ASHEBORO — Two Randolph County business owners and two visitor center employees received awards from the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau/Randolph County Tourism Development Authority (TDA) on Jan. 20. The recognition focused on individuals who excelled at adapting operations for guest safety while providing exceptional hospitality.
Award recipients
The 2020 Mary Joan Pugh Excellence in Hospitality Awards, the highest award given for tourism service in Randolph County, were given to:
- Beverly Mooney: As the owner of Millstone Creek Orchards, Mooney operates an agritourism-focused orchard and farm in Ramseur. In the spring, she transformed her farmstand into the Apple Barn Mobile Market and delivered fresh produce and goods from local farms to shut-in neighbors in need of food delivery. She revamped her annual summer berry picking, fall pumpkin patch, hayrides and holiday lights event into #CountOnMeNC-certified safe visitor experiences. Her efforts captured national attention and were included in a July 2020 Smithsonian article.
- Tony Wohlgemuth: Wohlgemuth is best known as the mastermind behind Spookywoods, touted by “O, The Oprah Magazine” in 2020 as one of the best haunted houses in America. As the owner of Kersey Valley Attractions in Archdale, Wohlgemuth pivoted and developed a new app for Spookywoods to “save Halloween.” The app allowed for social distancing and timed entry as guests waited in their cars and played games. In addition, Wohlgemuth and his team worked to transform ziplines, axe throwing, escape rooms, high ropes course and more into #CountOnMe-certified safe attractions.
The 2020 Hospitality Hero Awards for outstanding service at the I-73/I-74 Visitor Centers in Seagrove went to two employees:
- Benita McNeill: Randolph County TDA Executive Director Amber Scarlett says McNeill, who has been at the Visitor Centers since 2012, is “known for her passion for the area and eagerness to help others. She’s faithful, factual, honest and dependable.”
- Doyle Craven: Craven joined the team in 2019. Scarlett says his “quiet spirit influences others to become successful.”
Both employees showed leadership through dramatic pandemic changes in the way they embraced and supported safety measures for visitor center team members and guests.
“We are lucky to have all four of these outstanding tourism professionals in our county; I’m grateful to each of them — and to so many of our small businesses — for coming together and supporting each other as we journey through this pandemic,” Scarlett says.
