VBMHC News

VBMHC NEWS

Upcoming VBMHC and CrossRoads Events

September 25, 2008 - Blacksmith Shop Dedication
There will be a dedication of the Blacksmith Shop at CrossRoads on Thursday, September 25, at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited. The shop was recently created from the second story of an outbuilding from the Eby farm on Acorn Drive. It has a new hearth with built in forge, a new chimney and doors, an earthen floor, and paint to make it look quaint while preserving it from the weather. Larry Martin, president of the Shenandoah Valley Blacksmiths Guild, spearheaded the acquisition of the building and its modification as an authentic shop for blacksmith work. Ervie Glick, building and grounds director, did the masonry work. Blacksmiths will ply their trade in the shop during the upcoming Harvest Day on September 27, 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. CrossRoads is at 1921 Heritage Center Way, off Garbers Church Road.

September 27, 2008 - Harvest Day
The annual Harvest Day at CrossRoads, 1921 Heritage Center Way (off Garbers Church Rd.), Harrisonburg, is set for Saturday, September 27, 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. This festival offers something for the whole family, with special activities for children – old-time games and crafts, painting pumpkins and gourds, hayrides, shelling and grinding corn to feed barnyard animals, making pancakes and butter, fabricating toothpick and yarn dolls, etc. Adults enjoy Civil War era stories, special music, boiling molasses, pressing cider, sawing logs with a crosscut, spinning thread and quilting, homemade foods, and more. Entry fee: $10 per car, $15 for a large van, and $4 for bicycles or walk-ins. (540) 438-1275.

Fall 2008 Lecture - November 2
James O. Lehman, local Mennonite historian, will present the fall CrossRoads lecture on the theme, “My Discoveries in Local Mennonite History.” It will be held on Sunday, November 2, at 4 p.m., at the Mt. Pleasant Church of the Brethren meetinghouse, 2788 Taylor Spring Ln., Harrisonburg, (540) 438-1275.

Other News

Volum IV of Unionists book released
Volume IV of Unionists and the Civil War Experience in the Shenandoah Valley became available in 2007 . More details here. A hardcover, it retails for $49.95, plus tax. The books in this series can be purchased at Reflections of Yesteryear in the Dayton Farmers Market, Rockingham Cooperative on Grace Street in Harrisonburg, Ruth's Books and Cards in Bridgewater, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society in Dayton, the Eastern Mennonite University Bookstore. and through Valley Research Associates. For mail orders, send $58.50 (includes Va. sales tax and shipping) to VRA, P.O. Box 526, Dayton, VA 22821. A list of the families featured in Volumes I -IV is available here.

Membership to nurture faith legacy
CrossRoads offers an annual membership that runs from September 1 through August 1 to nurture the CrossRoads vision: sharing the story of Jesus Christ as it has been reflected in the lives of the Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley. The plan offers four levels of membership: Friends, Patrons, Sustainers, and Benefactors.

More information available here.

To begin your personal/family or congregational membership, contact our office.

Now Available -- "A Life of Peace in a Time of War"
The Civilian Public Service story, "A Life of Peace in a Time of War," which was shown on WVPT in 2004, is available for $19.95 (plus $2 for shipping and handling) from WVPT, 298 Port Republic Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. More information on this documentary and the award winning press kit created using portions of it is available for download in Microsoft Word format.