Louisa

Life

April 12 - May 9, 2013 • ONE COPY FREE

Your News Source for Town and Country Living

Lake Anna State Park

A Virtual Reality Page 4

2 • LOUISA LIFE• April 12–May 9, 2013

LouisaLife

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Your News Source For Town & Country Living

Publisher/Editor C. M. Santos [email protected] Advertising Director Judi Price [email protected] Advertising Accounts Manager Diane Eliason Graphic Designer Marilyn Ellinger

•Saving Mineral Baptist Church...Pages 7-9

•Memories rekindled for Jerry Hall..Page 10

• A charming arts festival...Page 12

Contributors Louisa County Historical Society Elaine Taylor, The Sargeant Museum

In the Spotlight

Email: [email protected]

1863 Stoneman’s Raid in Louisa County Contributed by Elaine Taylor, Director of The Sargeant Museum

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Writers Linda Salisbury Pat Wilson

ention the Civil War in Louisa County and most people think of the Battle of Trevilian Station in 1864. Aside from Civil War buffs, few people know much about the other major campaign fought a year earlier called Stoneman’s Raid in May 1863. On Saturday, April 20th at 10:00 a.m., Stoneman’s Raid expert A. Wilson Greene, Executive Director of Pamplin Military Park, will speak at The Louisa Arts Center. His lecture will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the raid and will be the premier Civil War 150th event in Louisa County in 2013. 7,400 Union cavalry under command of Gen. George Stoneman were sent into the heart of Virginia in late April 1863 to cut off supply lines to Richmond, destroy bridges and draw off Confederate Cavalry in preparation for the Battle of Chancellorsville. The story of the raid, confusing to interpret and heartbreaking to document, takes place in Louisa Court House, Tolersville (now Mineral), Fredericks Hall, Yanceyville, Shannon Hill and just about every bridge or ford in between. Fog, horrific rains and contradictory orders made raid difficult for the men involved. Swollen rivers and thick mud made the raid devastating on the Union horses and mules. Reports from the time describe that the conditions wore down horses at such a rate that dead

and lamed animals marked the route of Stoneman's march. A. Wilson Greene has worked in Civil War history for 38 years. He started his career with the National Park Service, serving as historian at Petersburg National Battlefield and later at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. He was a founding member and first executive director of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, now the Civil War Preservation Trust. He has led Pamplin Historical Park since its inception in the planning stage in 1993. Greene is the author of six books of Civil War history, including Civil War Petersburg: Confederate City in the Crucible of War, winner of the Laney Prize for the year's outstanding Civil War monograph. A busy speaker and tour guide, Greene has addressed more than 100 Civil War Roundtables and has served as a Study Leader for the Smithsonian since 1989.

Advertising sales: [email protected] Mailing address: P.O. Box 59, Palmyra, VA 22963. Office location: 2987 Lake Monticello Road, Palmyra, VA 22963 Phone: (434) 591-1000 Fax: (434) 589-1704

General: Louisa Life is published monthly by Valley Publishing Corp. A total of 6,000 copies are circulated throughout Louisa County. One copy is free, additional copies are $1 each payable in advance to the publisher. Subscriptions: Copies will be mailed for the subscription price of $35 per year. Please mail a check and a note with your name and address to: Louisa Life Subscriptions Dept., P.O. Box 59, Palmyra, VA 22963.

Submissions, tips, ideas, etc.: Louisa Life encourages submissions and tips on items of interest to Louisa County citizens. However we reserve the right to edit submissions as deemed necessary and cannot guarantee they will be published. Louisa Life will not be responsible for returning submitted materials, please include S.A.S.E. if you would like items returned. Please keep Calendar submissions to 50 words or less, letters to the editor to 300 words or less and feature stories to 500 words or less. Mail submissions to: Louisa Life, P.O. Box 59, Palmyra, VA 22963 or e-mail [email protected] Classified ads: Please send a written or typed copy of the ad with a $10 check to: Classifieds Department P.O. Box 59, Palmyra, VA 22963. You can also email [email protected] and pay by credit card. Please specify the category it should appear under. Ads must be 30 words or less. Sorry, classifieds will not be taken by phone. Disclaimer: All real estate advertised in this publication is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin…” The Virginia Fair Housing Law also makes it illegal to discriminate because of elderliness (age 55 and over). This publication will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All real estate advertised in this paper is available on an equal opportunity basis. Next advertising deadline: 9–June 13, 2013 issue.

