Horse drawn wagons will once again transport visitors to and from Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day & C&O Railway Festival venues. The sixth annual Heritage Day takes place on June 3 from 10 to 5, free admission. Venues include Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center, The Historic Masonic Theatre. Masonic Amphitheatre, The Jungle & Smith Creek Trail Entrance, Clifton Forge School of the Arts, Clifton Forge Presbyterian Church, Clifton Forge Public Library, Town Hall Parking Lot and C&O Heritage Center. Over 100 artisans will demonstrate, over 20 food vendors will be present with food representing all cultures, and continuous entertainment will entertain Heritage Day visitors. (Photo courtesy of AH Heritage Day)

Alleghany Highlands Sixth Annual Heritage Day & C&O Railway Festival Saturday, June 3 marks a day of honoring the heritage of the Alleghany Highlands   Cllfton Forge, VA (May 10, 2017) - On Saturday, June 3 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, a special event will take place in the Alleghany Highlands, known as Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day & C&O Railway Festival. Heritage Day, celebrating its sixth anniversary, honors the diverse cultures that settled the region, and features music, food, demonstrations, exhibits and experiential activities that represent Irish, Scottish, English, German, Native American, Black American, and Alleghany Highlands Mountain heritage. Partnering with C&O Railway Festival, Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day will begin with memorable kick-off entertainment in The Historic Masonic Theatre, “The WannaBeatles” band sponsored by Covington-Hot Spring Rotary on Friday, June 2 at 7:30 PM. The award-winning WannaBeatles English invasion tribute band has played to enthusiastic revues in the Masonic Amphitheatre and their brand of musicianship; humor and family fun are a fitting start to the Heritage Day philosophy. Tickets for the WannaBeatles range from $13 to $35 and may be purchased online at www.historicmasonictheatre.com or by calling the Theater box office at 540 862 5655. In addition to the heritage of the Alleghany Highlands, the focus of 2017’s Heritage Day is honoring WWI and WWII veterans. The celebration continues on Saturday, June 3 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm with over 100 artisan demonstrations, displays and presentations, train vendors and layouts, continuous music throughout the day, experiential activities, and a wide variety of food vendors including Celtic, English, Native American, Soul Food, German food complete with a German Beer and Virginia Cider Garden, English tea and scones, home-made apple butter, ice cream and barbeque. At 2:00 pm in The Historic Masonic Theatre auditorium, Bernard L. Marie will speak on “Life Under Nazi Occupation-The Invasion of Normandy and the Strength of the Human Spirit”. Mr. Marie, Officer of the French Order of Merit and recipient of the American Legion Patriot Award, was a child in Normandy, France during WWII. His father was active in the French Resistance and Bernard Marie has been honoring WWII veterans and telling his story since that time. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. Bernard Marie’s story will especially impact all veterans who have represented the United States in foreign countries. In addition to partnering with C&O Heritage Center, the day’s events have expanded so that the Historic Masonic Theatre, the Masonic Amphitheatre, sections of Church Street, the Jungle, Clifton Forge Presbyterian Church, Clifton Forge Public Library, Clifton Forge School of the Arts, Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center, the Town Hall parking lot, and C&O Heritage Center, will host demonstrations, displays, Highlands games, draft horse and wagon rides, live animals and musical presentations. Joining Heritage Day this year is national quilt designer, Pepper Cory who will present the popular Quilt Bed Turnings in the 3rd floor WestRock Ballroom of the Masonic Theatre at 10:30, 1:00 and 3:00. Pepper will be sharing her antique and personal quilt collection, “Southern Quilts, Scrappy and Inspirational”. Quilts are a major theme of this year’s Heritage Day--a vintage Americana Quilt exhibit of local quilts will be on display at the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center from 10:00 to 5:00 and a Quilt Pew Collection will be on display at the Clifton Forge Presbyterian Church with over 80 hand-made and patriotic quilts displayed. The Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center will also feature over 150 local artisan creations in their gift shop and doll-making, spinning, wood working, painting on wood, weaving, black smithing, copper smithing, pottery making, glass making, basket making, natural lotions, soapstone carving, and flint-knapping will be displayed and demonstrated at the Clifton Forge School of the Arts and on the Masonic Amphitheatre grounds. At the C&O Heritage Center, guests will find Miniature Trains and Hand Car Rides, Railway Museum, Gift Shop, 1900 Passenger Station Replica, Chessie & Peake during WWII Exhibit, C&O Troop Trains, Photo Opportunities Props including Thomas the Tank Mascot, Hands on Kids Exhibit, Model Train Layouts, Train Whistles,     Operation Life Saver - West Virginia Mobile Education Unit, C&O Railroad Vintage tractors, antique cars and military vehicles will be on display at Clifton Forge Town Hall parking lot. Teams of mules and draft horses will show their strength while performing in the Jungle area in addition to transporting Heritage Day attendees in wagons that will continually travel between Church Street, to the Town Hall parking lot and to C&O Heritage Center and back. Also in the Jungle, the Green Hill Highlanders will perform throughout the day, live heritage animals and alpacas, may be seen and petted along with weaving and spinning demonstrations at the entrance point of the Jungle’s Smith Creek Trail. The Green Hill Highlander athletes