THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
|
Had he lived,
Citizens of this mountain area
will rarely
have the privilege this close at hand to participate in such an
extravaganza of
celebration for writers and the written word. I hope I can convey to
you some
of the excitement and enthusiasm generated by a chockfull program and
the
privilege to meet some of
First, let me give a little
history of the
Georgia Literary Festival. The current event is the ninth consecutive
year the
festival has been held. An event such as this often gains momentum as
it
proceeds year by year. The first was more local in nature, held in
As another accolade to Reece and
his life,
a brand new book entitled "Faithfully Yours," compiled and edited by
Dr. Raymond Cook and Dr. Alan Jackson, will be presented at the
festival and
available for sale. Reece was known for his copious correspondence, and
this
book collects his letters- to friends, his publisher, to literary
associates-
and gives insight into the mind and character of Reece previously
unavailable
to the public.
Recently, Rev. Keith Jones (who
is my son
and the local chairman of this year's Georgia Literary Festival) has
professionally recorded on CDs the poems of Reece through the auspices
of
National Recording Company of
All the Literary Festival events
are free
to the public. An auxiliary event, such as a Mark Twain impersonation
by actor
Kurt Sutton at the Blue Ridge Community Theater, has a ticket price
($15 - 7:30
Friday). The Blue Ridge Scenic Train Ride is also an auxiliary event
with a
cost. The Reece Society has prepared a "Reece Ramble" brochure that
takes the sightseer on a guided tour of places dear to Reece. This
"ramble" can be made after the festival is over.
I must admit that I've been
looking forward
to this literary festival for over a year now. I've heard about
meetings to
plan it. I've been privy to how the money to sponsor it was received
gratefully.
I know most of the people who have worked extremely hard to put
together a
weekend highlight of major proportions. Then came my unexpected heart
surgery
on August 30. I had a strong incentive to recuperate. Would the doctors
even
think of allowing me to go to
Keynote speaker Cathy Cox,
President of
Young Harris College, will address the festival attendees in the Old
Courthouse, now home of the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association. Her
topic
will be "Byron Herbert Reece's Intellectual Home,
The program is too long to list
completely.
But think of how you can honor one of
c2007 by
Ethelene Dyer
Jones; published Sept. 27, 2007 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville,
GA.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Updated August 13,
2009
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