May 1, for the May

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A. Wilson Greene, Executive Director of Pamplin Military Park will be the speaker.

The lecture on April 20th will last about an hour and is free to the public. Sponsored by the Louisa County Historical Society in the Haley Cooke Theater, 212 Fredericksburg Avenue in Louisa, Virginia. Call 540-967-5975 for more information.

Bryce Wilk welcomes visitors to the 3D room at Lake Anna State Park. Photo by Linda Salisbury

Cover designed by Marilyn Ellinger April 12–May 9, 2013 • LOUISA LIFE • 3

Cover Story

Lake Anna State Park Interpreter Matt Knight explains the new technology. All photos by Linda Salisbury.

Bryce Wilk explains how the new information kiosk works.

Lake Anna State Park visitor center has major overhaul By Linda Salisbury Correspondent

By summer season visitors will be able to not only experience gold panning, but also learn how to find gems through sluicing. A stuffed beaver is part of the exhibit.

Bryce Wilk explains the new interactive features of the campsite exhibit.

ake Anna State Park has gone hi-tech. Thanks to funding from the Virginia Association for Parks and Friends of Lake Anna State Park, the visitor center has had a major overhaul by the park’s maintenance crew during the winter months and will greet the spring and summer seasons with an all-new interactive, entertaining and educational approach to let visitors of all ages know what’s available, not only at this park, but elsewhere in the state park system.

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When visitors enter the center overlooking the beach and playground, and

4 • LOUISA LIFE • April 12–May 9, 2013

wooded trails they’ll find a colorful and enticing gift shop, plus an electronic display on a wide screen that shows current weather conditions, park alerts, and events, and they might meet Matt Knight, a park interpreter. From that vantage point, their eyes will be drawn to the set up of a tent, with what appears to be a woman inside talking about the camping experience. As realistic as that scene appears, it turns out that the female “virtual camper” is also part of the multimedia experience that is so engaging that she seems alive and visitors are drawn into the world outside. Adding realism, on the wall behind her is photographic wallpaper of a camping site. The giant photographs on other walls display the lake area at sunset, for example or a meadow. Visitors will also enjoy the eye-catching “video wall” with four, 70-inch flat

