8/11/2021

Ferrum College’s Blue Ridge Institute and Museum (BRIM) has announced the return of the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival on October 23, 2021 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The event will happen on the Ferrum College campus, rain or shine. 

New to this year’s festival, the BRIM is offering a $5 discount for every festival ticket pre-sold online. Purchase tickets online here. If bought in-person on the day of the festival, tickets are $15 each. 

With food, music, and crafts, and events like horse pulls, mule jumps, and coon dog races, the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival has been called “thoroughly authentic” by the New York Times. It’s also a major venue on the Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. See photos from 2019’s Folklife Festival here.

The BRIM also invites patrons to become “Friends of the BRIM.” Members get exclusive benefits like free tickets to the Folklife Festival, free admission to the Farm Museum, discounts on workshops and gift shop items, and more. Click here to become a member.

7/11/2021

Homeschoolers’ Day Camp, 2017.

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum (BRIM) of Ferrum College is pleased to announce a new membership initiative, called “Friends of the BRIM.” 

“This is our first ever membership campaign,” said BRIM Director Bethany Worley. “These membership opportunities are an exciting part of the BRIM’s future. This is a great way for us to share what we do—which is documenting the rich cultural heritage of the Blue Ridge region and bringing it to life for all generations. We look forward to connecting with our special ‘Friends of the BRIM’ and offering unique opportunities just for them.”

The initiative encompasses four membership packages with various perks:

Moonshiner Membership is $30 per year ($25 for senior citizens) and includes free admission to the Blue Ridge Farm Museum for the year along with two single-use guest passes, discounts on workshops and gift shop items, access to exhibit previews and members-only events, and more. 

Homestead Membership may be purchased for $60 per year and includes free admission to the Farm Museum for two adults and two children, four single-use guest passes, discounts on workshops and gift shop items, access to exhibit previews and members-only events, and more. 

Folklorist Membership is $150 per year and includes the same perks as the Moonshiner and Homestead tiers, with additional discounts on workshops and gift shop items, an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour, two free tickets to the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, and more.

Mountaineer Membership is the highest tier and costs $500 per year. These members will receive free admission to the farm museum for four visitors, four single-use guest passes, discounts on workshops and gift shop items, a behind-the-scenes tour for up to eight people, access to exhibit previews and members-only events, four free Folklife Festival tickets, Folklife Festival t-shits, and an exclusive parking pass for the Festival. 

“Friends of the BRIM” memberships will become available for purchase on July 13, 2021 and beyond, on the BRIM’s online gift shop site. Click here to visit and become a member.

Additionally, the BRIM is offering a $5 discount to those who purchase tickets for this year’s Folklife Festival, scheduled for October 23, through its online gift shop site. Tickets will go on sale online on July 16, 2021. Click here to buy them. More information about this year’s Festival will be available soon!

Learn more about the BRIM here.  

5/28/2021

The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum at Ferrum College

Ferrum College has been named one of twenty-four Council of Independent College (CIC) institutions to participate in “Humanities Research for the Public Good” in 2021-22, a national initiative promoting student research and public engagement. This initiative focuses on showcasing library and museum collections held at private colleges and universities. Ferrum College will receive a grant of $10,000 to implement a year-long undergraduate research project in collaboration with the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum (BRIM) and the Franklin County Public Library.

“Independent colleges are stronger when they share their resources with their communities and so are their communities,” said CIC President Richard Ekman. “Those resources often include significant archival or library collections that can illuminate issues of real public importance.”

Ferrum’s project, titled “Preserving and Sharing Old and New Stories from the James Taylor Adams Collection and the Public,” will make more accessible the collection of Appalachian folklore and ballads organized by James Taylor Adams during the 1930s and 40s. 

In the early 1930s, Adams, a writer from Wise County, Virginia, recognized the importance of preserving Appalachian folklore and ballads. He partnered with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936 to make carbon copies of local lore and planned for a book publication. After the WPA unexpectedly shut down in 1943, the book never happened. Adams died in 1954 and his papers were given to Clinch Valley College (now UVA’s College at Wise), where they sat in boxes, unorganized and abandoned, until Ferrum College researchers received permission to bring a copy to the College in the 1980s. The material, measured by archivists at twelve linear feet, was then organized in categories and stored in the archive at the BRIM. Bethany Worley, current director of the BRIM, participated in that work early in her career and now looks forward to making the collection more widely available to researchers and the public.

In the fall of 2021, the BRIM, with the help of several Ferrum College students, will begin work to digitize the Adams Collection, which will expand the BRIM website and improve public access to folktales and ballads from Southwestern Virginia. The students will learn about history and maintenance of records, including the skills needed to scan or retype fragile pages, catalog items, edit web pages, prepare for live storytelling workshops, and more.

