The town of Abingdon has now been designated an Appalachian Trail Community. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy made it official after the town applied for the recognition through a program that began in 2010. These communities help promote the nearly 22-hundred mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail that comes through the Washington County towns of Damascus and Abingdon where the Virginia Creeper Trail begins. Abingdon Mayor Ed Morgan pointed out that The Virginia Creeper Trail is a natural connector to the Appalachian Trail. Morgan is known to some hikers as Pork Chop’s dad. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that manages the trail and tries to help sustain economic development in trail communities. (bg)