Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994                   TAG: 9404110142
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                 LENGTH: Short

PIONEER MAID MAKES 1ST RUN FOR NEW SEASON

The association was formed by the merger of organizations representing Virginia restaurants, inns, motels and other hospitality and travel businesses. The luncheon trip aboard the Pioneer Maid is part of a familiarization tour through Southwest Virginia.

The Pioneer Maid is booked for a number of private charters during April, for groups such as Radford University alumni and a physical education majors' organization. It will start its regular season of cruises for the public in May.

Reservations and information on the cruises offered are available by calling 674-9344 or toll-free 1-800-419-0378.

The building housing the offices of the New River Cruise Co., just off Interstate 81 at the Claytor Lake exit, may be the new home of the valley's Welcome Center.

The center, established by New River Valley HOSTS, has been in rooms made available by the Dublin Comfort Inn since it opened several years ago. But now the motel needs the space and the center has moved out.

``We've got that whole building up there,'' Joyce Barrett of New River Cruise said of the facility, which has some empty space in it. It is also located on the way to Claytor Lake State Park, which draws thousands of visitors each year. ``So we offered it to them,'' she said.

The Welcome Center has warehoused its brochures and equipment for now. If it moves to the New River Cruise Co. building, it will have to build racks and facilities to display its offerings.