Preparing for South Charleston’s Heritage Days Festival are Heritage Commission members: (from left) Josh Murray, Kay Ruley, Patty Moore and Barb McNally. The Model-T inspired motorized kid’s car will be raffled off during the festival. Tickets are $2 each or six for $10.
(Posted Sept. 1, 2016)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
The ever-expanding South Charleston Heritage Days Festival will take place noon-8 p.m. Sept. 24 and noon-4 p.m. Sept. 25 in and around the historic DT&I train depot and log house at 147 W. Mound St.
“We’ve added more live entertainment and food options. And we’ve added lots of new activities,” said Josh Murray, a member of the South Charleston Heritage Commission, host of the event.
Saturday afternoon features a full line-up of live music, starting with the bluegrass sounds of Bobby Hamlin & The Lawless from 1 to 2:30 p.m., followed by Glenn Parks on banjo from 3 to 4. Two Southeastern High School graduates will round out the day. Acoustic musician Ty Cooper performs from 4:30 to 5:30. Country singer Wyatt McCubbin plays from 6 to 8. On Sunday, the Springfield Dulcimer Club performs at 1 p.m.
To satisfy a wider array of cravings, organizers enlisted more food vendors this year. In addition to the traditional cornbread and beans, gingerbread, hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages, the menu includes pork chops, barbecue, sub sandwiches, walking tacos, and ice cream. Also new this year is a beer garden. As a special treat, Mother Stewart’s Brewery of Springfield is naming one of its new beers after the Heritage Days Festival.
The weekend kicks off with a parade at noon on Saturday. The Moats family will serve as grand marshals. In 1943, Jonas Edward Moats purchased the log house that now sits by the train depot. Built around 1820, it was one of the first homes in South Charleston. In 2001, his son, Lawrence, donated the house to the Heritage Commission. To commemorate the donation and the work that went into moving and restoring the structure, the commission will affix a plaque to the house in a short ceremony following the parade.
Anyone interested in participating in the parade should contact Patty Moore at pattymariemoore@gmail.com.
Saturday night, the National Trail Parks and Recreation District will show “Angry Birds” on an inflatable screen. Movie-goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. A kiddie tractor pull is set for 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Throughout the weekend, visitors can enjoy pumpkin hayrides, a petting zoo, an antique tractor show, children’s activities, vendors’ offerings, and silent auctions.
With so much planned, the Heritage Commission is recruiting volunteers to help with everything from set-up and tear-down to making brownies, gingerbread and cornbread to be sold at the festival.
“Last year, we had 36 pans of cornbread and 55 pans of gingerbread, and we’re expecting more people this year, so we’ll need even more,” said Barb McNally, festival committee member.
To volunteer in any way, contact McNally at (937) 462-8000.
Proceeds from Heritage Days go toward the upkeep of South Charleston’s historic log house, train depot and opera house.
For more information about the festival, check out “South Charleston Heritage Days” on Facebook. Vendors interested in setting up a booth should call Suzanne at (937) 462-8905.
