Item by Chris Graham
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A play on the history of Augusta County created to mark the county’s commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Virginia has won recognition from the National Association of Counties.
Spirit of Augusta was honored at the annual NACo conference held in Kansas City. The award was given to Augusta County for being the official sponsor of the Augusta Jamestown Committee that commissioned and produced the play.
The storyline for Spirit of Augusta, which debuted in 2007 and was brought back for another production run this past spring, revolves around an elementary school girl from Eastern Virginia who is doing a research report on Augusta County. While up on the Skyline Drive in an attempt to look at Augusta from atop a mountain, the family gets lost and falls asleep. Soon they are visited by an “Old Timer” who takes the family on a musical and historical journey from Augusta’s ancient beginnings to the present.
Retired high school teacher and storyteller Mack Swift wrote the script, and educator and musician Richard Adams composed the music and wrote the songs for the play. Committee member Linda Petzke co-produced the play along with Kim Harris. More than 30 local actors of all ages impressed the audiences with their performances.
A DVD of the November 2008 performance has been placed in a time capsule at Jamestown. For more information about the play or other Augusta Jamestown projects, visit www.augustajamestown2007.org.
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