“This project provides a wonderful experiential opportunity for our humanities students. It fits very well with our new minor in Public History and Museum Studies,” said Professor of English Tina Hanlon, who plans to work on this project during her sabbatical next year. (Explore Ferrum’s history program here.)

In 2022, the Franklin County Public Library will begin hosting public storytelling workshops to introduce locals to the Adams Collection material and teach them storytelling methods. Professor Emeritus of Theatre Arts Rex Stephenson will lead the workshops. He has used archived tales from the James Taylor Adams Collection to dramatize Appalachian folktales since the 1970s. The grant proposal describes the workshops as offering “live storytelling to link archive copies of folktales from Southwestern Virginia with popular dramatic adaptations that have been performed in this region for decades, and encourage the public to collect, preserve and share their own stories.”

The CIC’s grant selection process was extremely selective. Anne M. Valk, historian and executive director of the American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning at the CUNY Graduate Center, leads the program.

“I was impressed by the good work that faculty and staff are already doing to support community engagement and humanities research,” said Valk. “So many independent colleges are committed to public-facing scholarship and exploring the hidden potential of their collections.”

Learn more about Appalachian folktales and literature by visiting the AppLit: Resources for Readers and Teachers of Appalachian Literature Facebook page, or the AppLit website.  

4/16/2021

The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum of Ferrum College, along with the Outlaw Cruisers Car Club of Rocky Mount, will sponsor the sixth annual Moonshine Heritage Car Show on April 24, 2021 at the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum on the Ferrum College campus.

The show will highlight cars that either have a moonshine hauling history or were the type of vehicle that was used for transporting liquor. All cars have to be pre-registered. The show will run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The show is free and open to the public. Local favorite eatery, Bowling’s Place Hotdogs, will be onsite. A limited number of Moonshine Heritage Car Show shirts will be for sale.

Twin Creeks Distillery of Franklin County will also be onsite offering a moonshine tasting.

For more information, call 540-365-4412 or email bri@ferrum.edu.

A beautifully decorated live Christmas tree is on display during the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum’s December 12 Open House.

This season, Ferrum College invites the community to enjoy a variety of holiday events on campus and in nearby Rocky Mount.

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum is offering a Homeschoolers’ “Blue Ridge Holiday” Day Camp on Thursday, December 5, from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Children will make decorations and participate in blacksmithing, caroling, card making, and more. Learn more and register here.

Theatre Arts at Ferrum College will present three performances of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: December 5 at 7 p.m., and December 7 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The performance will take place in Sale Theatre on campus, 305 State Route 602, in Ferrum. Admission is $5 for non-Ferrum College students and senior citizens, and $10 for adults. Reserve tickets here.

On Friday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the annual Holiday Bazaar will be held in the Panthers Den in lower Franklin Hall, 215 Ferrum Mountain Road, Ferrum. Local vendors will be on site. This event is free to attend and open to the public.

Also on Friday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m., the Ferrum College Chorale will perform at the Franklin County Library in Rocky Mount during the annual “Come Home to a Franklin County Christmas” event. This event is free and open to the public.

On Sunday, December 8, Ferrum College’s Marching Band will participate in the Franklin County Christmas Parade from 3–6 p.m. in downtown Rocky Mount. The parade is free to attend.

The Neverending Story: A Reflection of Jesus’ Teachings and Birth will be presented on Sunday, December 8 at 7 p.m. in the College’s Vaughn Chapel, 40 Wiley Drive, Ferrum. This performance is free and open to the public, and features music from the Ferrum College Chorale, Concert Choir, and the Fresh Wind Gospel Choir.

On Monday, December 9 at 7 p.m., Ferrum College Mountain Winds will offer a fall concert at Sale Theatre, 305 State Route 602, Ferrum. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public.

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum’s annual “Christmas in the Blue Ridge Open House” will take place on Thursday, December 12, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Institute and Museum, 20 Museum Drive, Ferrum. Enjoy a beautifully decorated live tree, homemade cookies and cider, caroling, and a variety of vendors selling Christmas gifts. The event is free and open to the public.

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum announces the 46th annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine, at the Institute on Ferrum College’s campus, 20 Museum Drive, Ferrum. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children (ages 6 – 14), and $5 for senior citizens (55 and over). Children 5 years old and younger are admitted free.

Always the fourth Saturday in October, the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival features authentic regional folk music, craftspeople, draft horse and dog handlers, car builders, tractor restorers, country cooks, moonshine tale tellers and much more! Called “thoroughly authentic” by The New York Times, the festival is coordinated by the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College and is a major venue on the Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.

Order advance tickets by calling (540) 365-4412. Visit here to learn more, view a schedule of events and ticket packages, or register a car for the car show.

Learn more about the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum here.

Members of the Scott family cut the ribbon commemorating the Leo H. Scott Educational Pavilion.