Interpreter Matt Knight and Chief Ranger Bryce Wilk

A temporary banner is affixed to the visitor center. screens, which can show the same picture, parts thereof, or separate pictures of either the Lake Anna State Park, or other parks in the region. “You can see how beautiful all the states parks are all around Virginia,” said Bryce Wilk, chief ranger. “It makes you feel like you’re there.” These compelling visuals are the brainchild of Imperial Multimedia of Baraboo, Wisc., and like the great Wizard, can control the Virginia electronics from afar. A small room with 3D videos adds to the experience, as do interactive quizzes for all ages and wildlife displays. The touch screen quiz might ask, “What animal sleeps in the grass?” and clues help lead guessers to the correct answers. The center is no longer static and old, with its former primary focus a display of stuffed animals. Instead, it is now the model for improvements at possibly 11 other parks. And there’s even a phone app for the Virginia State Park system that, like the park’s Web site, gives people the opportunity to remotely gather the information they need about location, activities and amenities of each of the parks. Johnny Finch, president of the Virginia Association for Parks, and his wife, Jo, president of Friends of Lake Anna State Park, are among the volunteers who have worked hard to make the upgrade a reality through fund-raising efforts. In addition to the new technology indoors, Johnny Finch noted that a new information kiosk along the path to the center allows visitors to gather information about the various parks, including Lake Anna, and print out maps for trails. He credits the Dominion Foundation for providing the funding to develop and place an information kiosk in each of Virginia’s 35 state parks and Fred Lochner of Imperial Multimedia for developing the specifics of the hi-tech projects. Wilk said that aside from modernizing the experience, the new technology that provides so much information will free up staff to provide other services. But, wait, there’s more. By summer season visitors will be able to not only experience gold panning, but also learn how to find gems through sluicing. Wilk said that the long sluice box will be installed on the center’s long porch. The system, which includes a water tower and trough, is being constructed by Cold River Mining a company in Maine. Participants will be able to purchase various sizes bags of soil that are seeded with gems and minerals and can keep what they discover. Gold that is found through the panning program offered on Saturdays year-round is park property. Both programs highlight the park’s history in a region famous for mining and the site of the Goodwin Mine also provides educational opportunities. Lake Anna State Park attracts about 250,000 visitors annually to enjoy its educational programs, canoe trips, campsites and cabins, horseback riding or walking trails, beach, picnic areas and nature experiences. Finch noted that the education components fit with the state’s Standard of Learning expectation and provides an outdoor classroom content so that youngsters can learn firsthand about wetlands and the ecology of a stream. Wilk said that the new center is designed to kindle a desire to learn more about the natural world. It’s a world full of surprises and beauty, and available through Lake Anna State Park. For more information about events, including the May 18-19 Kids to Parks Day, visit Virginiaparks.org or Virginiaoutdoors.com. Friends of Lake Anna State Park and the Virginia Association for Parks are always glad to have additional volunteers. For more information contact Jo Finch at (540) 895-5061.

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SUMMER FUN!

READ Anytime The current and past issues of Louisa Life.

You can now register and PAY online for most programs! Let LCPR show you how to “Play Local” this summer.

View Online

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Go to our website

www. LCPR.info or pick up a brochure, or call us and we’ll mail you one

540-967-4420 April 12–May 9, 2013 • LOUISA LIFE • 5

Calendar Mother's Day Bake Sale May 10, 9 a.m. to noon. Shop early for best selection of beautifully packaged home baked goodies. Buy several items for Mom or for you. St. James Episcopal Church, 102 Ellisville Av, Louisa, VA. Contact Lin Kogle. 540-894-0239.

Galilee Installation Pastor Service It is with hearts thankful to God, that Galilee Baptist Church Louisa invites you to the Installation Service of our Pastor, Elder Ruben Lewis, Jr. The service will be held Saturday, April 27th at 4:00 p.m. Your presence and your prayers are solicited. For more information call 434-589-8817.

The Library JMRL TEEN PROGRAMS APRIL-MAY 2013 ALL BRANCHES

Matt Knight, Jo and Johnny Finch with Bryce Wilk.

Parks Day for Kids and Everyone Lake Anna State Park: May 18-19 Kids to Parks Day, visit Virginiaparks.org or Virginiaoutdoors.com. Friends of Lake Anna State Park and the Virginia Association for Parks are always glad to have additional volunteers. For more information contact Jo Finch at (540) 895-5061.

Yard Sale April 20, 8am-2pm Belmont Plant, Bake & Yard Sale Something for everyone! Yard sale includes household items as well as a large variety of tools and sporting goods. Lunch available. Belmont Community Center, 7124 Belmont Rd, Mineral, VA. Located off routes 522 & 719. Contact Lin Kogle, 540-894-0239.

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carpets • vinyl • laminates • hardwood floors • dustless sanding

carpets • vinyl • laminates • hardwood floors • dustless sanding

carpets • vinyl • laminates • hardwood floors • dustless sanding 6 • LOUISA LIFE • April 12–May 9, 2013

Free Comic Book Day Saturday, May 4. More details closer to the date! Once again, the Library will be joining Atlas Comics in celebrating Free Comic Book Day by -- what else? -- handing out free comics! Stop by to see what’s available. Check the website at jmrl.org/teens for more details, times, and locations as the date gets closer. An awesome event for all ages.

