Sesquicentennial begins at festival

With the county's sesquicentennial, or 150th birthday, coming next year, the weekend's festivities will also offer highlights into next year's activities.

The Alleghany Sesquicentennial Celebration Steering Committee, co-chaired by Mayor John Miller and County Commissioner Chair Ken Richardson, has had several planning meetings to celebrate our county's 150-year birthday in 2009. Several committees were formed and have begun work on their projects. The fund-raising committee, chaired by Sandy Carter, began planning events to begin on Mountain Heritage Festival 2008 and end the fall of 2009. The committee's goal is to raise the money necessary to pay for advertising and publicizing the county's events throughout the year and to generate excitement and enthusiasm for our historical celebration.

The kick off for the Sesquicentennial Celebration will begin Saturday at the Mountain Heritage Festival. A Sesquicentennial Celebration booth will have several items for sale.

In 1959 at the Centennial, men were required to grow facial hair, either a mustache or beard or obtain a permit to be clean-shaven. Carter said, "Folks had such fun with this event; the committee will once again implement this rule," said Carter. For those men who do not have a beard or mustache, they may obtain a year-long permit for the mere price of $2. This permit can be carried in their wallet and used anytime they are in town.

A fake beard or mustache can also be purchased for $2 for the beard and $1 for the mustache.

"Those choosing not to do either will be gleefully escorted to our reclaimed jail on the courthouse lawn for a period of 20 minutes or bail of $20, which can be raised by calling all your friends and enemies," Carter joked. "This is all in fun and for the funds.

 

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