This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the September 13, 2012 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            Salyersville was indeed MARSHALLVILLE last week as we welcomed the Marshall family and friends to the 34^th annual Magoffin County Founders Day celebration!  It was wall to wall Marshalls!  We were well pleased with the turnout especially since we had heard of so many who couldn’t travel to our area because of limited motel accommodations as well as the high gas prices and the weather.  Hurricane Isaac affected our event by keeping some people away and also dumped a little rain on various events but we didn’t notice any dampening of spirits!  It was a wonderful gathering and a very pleasant experience for us all.

            At our last writing we told of the events of Opening Day, a very special time enjoyed by everyone.  This was one of the best attended opening ceremonies we have had in a long time and a good part of it was because of the young children who participated in the Family Tree activity.  This tree made by Lena Auxier, brother Adam Manns and their mother Margie Manns.  The tree will continue to be of great use to us as we anticipate using it in our window displays and other activities.

            We all enjoyed the Children’s Pageants under the direction of Tonya Ward and her crew. We thank Randy for coming out to help with all the chores of getting materials where they needed to be for the pageant.  It was pleasant to hear some of the contestants tell of relatives who wore the same costume they were wearing past pageants. 

            On Thursday we were treated to a great concert by John Tucker Bailey.  We predict this young man will be a success in whatever venue he attempts to follow.  Afterwards Tanika McFarlan, Olivia Wireman, Jincy Bailey, Jenny Beth Howard and Carol Howard conducted the ever popular Miss Teen Pageant.  The poise and conduct of these young ladies was impressive to see.

            Friday was an all day affair as the 4-H Pet Show began at 9 a.m. and the schedule went on through the late evening hours with the majestic Miss Magoffin Pageant. 

            We had a “bumper crop” of pets brought out to this year’s Pet Show and they were much enjoyed by all.  We thank Russell Sparks, Brooks Jenkins Howard and those young people who helped entertain the audience while allowing participants a chance to show off their special pets.

We would like to express our appreciation to all the contestants in our various pageants and contests as it gives us a sense of pride in our young people and is indicative of the success stories our school system is turning out.  Wasn’t it something to watch as those grade school students showed their expertise in math, spelling and art?  We thank our teachers (both current and retired) for making this such a success.  This year we had the following teachers participating: Charlotte Gillum, Beth Miller, Karen Merritt, Theresa Miller, Lori Salyer, Adrienne Howard, Tracy Hoskins and Stephanie Lemaster.

Another special event was the Book Signing with authors Al Cornette, Ed Henson, Marjorie Dufault, Rosa Lee Pack, John Sparks, Tim Callahan and our own Patty Auxier, Tom Whitaker and Betty Williams taking part.  This part of Founders Days is growing in popularity and we want to thank the Magoffin County Library Board along with Melanie Cain and Betty Williams for making it a part of Founders Days.

An especially poignant part of our Friday’s events this year was the Herald Whitaker Middle School students performing their musical, A Community Drawn Together, under the direction of teachers Tim and Debbie Cain. These students recounted their experiences during the March 2^nd tornado that devastated much of our area including their school.  Needless to say, this was a very emotional performance for much of the audience.

Dennis Marshall and members of the Marshall family entertained with some mighty good music in the afternoon.  Jennifer Marshall Lovely and Nella Marshall Castle were two that we enjoyed along with Mahayla Caudill, another very talented performer.  Thanks, Dennis, for a job well done!

Rodney Marshall entertained the crowd before the Miss Magoffin Pageant began and this popular musician was enjoyed very much.

The much awaited Miss Magoffin Pageant was quite well done with four beautiful and talented contestants.  Our thanks to Jincy Bailey, Melodye Stephens, Tanika McFarlan, Ginger Oney, Olivia Wireman, Jenny Beth Howard, Bryanna Howes and Jill Johnson for working so hard to bring us this delightful show of talent and beauty.  Our pageants allow our young people to display their talents and also gives them an opportunity to develop their poise while helping them with scholarship money and prizes.