LOUISA COUNTY LIBRARY Louisa Bookworms: A Book Group for Middle School Girls Wednesdays, May 1. 3:30-4:30 pm Join this book group for middle school girls, receive a free book, and come for lively discussions and snacks. Registration is limited to 15 girls in grades 6,7,8. Call 540.894.5853 to register or stop by the circulation desk. Book-to-Screen Film Series Fridays, April 19, May 17. 3:45 pm Stop by after school for an awesome film based on a popular book. Popcorn and drinks will be served. Movies will be rated PG-13.

History

Louisa Arts Center Cooke-Haley Theater For Tickets or Information: 540.967.2200 LouisaArts.org 212 Fredericksburg Ave. Louisa, VA 23093

Erin Lunsford In Concert

Historic Church Gets New Lift

April 13 - 7:30 p.m.

By Linda Salisbury Correspondent

Orquesta Tropikiimba The interior of the Mineral Baptist Church before the pews were removed. All photos by Linda Salisbury.

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embers of the Whitlock family, along with the Mineral Historic Foundation, saved the old Mineral Baptist Church from demolition in 2000, and now, 13 years later, are providing the funds and overseeing its renovation. The church building was rescued from bulldozers largely through the efforts of Dr. Gaynelle Whitlock and her brothers, Robert and Bill. Many members of the congregation were sad that once the congregation moved into its new brick building next door, the church couldn’t afford to make repairs and maintenance on the both buildings. Gaynelle’s hope was to have the 1906 structure upgraded and restored for use by the Mineral Historic Foundation and the community. The building was transferred for $1 to the foundation in exchange for a 50-year-lease. Unfortunately, Gaynelle, a retired educator, died in 2009 before the major work on the church had started, and during the renovation of her family’s home in the historic district was also accomplished. But prior to her death she had established the Alma Gaynelle Whitlock Foundation

and discussed with the trustees (her nieces and nephews: Susan Whitlock, David Whitlock, Doug Whitlock and John Whitlock) how to best use her foundation’s resources, said Doug, who is overseeing the project. “It was always Aunt Gay’s desire to see the old church restored to the condition it was in 1906,” he said, adding, “This is the first major project taken on by her foundation since her death.” The trustees are now making her dream come true. When the restoration is completed later this summer, the building will be returned to the Mineral Baptist Church, which constructed a modern building next door in the late 1990s to accommodate its growing congregation. Doug said he’s really enjoying the project. “I love architecture.” And although he admits that he didn’t appreciate the historic building when he was a child, he’s looking forward to seeing it brought back to its original condition. Doug estimates the project will cost about $400,000 before the building is rededicated and the keys returned. In addition to the restoration and rewiring, he said a state-of-the

See Church Page 8

In Concert May 18 - 7:30 p.m.

Music & Wine at Sundown 5:30 p.m. May 9, 16, Oct, 3, 10, 17 Family Fun Movies 7:00 p.m. June 4, 11 Concerts in the Park 7 p.m. July 11, 18, 25

Calendar LOUISA COUNTY LIBRARY KIDS PROGRAMS: APRIL-MAY 2013 Preschool Storytime Thursdays, 10:30 am. For ages 3 - 5. Join us for a fun time of stories, songs, flannel boards and learning! Family Film Night: April 16 & May 21 at 6:30 pm. For all ages. Come join us for free family-friendly movies. Free popcorn and drinks provided. Screen Break: There’s So Much More To Do! April 28 - May 4 Fill out a pledge sheet to turn off your screens for this week

and get a free book. Show us that you turned off your screen and did other things and get entered in a drawing for an extra prize. Pledge sheets provided. For all ages. Mothers are Great Saturday, May 11, 2:00 pm. For all ages. You know your mother is the best. So come to the library to share stories about your mom. We will be making a Mother’s Day craft.

April 12–May 9, 2013 • LOUISA LIFE • 7

Church from page 7

Doug Whitlock stands at the entrance to the 1906 edifice. art audio and visual system is being installed. That system and the sanctuary’s acoustics will make it a good hall for concerts, and its size will be useful for weddings and other events both for church members and the community. The history of the project and the church will be documented with a video produced by John Hancock Productions of Richmond. Gaynelle’s dream was not only to save the church building of her childhood but also other worthy structures in this former mining town, such as her childhood home built in 1905 shortly after Mineral was incorporated and while the nearby church was under construction. She was the driving force behind the town’s application for inclusion on the National Registry of Historic Places. The designation means that property owners within the historic district may apply for tax credits if their property is restored to certain criteria. “The nonprofit foundation’s rehabilitation work on the church will be eligible for a state

8 • LOUISA LIFE • April 12–May 9, 2013

One of the stained glass windows.

