2005 Event Calendar
| Saturday,
January 19 from 9am to 12pm Volunteer Training. We need volunteers of historic proportions! Smithfield Plantation is our community's connection to the 18th century ans you can be part of it. Preserve the history of Southwest Virginia. Be a tour guide to the past. Garden like the early settlers and much more! This training session will introduce all of the volunteer opportunities available at Smithfield Plantation. Please call 540.231.3947 or email smithfield.plantation@vt.edu to reserve your space. |
| Thursday,
February 10 at 9:30am Smithfield Guild Meeting. Featured speaker is volunteer, Betsy Owen on "Daughters of the American Revolution and Researching Your Ancestry". Light refreshments will be served before the meeting. Bring a friend! |
| Saturday,
February 12 from 9am to 12pm Volunteer Training. Specifically for those interested in interpretting or being a tourguide to the past, this session is an extension of the earlier training session. This meeting is also open to current interpreters who would like to brush up on their skills or provide tips and insight to new interpreters. Please call 540.231.3947 or email smithfield.plantation@vt.edu to reserve your space. |
| Saturday,
February 26 from 9am to 12pm Volunteer Training. Specifically for those interested in interpretting or being a tourguide to the past, this session is a make up session for those who missed the February 12 session or just want to come again. This meeting is also open to current interpreters who would like to brush up on their skills or provide tips and insight to new interpreters. Please call 540.231.3947 or email smithfield.plantation@vt.edu to reserve your space. |
| Thursday, March
10 at 9:30am Smithfield Guild Meeting. Featured speaker is Andrew J. Morikawa, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley. Light refreshments will be served before the program. Bring a friend! |
| Tuesday, March
15 at 7:00 pm in Roanoke Proper and Improper Archeology in Saltville and Smyth County. Here is an opportunity for you to get a sneak preview of the upcoming Smithfield Review, Volume 9! Dr. Jim Glanville, professor emeritus of chemistry, Virginia Tech, will speak at the Roanoke Chapter of the Archaelogical Society of Virginia meeting at the US Forest Service Office, 5162 Valleypointe Rd, Roanoke, VA (just off Peters Creek north exit from I-581) He will first describe the standard archeological interpretation of Saltville and Smyth County. Much additional archeological evidence comes from the activities and writings of local people who may be variously called amateurs, tombaroli, or grave robbers. Based on the evidence from both the professional and non-professional sources he will attempt to sketch the Late Woodland political economy in the region. Dr. Glanville has published articles on the Saltville area in Vol. 8 and 9 of the Smithfield Review. |
| Tuesday, March
22 at 7:00pm A Rock for the Ages: Brush Mt. Millstones and other Quarries. The New River Archeological Society will host local historian Rev. Jimmie Price at the Blacksburg Public Library Community Room, 200 Miller Street. Rev. Price grew up in the region of the Brush Mountain Millstone Quarry and his family history entails employment in this industry. He will display vintage stone cutting tools, historic photographs and quarry artifacts. His talk covers three aspects of the industry - the manufacturing process, the stonecutters as craftsman, and the quarries. Contact Joey Moldenhauer of the New River Archaeological Society at 540.387.3081 for more information. |
| Wednesday,
March 30 from 9:30am to ?? Spring Cleaning. It's that time of year when we need to do some intense sprucing up of the Old House prior to Opening Day on April 1st, and we'll need lots of hands to do lots of things. Lunch will be provided! Please contact Christy at 540.231.3947 if you plan to attend so we know how much lunch to plan for. |
| Friday,
April 1 from 10am
to 5pm Opening Day. Historic Smithfield opens for the 2005 season. |
| Saturday,
April 2 from 10am to 5pm Opening Celebration. Join us for a celebration on our Opening Weekend. Admission is only $1. |
| Saturday, April
2 from 9am to 12pm Garden and Grounds Work Day. Chi Delta Alpha sisters from Virginia Tech will be helping us to clear brush from beyond the fence line, doing the ever-popular path edging, and other tasks in the garden to prepare for the growing season. Remember that we will now be open to the public at 10 am, so we will be making ourselves as unobtrusive as possible. Bring hand tools for clearing, and wheelbarrows if possible. |
| Saturday, April
9 from 9am to 12pm Garden and Grounds Work Day II. Volunteers from The Big Event at Virginia Tech will be helping us to clear brush from beyond the fence line, doing the ever-popular path edging, and other tasks in the garden to prepare for the growing season. Remember that we will now be open to the public at 10 am, so we will be making ourselves as unobtrusive as possible. Bring hand tools for clearing, and wheelbarrows if possible. |
