Founders Days 2013 will be about half over by the time you
read this!! As I write this we have just finished our last regular meeting
of the historical society before Founders Days begin! We had a great
crowd in attendance and Kay Bentley surprised us with a special Rudd
Founders Day Cake! Now, you can’t beat that, good company to go along
with great cake and ice cream!
Signing in for our Sunday meeting were the following: Roy
“Todd” Preston, Connie A. Wireman, Dorothy S. Wireman, Billy Rudd, Vivian
B. Rudd, Tammy Allen, Barbara Daniels, Sheila Huff, Charlotte Green,
Charlotte Gillum, Cheryl Salyer, Jenifer Connelley, Mary Alice Rudd, E. J.
Rudd, Tori Hall, Emma Connelley, Jeff Rudd, Elijah Rudd, Lisa Preston,
Veronica Hall, Jesse Rudd, Sandy Rudd, Dallas Bentley and Kay Bentley.
A lot of discussion and planning went on during this meeting
and most of it will be reflected in the Program of Events that will be in
the newspaper and that we will have on hand for you here at our library.
One of our favorite events to be added to the program was
involving the young children in our Opening Ceremony. We have over 30
children participating in this who are descendants of Archibald and Nancy
(Woosley) Rudd. This is a very meaningful happening for us and hopefully
for the children. It is our hope that their participation in this occasion
will be remembered and make a difference in their lives. We have already
heard from several families that their children and grandchildren have
taken an interest in their ancestry and show excitement at seeing photos
of earlier generations and some have even started their own search for
their “family tree”. This is a goal we have worked towards for all of our
35 years and it is very satisfying to know of these successes. It has
been our belief all the years of our existence that knowing one’s life
history makes one a better citizen and person. We need to be proud of our
early settlers who carved out livelihoods in these hills of eastern
Kentucky where we live and that we still love today.
We have some mighty nice street sign banners here just waiting
to be put up. They always add a festive touch to our celebrations. We
send special thanks to the Coca Cola Company and Speedway for these
banners.
By the time you read this, Our Opening Ceremony, the Baby
Pageant, and the Children’s Pageants will be completed. We try to plan
events so that as many of our children can participate as wish to do so.
We have tried to have some events for all ages and for the whole family.
We are very proud to honor our Grand Marshals; they are Augustine Rudd
Castle, Barbara Rudd Daniels, Hilda Stacy Isaac, Arnold Minix, Edna Rudd
Penix, E. J. Rudd and James Melvin Rudd. We have asked them to do the
honors of unveiling the Rudd name on the Pioneer Village marker during the
Opening Ceremony and again on Saturday morning during the Family Greetings
time. Watch for them in Saturday’s parade also and give them praise for
being fine examples for their descendants.
On this Thursday night we will be treated to special
entertainment from a Magoffin County Bluegrass group, Black Powder
Express. Members of this band are Toddie Preston, Jarrod Howard, Jason
Preston, Andrea Preston and Jared Goforth. Afterwards, the directors of
the Miss Teen Pageant have outdone themselves to plan and present a
fantastic pageant.
We’ll be up early on Friday morning as the much awaited Pet
Show begins at 9 a.m. We appreciate the Magoffin County Extension Office
for helping with this event. Our Magoffin County library personnel have
organized a bigger than ever Book Signing event and we want you to go over
and meet our county and area authors and see the works they have written.
They will only be here from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so don’t miss out on this
opportunity.
Charlotte Gillum, Jaynie Poe and Theresa Miller are in charge
of the School Events which begin at 12 noon. They have worked for several
weeks to get this event in order. We certainly thank parents,
grandparents and all our school system personnel for being a part of this
very important happening.
A “great big bunch” of music will be going on the stage in the
afternoon and then the Miss Magoffin Pageant will begin at
8 p.m.
Get up early on Saturday and join the Annual Founders Day 5K
race. Participants are being registered at the Catholic Church. One of
the special events of the day will be the Family Greetings in our Pioneer
Village courtyard. You will see the new additions to our Early Founders
Marker there. We hope to be able to unveil the Rudd family name on the
marker and also to share a new panel with you that will honor the
Adams, Prater and Salyer pioneering families. Those last three were the
first honorees of our Magoffin County Founders Days and their names are
inscribed on the Pyramid marker in the lawn of the
Hall Community Center. We
thought it would be significant and meaningful to our county citizens and
visitors to have them also represented along with the other 32 surnames
and groups that are inscribed on our marker. We have tried to design this
marker so that viewers can walk around it and read the early history of
our county. We are very pleased with this newest addition to our
courtyard.
The Parade under the direction of Carter Conley of the Rescue
Squad will begin at 1 p.m. Afterwards Tonya Ward will present the Talent
Showcase and Look Alike pageants. The
Renaissance Center is
inviting you to come down and help honor David Patrick with a Lifetime
Achievement award at 3 p.m. Tim Daniels really pleased us with his
blanket invitation for everyone to come out to his home at 10208 Hwy 460
West for an old-fashioned Hog Roast. This is about 11 miles from
Salyersville at the 1 mile marker on Rt. 460.
Sunday Church services will be conducted here in the Pioneer
Village by the State Road United Baptist Church and these are always
wonderful services. We will then be ready for eating again! Visit with
us at the Hall Community Center for a Homecoming Dinner honoring the Rudd
family.
Bill and Vivian Rudd along with Diane Rudd will host a Gospel
Sing at the cabins starting at 6 p.m. so bring out your family and friends
to enjoy an evening of pleasant music. They have several groups and
individuals who will be singing and playing for you.
We want Founders Days to be a safe and happy occasion for
everyone so be careful and enjoy this 2013 Labor Day Magoffin County
Homecoming event.