Kerr Lake or who are in town for a dance competition or one of a number of annual events that draw folks from all over.

The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. If you break down that number,

Vance County received about $164,000 a day last year in tourism dollars.

That money supports the local economy in a variety of ways – it means that people are shopping and dining locally, and they’re spending a night or nights in area motels and hotels. Tourism spending was up in all 100 North Carolina counties last year over the previous year. But considering that the previous year – 2020 – was basically a tourism “bust” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it stood to reason that any improvement in 2021 over 2020 would be expected.

Vance County is gearing up for a couple of its annual events that traditionally attract throngs of visitors – the Show, Shine, Shag and Dine is set for Oct. 14-15 in Vance County.

There’s a pre-show barbecue dinner and cruise-in at Kerr Lake on Friday, Oct. 14, and then the Southern Classic Cruise-In will take place the next day at 117 Horner St. in downtown Henderson. This is the 20^th annual Show, Shine, Shag and Dine, sure to delight classic car enthusiasts.

And just in case those car enthusiasts need a bit more, the 20^th annual Corbitt Truck Show and Reunion will take place Saturday, Oct. 15. The Corbitt Preservation Association works throughout the year to remember that workhorse vehicle that was manufactured right here in Henderson. The show and reunion runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Corbitt Museum, located at 180 Church St.

Whether it’s an annual car show, performances at McGregor Hall or families who enjoy all recreational activities on Kerr Lake, Vance County benefits. Gas tanks get filled, appetites satisfied in area restaurants and then those visitors return to their homes. But their money gets spent here and stays here.

In 2021, that money amounted to more than $59 million.

In Warren County, visitors spent just more than $63 million in 2021. Although the Commerce Department statistics didn’t break down spending by event, but did list a handful of categories that are including when capturing the visitor spending. One category is second homes, and Warren County has a lot of second homes situated along the Lake Gaston shoreline.

Maybe the people who used to visit their lake homes on the weekends decided to stay longer during the pandemic, or maybe they’ve continued to live there and work remotely. Whatever the reason, Warren County took in roughly $63 million from visitors during 2021.

Granville County is the largest of the three counties in the area, and it reported visitor spending at $50 million in 2021 – a 26.9 percent increase from 2020.

Granville may not have the same volume of lake traffic as Vance and Warren, but it makes up for it in the sheer volume of events and attractions that seem to pop up most any time during the year.

Perhaps the largest annual event is coming up this weekend when the 16^th annual Hot Sauce Festival and Contest takes center stage in downtown Oxford.

Food and beverage vendors, local craftspeople and dozens of hot sauce stands set up all along College, Williamsboro and Main streets for the all-day festival. There are a couple of stages for live music performances, a classic car show and, of course, the ever-popular pepper-eating contest.

The Creedmoor Music Festival tunes up next weekend to entertain concert-goers with all genres of music, from Gospel to classic rock.

No matter the draw – peppers, cars, lake activities or music – the counties all benefit from having tourists visit, enjoy and spend – their time AND their money.

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