Sheri Wren Haymore

STORYTELLING

Recently, while listening to the radio, my husband remarked, “There are so many great musicians out there, but only a few make it big. Why is that?” Tom Petty happened to be singing, so I answered, “Storytelling, for one thing. People enjoy stories they can relate to.” When I visited the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, storytelling was the thing that struck me as I browsed the exhibits. Indeed, when I spoke with the museum’s Executive Director, Matt Edwards, he confirmed that the mission of the museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret the stories that are significant to this region. “We collect tangible pieces from the past, but we also interpret the stories that make the objects important for future generations,” he told me.

Matt explained the three-tier story interpretation that a visitor to the museum will experience. First, there is the movement of people into the region and how their culture impacts the character of who we are today. Native Americans were here first, of course, followed by other groups who arrived, each with their aspirations and plans. And there were people “brought” here: enslaved Africans, Italians recruited to work the quarry, Latinos brought in to work crops. All the varied people have added to the rich history of the region. The second tier, surprisingly, involves STEM (learning activities that include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Our museum is the only history museum in North Carolina to receive a STEM grant from the Museum of Natural Sciences. The museum displays invite the visitor to marvel at early technology that helped form the region, such as the physics and geometry of a wagon wheel, a grist mill, the foundry process, and simple machines that impacted the community. The third tier, said Matt, is people. “The biographies of the individuals whose stories make our community unique and who had an impact on their place and time are what we preserve,” he said.

Each of us brings our own story – our unique interests and perspective – into whatever art form we experience, whether music, visual art, performing arts, or in this case, the art of our history museum. Quite a bit of artistic expression goes into telling the stories of the people and events that each exhibit portrays. My personal interest drew me to the colorful and comprehensive memorabilia of country music legend Donna Fargo and to wonder, What if there’s a child growing up right now in Surry County who will follow in Ms. Fargo’s footsteps? The interesting story of Jerry Hatcher and the Mount Airy Speedway caused me to think, What if the Speedway had grown into a NASCAR track? The fascinating record cutting lathe machine displayed beneath the bright neon WPAQ sign made me ask, What is the potential for growth in music recording in the region? The museum is a great asset, and it does more than house artifacts inside a building. Matt told me that because history happens “out there,” he is deeply invested in bringing the museum to the community. As part of community outreach, a thirty-foot-long walk-through mobile museum trailer begins touring soon as part of Surry 250 (Surry County’s 250th Anniversary Celebration.) There are twenty dates scheduled this year, plus stops at schools and retirement homes. The popular Ghost Tours are another way the museum collects local stories and interprets the history behind

them. The museum provides a lecture series on site, as well as hands-on art and craft workshops, such as blacksmithing and Eastern European-style egg painting. And the summer camp for kids with quality hands-on learning includes at least two STEMthemed projects. Another important outreach is through the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of History. Our local club, the Jesse Franklin Chapter, has been named Chapter of the Year three times, and is open to fourth through eighth grade children. Besides field trips, the kids learn research, object identification and documentation, and they submit their projects to the state museum. There have been multiple winners from our chapter, and their work is displayed in a dedicated gallery at the museum in Raleigh. One local child even had an article published in the Junior Historian Magazine. As for the future of the museum, ongoing renovations as part of the 2018 Twenty-fifth Anniversary Strategic Plan are happening in phases. Three of five phases will be completed soon, including a hands-on children’s gallery. Eventually the museum will offer interactive touch screen technology. “We are fortunate to have a museum of this quality in our community,” said Matt, and he hopes that the community continues to realize the value of its investment in the museum as the caretakers of our region’s historical assets. Matt told me that his goal is for the Mt. Airy Museum of Regional History to be the best small museum in the state.

Do you enjoy a good story? There are many to be found inside the museum and more to be experienced through its community programs. No matter your interests, you’re sure to find a story that you can relate to.

Museum Photos courtesy of Karen Neilis

Welcome to the wedding celebration a year in the making with a social blunder that will forever disgrace the newlyweds.

Come along with us as we step back in time to around A.D. 30, to the tiny town of Cana in Galilee. We’ll join the excitement as two families rejoice in the marriage of their children until...the wine runs out. What happens next is nothing short of extraordinary. No Ordinary Wine is an outdoor drama to be held October 2, 2022, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the beautiful hillside amphitheatre of the Armfield Civic Center in Pilot Mountain. The story is brought to life by local playwright Sheri Wren Haymore and well-known Producer/ Director Debby Severs Diamont.

Tickets are free but seating is limited.

Reserve your space on our website: https://noordinarywine.org/ or at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NowDrama1