Skylark Event Program

Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Celebration
Skylark, Mile Post 25, 24981 Blue Ridge Parkway, Nelson County, Virginia
SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2010 12 - 4 PM

12 - 2PM Picnic and Tour

Celebration for the Blue Ridge Parkway has never been more exciting than on “Round Top Hill” at Skylark Farm with activities including telescope and panoramic viewing of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains with Charlottesville Astronomical Society members, kite flying with members of the American Kite Flyers Assoc and mountain music with Jimbo Cary, Bennie Dodd ,Curtis Mathews and their musician friends. Listen to stories of mountain life told by Lowell Humphries, Scott Beebe and others in the manager’s house. Families may bring a picnic or order box lunches in advance to celebrate the Parkway at 3300 ft elevation.

Do you know how the Blue Ridge Parkway was conceived? Come talk to the experts and visit the display of art works by Carlton Abbott artist, architect and landscape designer of many Parkway projects and son of Stanley Abbot, original designer of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Of course everyone needs a store front and here one can purchase merchandise from sponsors, meet local authors including Lynn Coffee with her book Backroads and Marshall Faintich with his book on the Birds of Wintergreen. Also meet Pat Saunders and purchase her print of the NELSON SCENIC LOOP and visit with Jeff Trollinger who will provide a revolving photo essay on the Parkway.

Sponsors of this Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Celebration are Washington and Lee University, owner of Skylark Farm, the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Oakland: Nelson County's Museum of Rural History and the Rockfish Valley Foundation. Although this event is open to the public a $5 donation is requested to provide support to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Oakland: Nelson County's Museum of Rural History and the Rockfish Valley Foundation.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

$5 DONATION SUGGESTED

The Schedule of Events makes for a busy day:

11:30 am Skylark Farm gates open for guests; registration, pick up reserved lunches and printed program with map. Vans available back and forth to courtyard.

12:00 to 1:30 LIVE MUSIC with Jimbo Cary on Round Top, Bennie Dodd at the Lake and Curtis Matthews on a grassy knoll by the upper Courtyard. They will be accompanied by other musician friends at these picnic sites.

PICNIC. Box lunches provided by W&L for $7 per person. Reservation required. Place an order here using paypal or Email your order to info@rockfishvalley.org or call 434. 226. 0446 .

Purchase a Box Lunch Provided by Washington and Lee University

ORDERS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR LUNCH FOR THE EVENT

1:30 pm Blue Ridge Parkway slide show. Garage and Courtyard. Jeffrey B. Trollinger, C.W.B.,Watchable Wildlife Program Manager, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the 75th Blue Ridge Parkway Board.

2:00 pm MAIN PROGRAM in the Garage and Courtyard

BRIEF REMARKS

Introduction - Peter A. Agelasto III, Founder, Rockfish Valley Foundation

Skylark history, the Cheek Family and Washington & Lee Universtiy.

Oakland: Nelson County’s Museum of Rural History.

THE NELSON MUSIC PROJECT. Andy Wright, President.
FRIENDS of Blue Ridge Parkway. Greg Brown, President, FRIENDS Board of Directors

National Park Service – Peter Givens, Blue ridge Parkway Interpretative Specialist’s remarks and introduction of Carlton Abbott.

Carlton Abbott speaks on “Creating the Parkway”

Closing remarks. Peter A. Agelasto III

4:00 The Blue Ridge Parkway Celebration concludes and guests exit the farm…

4:30 Skylark gates are closed