Wet but successful Heritage Day

Margaret Nelson of Missouri brought a poster about her
branch of the Runion family.

In spite of heavy rain, flooding, and tornado watches, we had a successful Brocks Gap Heritage Day on April 16, 2011.  There were 270 visitors, from 17 different states plus South Africa.  The attendance was down from 425 last year, but 17 states almost ties the record of 18 states.  

 People came from Va., Maryland, West Va., Penn., South Carolina, Ohio, California, Conn., Florida, Kentucky, Washington state, Georgia, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri, & Wisconsin. 

 

Ha, the South Africa person and her companion from Connecticut didn't initially know they were attending Heritage Day, but we're counting them anyway!  About 9:15 a.m. I was alone at the school when I heard the front door close.  "Who's there?" I called out, expecting some relatives.  It was a young stranger, looking a bit sheepish and saying they had just stopped to use the bathroom; they were in the middle of nowhere & there was no other place to stop, he said.  I laughed & agreed with him.



When the lady came out of the restroom, we chatted a bit.  Turned out they live in northern Va. and were on their way to Mathias, WV to visit a former co-worker who had retired to Mathias.  I took them to the gym to show them the Mathias poster, and they spent about 1/2 hour looking at the other posters, and talking about the area with Shirley & Bud Miller and Tressie Souder.  So we're counting them!

In the Caplinger family, one sister came from OH, one from CA, and another sibling from another part of OH.  In the Mountain George Fulk family, one cousin came from Wash. state, one from GA & one from Grottoes. They were excited to meet 2 other Mountain George cousins from Fulks Run, Thelma Showalter & Cammie Fulk.  Cammie & Thelma also learned they were cousins - they didn't know they were both in the Mountain George line.



For a couple photos, see my Facebook photo album.  My husband Dan is our usual photographer and takes great candid shots, but unfortunately he was sick this year and couldn't attend.



Thank you to all who attended, and a big thanks to my family members and friends who helped with set-up and clean-up.  Hope to see all of you next year.

Pat











More Heritage Day information

Our friends are helping get out the word about the 21st annual Brocks Gap Heritage Day.  http://www.shenandoahvalley.com/ has a feature article on Brocks Gap Heritage Day.  It will run from April 8 through the 15. 

You can also see a short video on Shenandoah Valley TV®, at www.ShenandoahValley.TV.  Or get the video on demand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pja-4UQ9RU

The radio podcast featured for five weeks at www.ShenandoahValleyRadio.com.
The Daily News Record today (April 8) has a long article by Rachel Bowman on the DNA program that David F. Ritchie is going to present. 

Watch this space after April 16 for photos from Heritage Day.

Remember, if you or your family attended Fulks Run Elementary School, we're looking for photos about school days at Fulks Run for the 50th anniversary book.  Here's one from a program from 1966.

Brocks Gap Heritage Day April 16, 2011

Celebrate the past and present with us at the 21st annual Brocks Gap Heritage Day, Sat., April 16, 2011, at Fulks Run Elementary School, Fulks Run, VA, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

See old photos of Brocks Gap families, use our books to do research, talk with other researchers, watch spinners turning wool into yarn.  Three new programs this year:

11:30   Researching Family History at Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society by Pat Messick

1:00     Snips, Strips, Mutants, and Ancestors: Using DNA for family history research.  by David F. Ritchie

2:30     Belsnickeling Program, an old Brocks Gap Christmas-time custom, by Audrey Turner McLendon.  We’ll “Let the Belsnickelers In” and try to guess their identities. 

If you have any Brocks Gap roots, you'll be related to many of the people who attend.  If you don’t have BG roots, we’ll make you a cousin for the day.

We have over 130 tri-fold posters of some of our old photo collections arranged by families, by churches, schools, activities such as logging, butchering, etc.  Pat Ritchie’s personal library of family, local and regional histories will be available to use for your research. 

Other researchers will gather, share their material & sell their books.  New books will be for sale, and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society will be there with other books to sell. 

If you have old photos of Brocks Gap families, bring them to be copied for future books.  This year we are especially looking for photos and stories about Fulks Run Elementary School for a book about its first 50 years.

First grade class, 1962, Fulks Run Elem. School

The event is free.  Donations are accepted to purchase tombstones for our family cemeteries.  We've placed stones in 8 cemeteries so far and have more to do. 

Turner Ham sandwiches (made with a Brocks Gap recipe) and other food will be sold in the cafeteria.

For table space, let me know by April 10th so we can plan.  It's Bring Your Own Table & extension cord (the gym has very few outlets.)  We rent tables from a Harrisonburg firm, and if you'd like us to rent you a table, it's $10.  Set up will be Friday April 15 from 5 until 6:30 p.m. and Sat. morning at 9:30.   

Last year 425 people attended from 12 different states, plus a Canadian couple and a woman from Germany.  We hope to see you at Brocks Gap Heritage Day this year.