Gaynelle Whitlock’s family home near the church.

tax credit equal to 25 percent of the eligible expenses as long as the work meets the state standards. Nonprofits, such as the Alma Gaynelle Whitlock Foundation, that use the state historic tax credit program can benefit, said Ashley Neville, architectural historian, who assisted Mineral with the application for the designation. A nonprofit can syndicate the credits, meaning that it can receive a certain amount of cash for the credits it can’t use, and the person or organization acquiring them can then receive a credit on applicable taxes. She will be checking on the church project to make sure it complies with state requirements for the tax credits on applicable aspects of the renovation. Howard Loudin, a builder and deacon in the Mineral Baptist Church is handling the work. His employees carefully numbered and removed the pews, which along with the heart pine floor will be refinished. The “false” ceiling has been removed exposing the original wainscoting, which will be painted. Decorator Molly Carey is helping select colors that will brighten the former sanctuary, which has blue, yellow, and milky stained-glass windows, unusual for their bubbly texture. “The homes and churches of Mineral tell the story of the residents who were optimists and moved here to take advantage of new opportunities and in the process created a town almost overnight,” according to the registry application. The spirit of those who founded Mineral Baptist two years after the incorporation of the town of Mineral were among those hardworking optimists. In July 1903, a small group of people, inspired by the Reverend John Wilkinson, met at the Odd Fellows Hall on Mineral Avenue and formed the new congregation. The pastor urged them to raise the funds for construction of the church, and land was purchased for $50. Gaynelle and her family were active in the church and community, and she went on to become a leader in the state educational system. After high school graduation, she studied at the College of William

and Mary and became a teacher with an interest in counseling. She taught at the University of Georgia, Virginia State University and the Virginia Commonwealth University, becoming the associate dean in the school of education. She helped develop the Center for School and Community Collaboration and provided professional development for school personal, who work with at-risk students. At her side since their marriage in 1985 was her husband Swift Williams,

who has also been active in the Mineral Historic Foundation, taping oral histories and memories of “old-timers.” “Gay was the heart and soul of the foundation,” said Williams, “and the driving force behind the historical district’s designation.” Now her dream for preserving at least two buildings in the town she called home is coming true. •••

Concerts at Walton Park Newe!!! Nam

DatNew es! !!

Come celebrate the end of the work week with some classic MoTown, Beach and other great dance music. •Friday, May 31 - the Rhondels •Friday, June 28 - the Janitors •Friday, July 26 - Steve Jarrell and the Sons of the Beach Sponsored by Louisa County Parks, Recreation & Tourism. All concerts are 6-9 pm $4 adults 21 and older $3 youth 6-20 years old, 5 years and under Free. Food vendors, a moonbounce and plenty of space to run around for the kids. Adult beverages will be sold by the Mineral Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary.

Bring your ID, grab a lawn chair and your friends and join us for "It's Finally Friday!!!"

Presents

SHAKESPEARE AT THE PLAYERS

The Taming of the Shrew By William Shakespeare Directed by Kristen Franklin Heiderstadt MAINSTAGE: May 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 2013 at 8 pm May 5, 12, 19, 2013 at 2:30 pm Tickets: Adults/$16; Seniors & Students/$14; Children 12 & under/$12 All Fridays Half-Price (Half off a regular adult-price ticket)

Ticket Info – 540.832.5355 www.fourcp.org

Starting Mendy St. Ours as Katherine Photo by Martyn Kyle, Pernmoot Photography

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aying homage to our many years of Shakespeare At The Ruins, we are thrilled to present one of the Bard’s most beloved comedies. Directed by Four County Players veteran Kristen Franklin Heiderstadt in her directorial debut— though she is certainly no stranger to the stage, this theater, or this show! Follow us on Facebook

Thanks to our sponsors:

April 12–May 9, 2013 • LOUISA LIFE • 9

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Because he was strong enough to carry it, Jerry Hall often marched in local parades with a bass drum.

