The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE — On Saturday, June 1 at 11:30 a.m. in the Historic Masonic Theatre Underground Lounge and Café, stories will take center stage as storytellers from around the Highlands gather to share their memories.
The hour-long story-sharing is part of the ongoing “What’s Your Story?” project.
“Telling stories is a vital way of gathering history that otherwise would be lost,” said WYS? Project manager Joan Vannorsdall. “Every bit as important is the connection created between storyteller and story listener. When we give people the honor of listening — really listening — to what’s important to them, we build community.”
The WYS? Project got underway in 2016, when the first volume, “Remembering the Historic Masonic Theatre,” shared wide-ranging memories of the theatre ranging from the 1920s to the present.
Volume II featured stories and photographs of the C&O Railway and Hospital by those who laid track, ran and repaired engines, and trained as registered nurses at the C&O Hospital.
In 2018, the group produced a book on Green Pastures, the Longdale recreation area that was, for more than a decade of the Jim Crow era, the only place in Virginia and West Virginia where blacks could swim, play, and picnic.
Last month, Volume IV of the series put Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in the spotlight. The 84-page book includes quotes, portraits, stories, and historic photos chronicling the college’s growth and impact on the Highlands.
“We invite everyone to come share a story. It can be a story about growing up here, or leaving here. A story about a place that matters to you, or a person who helped shape your life. A dog you had, a cat you loved. A mistake you made or one you’d make again. One about a book you read, or a song you sang. There’s no limit to what makes a story,” Vannorsdall added. “Story matters. And when people listen to your story, they understand you.”
The WYS? books can be purchased at a number of outlets in the Highlands, including the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, the Clifton Forge Antique Mall, Fire and Light Gallery, Livy’s Closet, and the Historic Masonic Theatre. They will be available for purchase during Heritage Day.
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On Saturday, June 1, at 11:30 a.m. in the Historic?Masonic Theatre Underground Lounge and Café, storytellers from around the Highlands will gather to share memories as part of the ongoing “What’s Your Story?” project. Here Liz Higgins of the U.S. Forest Service talks during an earlier WYS? event highlighting Green Pastures. (Photo Courtesy Joan Vannorsdall)