| Thursday, April
14 from 6 to 8:30pm Kentland Lecture and Tour. A lecture in the series sponsored by the Blacksburg Museum and Historic Smithfield Plantation. Dr. Samuel Cook, Associate Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Virginia Tech will lead a tour of the historic Kentland grounds and home from 6-7pm followed by a brief reception at 7:00pm followed by a lecture at 7:30pm also at Kentland. In 1820 James Randall Kent (1792-1867) acquired 1,630 acres of Virginia Tech's present tract. As he prospered in agriculture, Mr. |
| Tuesday, May 3
from 8am to 7pm Smithfield Spring Field Trip to Historic Saltville, Virginia. Dr. Jim Glanville, professor emeritus of chemistry, Virginia Tech, and writer of several articles for the Smithfield Review on various aspects of the history of Saltville, Virginia and the Preston family's connections there, has organized a wonderful day trip and will also prepare a printed brochure and serve as our in-person tour guid for the day. We will travel by luxury charter bus, have lunch at the famed Town House Grill in Chilhowie, tour the historic Lincoln Theatre in Marion, and spend time at the Aspenvale Cemetery where the gravestones read like a Who's Who of Preston relatives and descendants in southwestern Virginia. We will tour, enjoy refreshments, and hear two guest speakers at the Museum of the Middle Appalachians in Saltville and a unique quilt shop in Saltville will be open especially for us that day. On our way home, we will enjoy a wine-tasting and tour at the new Davis Winery in Smyth County. The cost for the trip is $50 per person which includes the charter bus, gourmet lunch, printed brochure, and all admission fees. Paid registration is due by April 22. Please contact Terry Nicholson at 540.231.3947 for more information. |
 Saturday, May 7 from 9am to 3pmHeirloom Plant Sale. Learn about colonial plant materials that were indigenous to the area, and purchase heirloom plants for your own garden. This year, |
| Thursday, May
12 at 9:30am Smithfield Guild Meeting. Featured speaker is Mike Rosenzweig speaking about "Water Resources and Watersheds in Relationship to Blacksburg's History and Culture". Refreshments served prior to the meeting. Bring a friend! |
| Thursday, May
12 from 7:30 to 8:45pm Jamestown. A lecture in the series sponsored by the Blacksburg Museum and Historic Smithfield Plantation. |
Saturday, May 21 from 1:00 to
6:00pm APVA Preservation
Virginia, 116th Annual
Meeting. Historic Smithfield Plantation is honored
to be chosen as the site of the 116th Annual Meeting of the statewide APVA Preservation Virginia
membership. Events will include tours of the house; children's
activities; the annual
meeting with an address by APVA Preservation Virginia Executive
Director, Elizabeth Kostelny; the announcement
of the "Most Endangered Sites in Virginia" by Robert Niewig, Senior
Program Officer and Regional Attorney, The
National Trust for Historic Preservation; and refreshments
(heavy hors d'oeuvres). Cost is $30 for APVA Preservation
Virginia members and $40 for non-members. Please register no
later than May 10, 2005. For more information on becoming a member of APVA Preservation Virginia, please contact Historic Smithfield Plantation director, Terry Nicholson at 540.231.3947. To register for this event, please see the APVA's on-line registration form or contact the statewide APVA Membership Coordinator, Tara Olive, at 804.648.1889x305. |
| Thursday, June
9 at 9:30am Smithfield Guild Meeting. Featured speaker is Robert Pelton, author of the Pelton Historical Cookbook Series speaking about "Cooking in the Revolutionary and Civil War Periods". Refreshments served prior to the meeting. Bring a friend! |
| Thursday, June
30 from 7:30 to 8:45pm The Christiansburg Institute. A lecture in the series sponsored by the Blacksburg Museum and Historic Smithfield Plantation. Elaine Dowe Carter will lecture in the Blacksburg Town Council Chambers, Blacksburg Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street. |
 July 11 to August 5, 9am to noonSmithfield History Camps are offered in 4, one week sessions, Monday through Friday. Rising 3rd through 6th graders will explore American Indians in Week 1, repeating in Week 3 and Early European Settlers in Week 2. Student can enroll in two consecutive sessions without repeating material. New this year is Week 4, Early European Settlers, designed for rising 7th through 10th graders. All children will participate in history, art, and science activities that are hands-on with children making several items that they will keep. The registration forms for Rising 3rd through 6th Graders and Rising 7th through 10th Graders are available as Adobe PDF files. |
July 16, 10am to 2pm |
