Hello! "White River Valley Gathering" was held at Shadow Rock Park last Saturday, 12 Oct. The event, a combination of the Bald Knobber Reenactment "The League: Taney County Justice", and a pow-wow co-hosted by the White River Band Cherokee, was well-attended, although not the numbers we expected. Unfortunately, other area events apparently kept most local members of the historical society from supporting us with their help or presence. I could count on one hand the number of members who attended who weren't directly involved with the play. I am truly encouraged to know that all of you on these lists are supportive of our group's effort to preserve the history and culture of the White River Valley. You seem to understand there's more to genealogy than tracing ancestors--in order to know them, you have to know something about their lives, and that's what we try to preserve, one way or another. If I sound a little mad...I am. If it seems I've lost a little faith...well, I have. If I come across as a little tired...I'm that, too. We worked to put on the play, not once, but twice this year; and if we do put it on again this spring, that'll be the third time in 12 months we'll have done it (the spring 2002 performance was postponed 9 days prior, due to flooding of Shadow Rock Park). I've been so impressed with my partners Rick and Ingrid; the support of my family--when you see the full cast photo (I'll put it on the WRVHS website someday soon), you'll see my husband, 2 sons, daughter, father, and father-in-law, and at least one cousin, all in costume, as well as myself (yes, I actually pulled off the hard role of Alonzo Prather's--played by Greg--wife, Ada Marie). My whole family, and the families of several cast members, have done incredible jobs in their roles and as backup/support. Rick not only directed the reenactment, but performed in the pre-show skit and 2 roles in the reenactment; he also performed the duties of extra, horserider, stage manager, cleanup crew, set builder and all-around-morale builder as well. He impresses me more every time we do this, gluttons for punishment that we all are. Rick was sick with a bug a little over a week before the play, but he decided he was only going to be sick for one day. Ingrid, bless her heart, was sick with the bug as well, but it really waylaid her. Once she arrived at the park for set-up on Friday, she felt better, and as things progressed through the weekend--she, Rick, and my family camped in the park on Friday night--she got to feeling better. Ingrid performed a wickedly comedic role in the pre-show skit, and ran things on the north end of the stage during the play. Her son Matt also performed in the play, in at least 2 roles. Jo Stacey "Aunt Jo" Albers, the president of the historical society and Ingrid's mother, was there all day Friday and Saturday, helping with set-up and opening the jail for visitors. She also came over on Sunday to be sure things were tidied up. The Cherokee had a wonderful pow-wow, with a stomp taking place after darkness fell until a storm was headed our way Saturday evening. Our bunch threw all of our camp stuff into Ingrid and Greg's vans, my "Mountain Chivy", and Rick's truck, and piled into the Old Jail. The storm front left temps down in the 30s for the first time this season, and now I can say I've "spent the night in jail with my family and friends." I was really glad so much effort had gone into renovating the upstairs at the jail--we were quite comfortable in the old building, which would be the safest place to be within the county in the event of tornado or holocaust. This event probably should've been our largest ever, and with the amount of heart and work put into it, it was. We did end up collecting enough in donations to cover the sound and other expenses, which was a huge relief. Let me tell you a few cast stories. One of our guys whose family has become quite involved not only borrowed a horse, but the trailer to haul it in. Then he stopped to "catch" the donkey who joined us last year (and who seems to bray on cue, but no one's had to cue him yet), put out a sign for us, and proceeded to play tug-of-war with any kid who wanted to join him. He and his family stuck around to help with cleanup. His wife not only stepped into a speaking role this year, but handled quite a few details back stage with rounding up her "children" for her appearance in the play. Both of their daughters and their son also performed; their oldest daughter is becoming quite an actress. Another woman, who drives over from Stone County for rehearsals and more, not only found a costume connection for us, but continues to pick up odds and ends throughout the year she thinks we can use. Her twin boys were going to be in the play, but had an important football game (seems they are the defense! <BG>), so she arranged for a friend to transport them Saturday. She stayed late Friday night helping get the "dummies" for the hanging scene put back together, and has been absolutely great. Another man and his wife had a baby girl in early September. Amid other issues going on in the area, the wife has had health problems since their daughter's birth, but managed to get well in time to perform in the pre-show skit role we'd originally written for her last spring--while she was pregnant! One couple who lives near the park loans us their old Suburban and car-hauling trailer, many of the period furnishings out of their house, and fills in several roles onstage as well as off. Another couple designed and built the original backdrop last year, and he returned this year to not just one, but two roles in the play. My own family..."Wow!" doesn't begin to cover it. Greg has a wonderful speaking voice, and did so well as Alonzo--the narrator, if you will. Brett, who stepped into the role we'd split for the twins I mentioned earlier, received all kinds of kudos as comic relief. TJ, who wouldn't agree to be in the play unless he could carry a gun, got to carry 2 (unloaded for his mother's benefit), and was the shortest Bald Knobber onstage. Victoria, who didn't want a role, still wore a costume, and filled in as an extra. All three of my kids who still live at home were exceptionally well-behaved Saturday--I could be producer, canopy-builder, troubleshooter, Ada Marie, and whatever else needed doing until we went over to eat at the Pow-wow about 5:30, and the kids all pitched in to help with clean-up some, too. (I also didn't have to badger any of them to take showers in the camp showers, either--they did it without being asked! Maybe I should put one in the back yard?) My dad, who I sucker-punched into the first production last year, not only returned, but built a wagon-chassis for the "casket" used to carry Nat Kinney offstage, raiding his pile of "vintage tin" for the real wagon wheels. He stuck around until late Saturday, making sure to eat with the rest of us and that we did all the things we were supposed to do. (Onery ol' cuss, he hid a rubber rattlesnake in the straw bales on Friday night--I found it, and startled him by throwing it at him!) Greg's stepdad also returned in his signature role, smooth and menacing. There's other stories, but I'll stop for now...every time this group of people gets together, their devotion, helpfulness, and loyalty has made me realize just how lucky we are to live in this area. I sure wish all of you could come. Damon did film the play for his documentary, and we're hoping between that and some of the other filming done, we'll be able to put together a video someday as well. It would be nice. Y'all have a good weekend! V ListMom for MO-AR-WRV http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~moarwrv/