When 10:45 rolled around on Saturday morning we had the grounds full of Marshalls, friends and family.  Kay and Dallas Bentley manned our Registration Booth as we enjoy seeing who attended and the various areas where they reside.  Randall Risner was a good emcee of the event and Demmie Marshall started us off with another very inspiring message.  We were pleased to hear Hannah Marsillett sing the National Anthem again followed by our three very helpful organizations, the Boy Scouts, the Chapter 15 Disabled American Veterans, Magoffin County Muzzleloaders who conducted the Flag Raising and 21 Gun Salute.  We appreciate so much having these three groups coming out to help us. 

Dr. Charles Hardin, Magoffin County Judge Executive and Pete Shepherd, Salyersville Mayor were on hand to speak to us again.  Here we have two very dedicated and caring individuals who work diligently toward the betterment of our town and county. 

The family of Oscar Marshall (his wife Martha, son Derek, daughter Stephanie and her husband Jason Whitaker) did us the honor of presenting the Marshall family name addition on our Pioneer Village Early Founders Marker this year.  Afterwards several audience members gave short talks about their Marshall ancestry then it was on to the parade! 

Our grand marshals in the parade were chosen by those who attended our planning sessions for the several months prior to Founders Days.  We were pleased with their choices which included Bernice Dotson Moore, Avonell Allen Marshall, Tom Marshall, Myrtle Fletcher Cole, twin sisters Sue Marshall Patrick and Lou Marshall Whitt, and brothers Arnold Marshall, Bill Marshall and Charles Marshall.  Honorary Grand Marshals were Marie Salyer Marshall who could not attend because of illness and Hurricane Isaac kept Hazel Marshall Judd from traveling up from Florida.

A little shower of rain fell on our parade but we just took it all in stride and enjoyed it all!  We had a great number of floats and other entries, including old time farm equipment.  Magoffin County is second to none when it comes to putting on a parade!

After the parade, Tonya Ward, Jessica Howard and Abbie Conley held the Look Alike contests along with a talent showcase.  We can’t thank these girls enough for all they do to make Founders Days such a success.

Phillip Joseph and family got a bit of a late start with the downtown Square Dance that evening because of the rain but we hear that everyone attending had a great time.  The Joseph family was honored last year with our Founders Day events and we were very pleased to have them continue with their volunteer efforts for an enjoyable activity for our people.

By tradition the State Road United Baptist Church held church services here at the Pioneer Village church.  I felt privileged to attend these wonderful services along with many others.  Afterwards most of us went over to the Hall Community Center for a scrumptious dinner!  What a spread these folks laid out for us.  Everyone brought in their favorite food dishes and there were a great many. I worked on sampling them all!  They were all about gone when I got there but I got a little taste of Myrtle’s dumplings as well as Kay Bentley’s and they were so good!  Thank you Jincy, Olivia, Bryanna, Jodi, Melodye, Sue, Lou, and Paula, for being such great hostesses.  Diane Arrington pitched in and helped in every way she could.  What would we have done without the aid of Kenneth Poe who did a little of everything from carrying in, setting up, registering guests and cleaning up!  The Big Lick Pentecostal Church is to be commended for all their hard work and gift of food for this dinner.  Jackie Prater prepared some delicious barbecue which was served by the ladies of the church.  We thank them all for such a fine gesture.  It sure was good to have all the extra help as we had an overflow crowd with plenty of good conversation as well as food.

A great many pictures were taken to help us remember the happenings of the week-long activities and we invite you to share your pictures with the historical society for the albums we prepare for our own memories and for those who couldn’t attend.

After another little spell of rain, Dennis Marshall, assisted by Jeniffer Marshall Lovely held a very successful Gospel Sing on our Log Cabin stage.  Dennis is an example of the many fine Marshalls and friends who saw to it that Founders Days 2012 were a resounding success!

Rain and some family illness kept the Marker Dedication from happening on Monday but we will alert you when another date is set for this ceremony for Reuben and Elizabeth Nolan Marshall, progenitors of our local Marshall families along with Revolutionary War soldier Thomas Watkins, Sr. 

We have a great many people to thank for making this successful event a reality.  We have tried to name a few of them but there are many more behind the scenes people who are equally appreciated.  We wish we had a few more visitors like Willie and Nellie Montgomery who kept busy the whole week helping with the work load.  These two really worked hard and helped us so much; they also seemed to enjoy what they did!