Where can I pick up my Louisa Life? Ally’s Restaurant Farmer Foods (outside) Volunteer Center/Betty Queen Ctr. CVS Food Lion Subway Hunan Best Domino’s Pizza Southern States Louisa County Library Pure Gas Station Mineral Mineral Restaurant Mineral Laundromat Big Johns Pizza in Mineral BB&T Va Community Bank Mineral Mineral Post Office Miller’s Market Mineral Express Lane Exxon Bumpass Convenience Store Dickinsons General Store Christopher Run Campground Lakeview Restaurant, Rt 719 Hunter’s Landing Lake Anna Realty, Rt 208 Newbridge Market & Deli Chelsea Joe’s Restaurant ReMax Lake & Country Long & Foster Real Estate Lake Anna BP Gas Valere Real Estate Elk Creek Store Johnny’s Quick Stop, Rt 522 Price’s Pantry Gum Springs Exxon BP Dairy Queen Rt 522 Parrish Grocery, Rt 250 & 522 Stewarts Cafe Hadensville Store BP, Rt 250 Ferncliffe Market Valley Publishing Office Crescent Inn

10 • LOUISA LIFE • April 12–May 9, 2013

Zions Grocery Real Estate III Va Community Bank Citgo/Blimpie McDonald/Amoco Burger King/Exxon Best Western Visitors Center Spring Creek Guard House Holleys Store Boswell Tavern Rt. 15 Mighty Mart Gordonsville, Rt. 15 Food Lion Gordonsville Shenandoah Crossing Visitors Ctr. Shenandoah Crossing Lodge Shenandoah Crossing Golf Shop Country Corner Market K&B Supermarket Hottingers Nursery Amerisist Nursing Home Louisa Post Office Wachovia Bank Solid Grounds Coffee Shop Obrigado Restaurant Bank of America Pandit Book Store Louisa Arts Center Century 21 Real Estate Bank of Louisa Louisa Hardware, TV Panda Garden Joe’s Place Pizza Roma’s Italian Rest. Los Tres Potrillo’s Mex Res Va Community Bank Walgreens BP Mart Pizza Hut Farmer Foods (inside)

Memories Are Made Like This By Pat Wilson Correspondent

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hen Jerry Hall was sorting through boxes stored for over a half century in his late mother’s home, he chanced upon a 1958 letter written to him by a high school friend who lived in Richmond. “At first, I didn’t even remember who the person was,” he said. “Then there was a flash in my old brain and it opened a flood gate … and locked up memories from 55 years ago came rushing back.” Recalling his teenage years, especially those spent as a Louisa Rebel in the earthquake-damaged and now-leveled high school building, Hall dug out yearbooks with the traditional messages long ago penned by classmates. But the memories also reflected a much different Louisa County with only a A young Jerry Hall attended handful of restaurants, mom and pop groMineral Elementary School for cery stores, drive-in movies and a high grades one through school building that housed eighth graders seven.marched in local parades through seniors. with a bass drum. “Even though I realize it was just bricks and mortar, that school and Louisa were so much a part of my life. I don’t think any of us realized it at the time,” he said. Hall grew up on family land just north of the town of Mineral. Since the death of his mother in 2007, he and his wife, Bobbi, have moved back into the family farmhouse. He attended Mineral Elementary School which housed grades one through seven, and Hall recalled riding his pony during the May Day celebration and still had

People

Jerry Hall (#55, far right) was a center for the varsity football team. The Core, 1958. report cards that showed he was a B average student who “sometimes wasted time.” But, it is the random memories of his teenage years and the bonding with friends and teachers that are most vivid.

