The ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the Mendota Trail will be taking place Friday, September 15.The event will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Benhams at 7664 Rich Valley Road in Bristol, Virginia. The conservancy Board president says for several decades, this rails-to-trails conversion project has been a dream of many local outdoorrecreation enthusiasts. Since 2016, a collaborative private-public partnership has restored 17 trestles and completed extensive improvements of the former railbed linking Bristol to Mendota in Washington County.