challenge one another in traditional Scottish heavy athletics and strength competitions, including the Weight Throw, Scottish Hammer Throw, Stone Put and the always entertaining Caber Toss, which involves tossing a long, tapered pine log or pole end-over-end and should not be missed. Clifton Forge School of the Arts will host a heritage children’s project designed and taught by Judith Sivonda. The Art School’s arboretum will be open to visitors. Come hungry because over 20 food vendors serving Celtic, German, Native American, American, Barbeque and Soul Food wait to serve attendees who may also shop at the Fudge Street WWII Canteen, and the AHACC Food From the Home Front. Snacks include home-made ice cream, pastries, Celtic pasties and sausage rolls, natural honey products, and Southernmost maple products. For the over 21 crowd, a German Beer Garden and Virginia Cidery may quench your thirst, opening at noon in The Historic Masonic Theatre Underground CafĂ©. At C&O, enjoy Tastee Chef - Funnel Cakes & Italian Ice, Clifton Forge Rescue Squad – Hotdogs & Drinks The Masonic Amphitheatre stage will begin the festivities with a color guard and lone bagpiper crossing the Amphitheatre Bridge to present the colors on the stage at 10:00. Brief welcoming remarks will be presented by Mayor Carl Brinkley, Mayor Tom Sibold, Mayor Chuck Unroe, Supervisor Steve Bennett and Heritage Day co-chair, Paul Linkenhoker. Brandon Caldwell will reprise his role as Master of Ceremonies for the day. The entertainment schedule for the day includes Native American dancers, Southbound Trio, Patrick Henry and his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death Speech, CFSOTA Brass Ensemble, the “Reborn” Gospel Choir, Strum Sum Band, Delwin Fiddler, Native American Flute and at 3:30 pm, Bill Cook and The Bluegrass Jam Friends. Mike Carter Classic Country Music Band will be playing at C&O throughout the day. Troup 2 Boy Scouts will demonstrate and display. Also on the Amphitheatre grounds, area organizations will have booths—Alleghany Historical Society with a Virginia powder horn and hunting bag demonstration, Alleghany Highland Genealogical Society, CFHS Alumni, CF Woman’s Club, Olde Town Covington, Wrightsville Museum, Carpenter’s Battery, VFW Posts 4299 and 1033, and Bath and Botetourt County Historical Societies. Bagpiper Tom Rogers will stroll the grounds throughout the day and Falconer Corey Basham will demonstrate the art of falconry on the Amphitheatre grounds and stage. The third floor WestRock Ballroom, the Auditorium Stage, the Annex Lobby, and the Underground Stage and Concession area of the Historic Masonic Theatre will host a variety of displays and entertainment. Leah Trent will play the Celtic harp while tea and scones are available for purchase. Music demonstrations include banjo by Jim Lloyd, David Crandall and guitar, Delwin Fiddler (Lakota tribe) and his Native American flute. In the Annex, the Fiber Arts Network will demonstrate spinning and weaving and wool felting in addition to demonstrating a 1928 sock making machine. In addition to Bernard Marie presenting in the Masonic Theatre Auditorium, WWII newsreels will play throughout the day. Dr. Calvin McClinton at 11:30, will present, “African-American Pioneers, Past and Present”, the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce at 1:00 will present, “Dawn of Infamy, America Goes to War”, and at 4:00 pm Southbound Trio will lead a sing along of WWI and WWII songs (lyrics provided). Prominently featured in 2017’s Heritage Day is the Clifton Forge Public Library which is designated at the WWI and WWII Research Center. Large exhibits of WWI and WWII memorabilia including uniforms, captured German artifacts, flags, weapons and music will be on display. Presentations include: 11:00, Chuck Almarez, “Restoring Vintage Photos from WWI and WWII”; Noon, Sam Hale, “Gramophone Technology and WW Music”; and 1:00 pm, Neva Hart, “The WWI Red Cross Quilt”. The Library conference room will feature a large “Keep the Home Fires Burning” needleart display by “Theadbenders and the “What’s Your Story?” Committee will be asking attendees help in identifying a large photo display of vintage photos dating from early 1900’s to 1940 of area locations. Times are approximate and subject to change. All attendees will receive an event brochure and wrist band when passing through the four Welcome Stations located at Church Street and Jefferson, Church Street and Commercial, the Smith Creek Bridge entrance and C&O Heritage Center. Admission is free of charge. Be sure to download the Heritage Day APP that will provide information on schedules, locations, food, restrooms, and information about the history and heritage of the Alleghany Highlands in addition to a fun way to learn about all the crafts demonstrated during Heritage Day. Sponsors for 2017 Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day and Railway Festival include Alleghany County, WestRock, The Historic Masonic Theatre, Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce, Ingevity, Covington-Hot Spring Rotary, Clifton Forge Main Street, Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center, Clifton Forge School of the Arts, Town of Clifton Forge, Alleghany Historical Society, Hill Crest B&B, C&O Historical Society, Virginia Commission for the Arts, Olde Town Covington, Clifton Forge Presbyterian Church, Clifton Forge Friends of the Library, VFW Post 1033, True Value Hardware. The schedule of events and downloadable brochure and APP may be found on www.alleghanyheritageday.com. In addition to Boy Scouts Troop 2, and Boys Home, many community volunteers will also be helping with Heritage Day.      VP and CEO of Alleghany Historical Society, Paul Linkenhoker issued the following invitation, “On behalf of the entire Alleghany Highlands community, I would like to invite everyone to participate in the 2017 Alleghany Highlands Heritage Day & C&O Railway Festival. 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 June 3 to celebrate our heritage.”

* * * * *