High School Years A New Deal project near the end of the Great Depression, the school opened in 1940. It combined three separate high schools – Louisa, Mineral and Apple Grove. Many of its young men left before graduating to fight in World War II or the Korean Conflict. Some died on the battlefields. Still, Hall’s generation looked forward to a bright future in a time of peace. “We were ambitious. The world was changing and we wanted to be a part of it,” he said. “It was a different time not only in rural Louisa but in the country.” From the front, the school just west of the town of Mineral appeared much as it was originally. It had an auditorium and two floors of classrooms, but neither a cafeteria nor gym. A coke machine in the agriculture shop, located in the rear, and milk sold from a cooler supplemented snacks bought from a student-run canteen in the second floor projection room. Students toted brown-bags. “We’d meet during lunch time on the halls or near the front doors, and in good weather on the front stoop,” said Hall. “Sometimes, the administration would lock the front door with a chain and padlock to keep us from hanging out in front. One day, I was able to open the lock with a bobby pin.” Students could smoke behind the shop, although they were supposed to have permission from a parent first. Hall doesn’t ever remember anyone checking about the letters or checking on them. “Most of us wrote our own permission slips anyway,” he said. “Some boys even rolled their own cigarettes. No girls ever went back there to smoke.” Most boys carried pocket knives. Those planning to hunt after school kept their

A photograph of the school was featured inside the cover of Hall’s 1958 yearbook, The Core. shotguns in car trunks. Several even carried them in the mornings on the bus, where the driver secured them until they arrived at school and put them in friends’ vehicles. Several long-tenured teachers are still mentioned when classmates gather, including the class’ 50th reunion in 2008. Coach Norman Smith, Eugenia Bumpass, George Lancaster, E. M. Penington, and Coach A. P. Hall were among those whose names easily came to mind for Hall. Some, like Sally Johnson, were not much older than the students themselves. “Our teachers were dedicated to helping students to become productive adults,” he said. “We may not have liked all of them, but we respected their authority.” Frequent assemblies included prayers and motivational talks from area preachers. Christmas pageants depicted a Nativity scene, and Bible study was part of the curriculum. Baseball was the predominate sport in the school’s early history. An attempt to organize a basketball program was difficult with no gymnasium. By the 1950s, the school fielded a football team that played on the field that is now used for baseball only. “Each Friday night the lights came on and the bleachers filled,” said Hall, the varsity center. “I think we had the prettiest cheerleaders of any school in the district.” Those cheerleaders wore below-the-knee skirts. Hall was also a band member, and marched in local parades and participated in inter-school competitions. “I played trombone, but marched with the sousaphone or bass drum, since I was big enough to carry them,” he said. “I even played in the band after I graduated.” Buses did not take athletes or band members home after practice, most, including Hall, walked miles. Some caught rides with older students and a few had Beulah, which Hall described as a school-owned 1940 Packard funeral car with side seats

Jerry Hall (top row, second from left) played trombone normally, but also marched with a drum or sousaphone. Photo by The Core, 1957.

See Hall Page 14

Jerry Hall posed for his senior portrait.

April 12–May 9, 2013 • LOUISA LIFE • 11

Arts Festival

The center attraction of the arts festival was the Float Boat, a Chihuly-themed collection of marbles and Mille Fiori sticks.

Siena Wood assists Molly Ryan in fashioning a clay bowl.

Recycled Bits and Pieces Imitate Glass Sculptures By Pat Wilson Correspondent he influence of Dale Chihuly’s glassblown sculptures combined with the artistic talents of Louisa County Public School students to create colorful displays at the Arts Festival on Saturday, March 23. From a Float Boat in the center of the Louisa Middle School gymnasium to walls filled with artwork in various mediums, the event attracted family members as they gazed at the pieces or tried their own skills at numerous hands-on booths from the potter’s wheel to Chihuly-inspired charms and beads. “We knew that Dale Chihuly was going to have a show at the Virginia Fine Arts Museum this year and his glass sculpture is contemporary and prolific, so it was perfect timing,” said Gail Carlin,

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Katie McCray, Louisa County High School Advanced Art I, designed the brightly-colored horse heads.

Splashes of color and designs were the work of Nicole Harlow, a Moss-Nuckols Elementary School fifth grader.

