The Shadow
HERITAGE DAY — The annual Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day will be held Saturday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the grounds of the Masonic Amphitheatre in Clifton Forge. The event will include a variety of activites which will highlight and celebrate the diverse cultures that settled the region. (Photo Courtesy Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation)
HERITAGE DAY — The annual Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day will be held Saturday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the grounds of the Masonic Amphitheatre in Clifton Forge. The event will include a variety of activites which will highlight and celebrate the diverse cultures that settled the region. (Photo Courtesy Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation)
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By Gayle Hillert
CLIFTON FORGE — On Saturday, Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., a special event will take place in the Alleghany Highlands.
Alleghany Highlands Her-itage Day, a celebration of the diverse cultures that settled the region, will feature music, food, demonstrations, games and experiential activities that represent Irish, Scottish, English, German, Native American, Black American, and Alleg-hany Highlands Mountain heritage.
Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day will begin with a lively kick-off by Maidens IV, an Ohio-based sister band that features high energy Celtic and original music.
Maidens IV will perform on Friday, October 3 at 7 p.m. on the stage of the award-winning Masonic Amphitheatre.
Tickets are $10 for adults; $7 for seniors/military, and $5 for students.
The celebration continues on Saturday with over 45 artisan demonstrations, displays and presentations, continuous music throughout the day, games and experiential activities.
There will be a wide variety of food vendors representing Irish, Scottish, English, Native American, soul food, and German food, complete with a German Beer Garden, and afternoon English Tea from 2-4 p.m., and baked goods from the Flour Shop and the Masonic Marketplace.
The day’s events have expanded so that the Masonic Amphitheatre, sections of Church Street, Clifton Forge Public Library and Clifton Forge School of the Arts will “house” demonstrations, displays, presentations, games, live animals and musical presentations.
A display of Alleghany Highlands Mountain Crafts is sponsored by Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center on the Amphitheatre grounds.
A quilt show is on display at the Clifton Forge Public Library, and a selected number of quilts made by Joann Mize will be for sale. Hand and machine quilting will be demonstrated along with weaving and spinning with Alpaca yarn by Peaceful Hearts Alpaca from southern Virginia, in addition to a demonstration of doll-making.
A large selection of vintage quilts and embroidery will be displayed in the Gallery of Clifton Forge School of the Arts.
The Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation received a matching grant in 2014 from the town of Clifton Forge and the Virginia Commission for the Arts that specified funding for a Heritage Event. Grants have also been provided by Alleghany County and Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, MeadWestvaco and Scott Hill Retirement Center.
Heritage Day festivities will commence with a walk across Smith Creek pedestrian bridge at 11 by Shenandoah Pipes and Drums Corps.
The Doug Stevenson Gos-pel Choir from Lexington will sing at 11:25, followed by Irish and English Ballads and Songs by Mary Smith and Gregg Kimball at 12:20.
Celtic duo Cranruach will perform at 1:30 and Native American Dancers will perform at 2:10. Leah Trent, Celtic harpist, will play at 3:00 during the English Tea, and Jam Session Band will round out the entertainment at 4:00 with bluegrass.
Times are approximate and subject to change. All attendees will receive a schedule when passing through the entrance points on Church Street on Herit-age Day.
Several performers will demonstrate their instruments throughout the day.
The Alleghany Historical Society will have displays and answer questions about the area’s history, the Alleghany Highlands Cham-ber of Commerce and Tourism will showcase area history and attractions, and John Strott will present a program highlighting the Civil War Trail locations that may be seen in the region.
“The Alleghany High-lands Chamber of Com-merce and Tourism is pleased to serve as one of the sponsors for Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day again this year,” said Teresa Hammond, Chamber executive director. “This event is a great opportunity for the community, especially our children, to celebrate our history and to learn more about our heritage”.
Mary Smith and Gregg Kimball, music historians from the Richmond area, will present C&O stories and songs and feature the folk hero John Henry, and the famous wreck of Engine 143.
Their topics are closely associated with the area around Clifton Forge.
Additionally, they will talk briefly about the importance of the railroad and how it influenced the culture of the region.
In addition, demonstrations and displays of hand crafts that were, and still are popular, will be shown at specific times from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The schedule of events may be found on the Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day 2014 page on www.historicmasonictheatre.com.
Featured demonstrations include blacksmithing, fly tying and casting, felting, pottery, spinning and weaving, stained glass and fused glass, knitting, quilting, decorative painting, doll making and basket making, herbal remedies, wood carving, Native American flute-making, apple-butter making, and soap-making.
Workshops for all ages will be presented by Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center and Clifton Forge School of the Arts.
Games for all will include marbles, quoits, horseshoes and corn hole, in addition to displays and experiential activities of log cabin building, moonshine stills, flint and steel fire building by Boy Scout Troop 2, log cabin painting for children, and Lincoln logs.
The heritage animals were a huge attraction at last year’s Heritage Day. This year’s Heritage Day will host chickens, goats, piglets, rabbits, sheep and a calf.
In addition to Boy Scouts Troop 2, 4H members, and many community volunteers will also be helping with Heritage Day.
Clifton Forge Mayor Carl Brinkley issued the following invitation, “On behalf of the Clifton Forge Town Council I would like to invite everyone to participate in the 2014 Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day. There’s something of interest to everyone and our children and grandchildren will learn much about the history of their community. We look forward to seeing you on October 4 to celebrate our heritage.”
Admission is free and there will be two entrance points to Heritage Day on Church Street and Commercial and Church Street and Jefferson.
For more information on the Historic Masonic Theatre and Masonic Amphitheatre and to view the Heritage Day schedule of events, visit www.his-toricmasonictheatre.com, or email masonictheatre-@yahoo.com.
