Help plan Alleghany's 150th birthday

May 8, you're invited to help plan a birthday party.

Our birthday party.

The Alleghany Historical and Genealogical Society and Alleghany Chamber of Commerce are hosting a gathering at the Silver Dollar Music Park to generate ideas for how the county will celebrate its 150th birthday. In 1859 the North Carolina General Assembly carved the northeast portion out of what was then Ashe County to create Alleghany County. Next year marks the 150th anniversary of that event.

"We want to get people thinking and talking about how we will celebrate the county's 150th birthday," Jeff Halsey, president of the Historical Society, said. "We are planning a fun, active evening where we can look back at our history and forward to 2009 and a year of celebration."

Halsey said the Historical Society and Chamber are hoping that the evening will generate ideas that local organizations will turn into their own 150th celebrations. He noted that the county's centennial celebration in 1959 saw ten local community groups - home demonstration clubs, community groups, local industries, civic clubs - each playing a part to create a grand celebration.

"We are going to need just as much cooperation for the 2009 celebration as we had in 1959," Halsey said.

For the Centennial, the governor paid the county a visit and crowned the winner of the Miss Allleghany Pageant. Numerous community groups cooperated in producing an historical pageant about the county that was performed each night of the week during mid August. During that week, a man had to buy a permit to shave or risk being jailed. The week culminated with a huge parade through town. Follow this link for a brief look back at that 1959 event.

Bob Bamberg, Chamber director, said he hopes that this event will create enough enthusiasm for planning so that the Mountain Heritage Festival this Sept. 27 can be used to help publicize the plans for the 150th. "Mountain Heritage seems to be the natural time to lay out Alleghany County's celebration plans and to start building excitement for 2009."

The program begins at 6 p.m. and should be over by 9 p.m. Light refreshment will be provided. All interested parties are invited to attend. Residents who recall the 1959 Centennial celebration are especially invited. If you have questions, please call Jeff Halsey at 372-3002 or Bob Bamberg at 372-5473.

The Silver Dollar Music Park is located at 214 Glade Valley Church Road in the former Glade Valley School gymnasium. From US 21, turn onto Glade Valley Road and go one-third mile to the intersection with Glade Valley Church Road at the Glade Valley Post Office. Turn left onto Glade Valley Church Road. The Music Park is one-quarter mile on the right.