12 •LOUISA LIFE • April 12–May 9, 2013

Kindergartener Meghan Hyer rolls well-glued strips from recycled cereal boxes on a pencil to create colorful beads.

Louisa Middle School art teacher. The county’s seven art teachers met during the summer to outline plans for the spring event. Then six months of exposing the students to Chihuly’s work and encouraging them to incorporate his concepts in their own creativity yielded the festival. “We [teachers] decide what we are each going to do in each of our school and then we spend the Thursday evening and Friday before the festival putting it all together. It is a team effort,” said Rodrick Rhodes, the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School art teacher. “My fourth graders constructed the marble shapes and the fifth graders made the sticks for the Mille Fiori, which means a thousand flowers, which filled the Float Boat.”

Arts Festival

Moriah Moss, a Jouett Elementary School fifth grader, helps Mikayla Shifflett with a spin art project.

Created by Moss-Nuckols Elementary School students, Super Fletcher greeted festival visitors.

Young would-be artists became engrossed in their work as parents watched.

A Cascade of Coiled Cards showed the artwork of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School fifth graders.

Anthony Brookman, a Louisa Middle School eighth grader, was inspired by flora.

Abby Sullivan, a Thomas Jefferson Elementary School second grader, used papier mache for her Oaxacan animal.

Mia Martin, a Jouett Elementary School second grader, used construction paper to create a threedimensional piece.

Emily Boyle, a Louisa County High School Advanced Art I student, used a sunburst theme for her artwork. Kindergartener Amaya Wilkerson works on creating a postcard.

Each year, the festival sells themed tee-shirts.

April 12–May 9, 2013 • LOUISA LIFE • 13

Hall from Page 11

A modern school will emerge from the rubble in 2015, but memories of the old building will never fade.

Yearbooks, athletic letters and report cards spark memories for Jerry Hall. facing each other and a center bench in the back. “Kids that lived in the lower end of the county drove Beulah. She was dependable until one guy turned her over. No one was hurt, but they had to find their own rides after that,” he said.

Those Were the Days The time period saw new technology like televisions, cars with powerful engines, space exploration and music, especially rock and roll. Girls dressed in poodle skirts and saddle shoes or penny loafers. Boys sported crew cuts and wore khaki pants and button down shirts. Athletes proudly wore their white sweaters with green and gold “Ls” or club members showed off their Future Farmers of America jackets. “Elvis, Chuck Berry, Pat Boone, Fats Domino, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers had hits like Love Me Tender, Tequila, At the Hop and Witch Doctor. Sock

Sometimes, Jerry Hall had to don a cowboy hat to amuse his grandchildren, such as at a 1993 birthday party with Morgan Oaks, Erin Hall, J. D. King and Megan Hall.

14 • LOUISA LIFE • April 12–May 9, 2013

Hops were held periodically in the Louisa Firehall, but more often in the Mineral Firehall which was newer, larger and even the site of the junior-senior prom. Hall played in a band at some of the dances. At 15, youth could get a driver’s license. The school parking lot only had about 35 spaces by the ag shop that served both faculty and student. “A few students had ancient cars that they kept running and on special occasions some were allowed to drive the family car,” he said. Dates meant driving to Richmond or going to one of Louisa’s two drive-in movie theaters - Talley’s, just east of the town of Louisa, or Dick’s near Trevilians. “Some movies were restricted to age 17 and over, but no one checked if you were just under,” he said. “They showed fairly recent movies and sometimes a band played on top to the refreshment stand.” Hall never saw drugs in Louisa, but admits that his group drank alcohol on occasion. The drinking age was 21, but bootleggers were willing to sell to under-age consumers. In the next few years, the physical building will be replaced by a modern school, but memories will never fade. Hall even takes the opportunity to retell his experiences when he drives by the now-vacant site with grown children or some of his eight grandchildren. “The old school came to a dramatic end, beyond repair,” said Hall. “But it will live in the memories of the 70 plus years of teenagers that went to school there.”

KVG members were trained to assist with fighting brush fires. The Core, 1957

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