| August 2, 7pm Smithfield Plantation: Southwest Virginia's Frontier Home and Doorway to the West. In Squires Haymarket Theater on the Virginia Tech campus. There is no charge for admission. The film is a production of Chris Valluzzo TV Media Specialist for Montgomery County with the 4-Him 4-H Seniors. Portions of this video will be used in the comprehensive video history of Montgomery County, which is being produced for the 2007 Celebration of Virginia's 400 years of History. These young people have worked very hard on this project, and have created an excellent film about Smithfield Plantation. Please come out and support Smithfield, 4-H, and Montgomery County with your attendance. |
| August 27, 10am
to 5pm Textile Day. See Smithfield's special collection of textiles and demonstrations of how they were made. |
Monday, September 12 through
Friday, September 16, 6 to 8:00pm |
Wednesday, September 14th, 9:30am |
| Thursday,
September 22 from 6 to 8:30pm Solitude Lecture and Tour. A lecture in the series sponsored by the Blacksburg Museum and Historic Smithfield Plantation. Elizabeth Fine, Professor and Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Virginia Tech will lead a tour of Solitude from 6-7pm followed by a brief reception at 7:00pm followed by a lecture at 7:30pm. Starting as a humble log cabin in 1801, Solitude grew to become the home of two |
Sunday, September 25, 2:00 pm  Hear tales told by pioneers as they traveled over
treacherous lands for a better life. Meet Davy Crockett and Johnny
Appleseed, and
learn the true story of why wolves howl at the moon. This educational
program is grounded in geography and history and includes many
of the tall tales of the period. Come experience the lives of these
brave Americans through the oral tradition of storytelling. This
program is part of Young Audiences of Virginia's 50 Programs in
50 Hours, a celebration of their 50th year of providing the
best in arts-in-education programming in Virginia. |
| Wednesday,
October 12th, 9:30am Smithfield Guild Meeting. A viewing of the film "Smithfield Plantation: Southwest Virginia's Frontier Home and Doorway to the West". The film is a production of Chris Valluzzo TV Media Specialist for Montgomery County with the 4-Him 4-H Seniors. Portions of this video will be used in the comprehensive video history of Montgomery County, which is being produced for the 2007 Celebration of Virginia's 400 years of History. Light refreshments served before the meeting. Bring a friend! |
Saturday, October 29, 8:30am to
11:30am |
| Thursday,
November 3 from 7:30 to 8:45 pm The Furniture Styles of Smithfield Plantation and the Alexander Black House. A lecture in the series sponsored by the Blacksburg Museum and Historic Smithfield Plantation. |
Wednesday, November 9, 9:30am |
| Through
Tuesday, November 15th Holiday Greenery Sale. Support Historic Smithfield Plantation while decorating your home for the holidays! Order poinsettias, pine roping, and wreaths from Smithfield through November 15 for pick up on November 29th and 30th. For more information, download the Holiday Greenery Sale Order Form as an Adobe PDF file or contact Susanna Kibler at 540.951.4504. |
November 17th, 18th, or 19th from
9am to 1pm Cost is $40 per person. Call 540.231.3947 or email Terry Nicholson to register. Registration fee must be paid in advance. Leave a phone message if there is no answer. Be sure to give us your name, phone number, and which class you want to attend. Choose one class date: Thursday, November 17th or Friday, November 18th or Saturday, November 19th. All classes are from 9am to 1pm. |
Saturday's musical entertainment in the drawing room includes Kathie Hollandsworth, hammer dulcimer; "Toss the Possum" family Celtic/Folk Ensemble; Laura Clark and Susan Chambers, vocals with guitar; and Ruth Howe, violin/fiddle. Sunday's musical entertainment includes the Blacksburg
Recorder Society; Cynthian Brundage and Beth Caba, "seasonal
vocal selections with accompaniment on Celtic harp"; Southwest
Virginia Folk Harpers; and "Simple Gifts of the Blue Ridge". |
December 5 to 9, 10am to 1pm |
Imagine...at
the Plantation - an art class for women. Immerse
yourself in a week long, project oriented, art experience for
women on the back porch of Smithfield Plantation. Vincent Van
Gogh's Irises and Monet's Water Lilies will be the inspiration
for two projects combining water color, Tempera and acrylic paint,
tissue paper, clay, and other materials. The course will be taught
by Jenny Pollard, an elementary art teacher for Montgomery County
Public Schools. Course fee is $140, materials included. Call
540.951.0026 to register (please leave message).
Basketweaving 101. This
year, in place of our decorating workshops, we are offering
a Beginner's Basketweaving Class. Participants will each
make a Christmas basket. Class is being led by Smithfield
Director, Terry Nicholson. The fee includes class instruction
and all the materials to make one basket. Class size is limited
to 8 people, so register soon. 
1000 Smithfield Plantation Road
Blacksburg, Virginia 24060
