SOFR’s Johnson Receives the RCCVB 2025 Grand Pineapple Award
Article presented by Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau …
The 10th annual Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureaus Pineapple Awards were held Monday at the Christopher Conference Center in Chillicothe.
Southern Ohio Forest Rally Race Director Jeremiah Johnson is the 2025 Grand Pineapple Award recipient. This June 12-14 will be the 9th annual rally car race through the state forests of Southern Ohio. The rally first came through the Chillicothe area as the Sunriser Forest Rally in the 1980s.
Johnson and his group began recruiting racers with the hopes of bringing rally car racing to the area in 2016. A year later they were kicking up dust in Scioto Trails, Zaleski and Shawnee State Forests with parque exposes featuring the cars in Chillicothe and McArthur.
Now the SOFR is a major stop for the American Rally Association schedule, drawing between 60 to 75 entries annually from all over the world. In his presentation of the award, RCCVB Board President Curt McAllister noted Johnson “thinks beyond his own organization and event and believes in the value of Ross County tourism and takes pride in doing his part to help it (tourism) grow.”
Other awards presented include The Pour House at Machinery Hall owner/operator Ben Daughters as Volunteer of the Year for his work with Downtown Chillicothe. Ryan Harris, who works in the gift shop for Tecumseh! Outdoor Drama as the Frontline Associate of the Year. Muralist Pam Kellough was awarded Behind the Scenes Associate of the Year and McDonald’s Manager, Jodi Fairchild was tabbed Manager of the Year.
Ross County has 2,072 jobs directly tied to tourism which generates $155 million in direct sales to the local economy in the county.
The RCCVB is funded entirely by lodging taxes from those who visit the county and stay in its hotels, bed and breakfasts and short-term rentals.
RCCVB Executive Director Melody Young said the bureau received more than $193,000 in requests for help by organizations seeking monies from the Promotional Grant Assistance Program, however the bureau was only able to award $25,000 across ten recipients. Those organizations include The Buck Fifty, Southern Ohio Forest Rally, The Scioto Society, Downtown Chillicothe, The Ross County Historical Society, Pump House Center for the Arts, The Paper City Mentoring Project, Gus Macker, Chillicothe Half Marathon and Atomic Speedway.
