ROANOKE — Sept. 27 was a good day for Mark Woods at his new job.
In one of his first public appearances as the new superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Woods spoke during a ceremony that marked the re-opening of the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Restaurant, a venerable parkway attraction that had been closed for months as the National Park Service searched for a new concessionaire to manage the lodge.
On that beautiful, breezy fall day, congressmen sent their spokespeople with congratulatory messages hailing the lodge’s re-opening. Local officials and business leaders said how happy they were that tourists were returning to the Peaks. The mood was celebratory.
The good feelings didn’t last. The next week, the federal government shut down, prompting the Park Service to close sites along the parkway. Confusion reigned, as the Park Service initially announced that the road would be closed, then decided to keep it open. Communities along the parkway lost business during the peak of fall leaf season.
Woods had been on the job nine days when the shutdown started.
The shutdown was the latest blow
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