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College celebrated the completion of the Leo H. Scott Educational Pavilion with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Blue Ridge Farm Museum on Wednesday, October 16, 2019.

Leo Scott was often called the backbone of the Ferrum community.

Named for the late Leo Hamilton Scott, a Ferrum local who was often described as the backbone of the community, the pavilion was made possible by his wife Geraldine Scott and her grandchildren Chase and Kelli. The Scott family is a longtime presence in the town of Ferrum and strong supporters of the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, and Ferrum College.

“The educational pavilion is my special gift to Leo,” said Geraldine. “It means a great deal to me for everyone to be able to use it, from school children, to the Ferrum community for reunions and parties, to college students. I can’t wait to see it in use.”

Scott was a 1951 graduate of Ferrum Junior College. In 1953, he founded Leo Scott Cabinets and employed many local father and son pairs to custom-make cabinets that were shipped throughout southeast Virginia. Scott was active in the Ferrum community; he founded the Ferrum Rescue Squad and Ferrum Volunteer Fire Department. In 2001, Ferrum College awarded Scott the Benjamin M. Beckham Medallion, the most prestigious alumni award named after the College’s first president. He was also named Franklin County’s Farmer of the Year in 2013. Scott passed away in February 2017 at age 84.

“We are so grateful to the Scott family for this generous gift to the 1800s farm museum,” said Bethany Worley, director of the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum. “We’ve needed an educational facility for decades to serve our growing numbers of school tours, homeschooling events, and for the annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival. The Leo H. Scott Educational Pavilion will also be instrumental in our community fellowship. Everyone can be a part of Ferrum College.”

“The Leo H. Scott Educational Pavilion will be a center for learning, recreation, and reflection for years to come,” said Ferrum College President David Johns. “It will stand as a lasting memorial to a beloved member of this community. We are grateful to Geraldine Scott for her gift to Ferrum College and to the Village of Ferrum.”

Read more about Leo Hamilton Scott in this Franklin News Post article.

Learn more about the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum here.

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College announces its newest exhibit, Travelers’ Trinkets: Souvenirs of Virginia.

This unique exhibit focuses on the history of souvenir collecting, the various types of souvenirs, and how souvenirs have evolved throughout the years to the most popular form today—the “selfie.” Only focusing on the souvenirs of Virginia, this exhibit is the first of its kind in the Old Dominion and features collectibles ranging from refrigerator magnets, gorgeous ruby stained glass, Dale Earnhardt trading cards, to human hair.  Funded by a generous grant from Virginia Humanities, the exhibit will run until December 2020.

Visit the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum’s website to learn more.

Learn more about Virginia Humanities here.

Franklin County Schools’ administrators and faculty held some of the “Amazing Race” activities at the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College in June and July.

Ferrum College’s Blue Ridge Institute and Museum hosted teachers and administrators from Franklin County Public Schools for a team-building exercise: a local version of “The Amazing Race.”

The Blue Ridge Institute Coordinator of Educational Outreach and Interpretation Rebecca Austin, along with several farm museum historical interpreters, spent hours in preparation for the school teams which arrived in groups of three on select days throughout June and July. The BRI&M group’s first step was to determine what 1800-style team building activities were going to be available. They settled on tomahawk throwing, two-person log sawing, and ox driving.

“We did spend some time in preparation,” explained Austin. “We had to make a target stand for the tomahawk throwing and find a log to use as the target.”

On days when “The Amazing Race” activities took place, FCPS teams arrived unannounced at the Farm Museum as there was no specific schedule to follow; activities commenced as teams arrived.

Eighth-grade administrator at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Matt Dunbar said the teachers and administrators “genuinely like working together toward a common goal” and expressed pride in all of the Franklin County Schools.

“Any time we are able to participate in the enrichment of our educators, it is a good thing as ultimately, the children of Franklin County are who benefit,” said Austin.

“It was great to use the BRI as the place to build teamwork,” said non-traditional Ferrum College student and historical interpreter at the Farm Museum Jason Campbell, who helped coordinate the BRI&M’s race activities. “The beginning, middle, and end of education was working together.”

The Farm Museum is open to non-reserved walk-in visitors Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m., mid-May through Labor Day Weekend. The BRI is open all year on Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more about the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum here.

Read more about the Franklin County Public School System’s “The Amazing Race” in this Franklin News-Post article.

Rising junior Christian Haley of Boones Mill, VA, is Ferrum College’s newest McBroom student scholar. Set to graduate in 2021, Haley is a history major with a double minor in criminal justice and religion. He will spend this summer working at the College’s Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, the largest folklife museum in Virginia.

The McBroom Student Assistantship Program was established with a gift from the June M. McBroom Charitable Lead Trust in 2014. The program allows the director of the BRI to select a Ferrum College student in good standing to experience summer operations through the institute and museum, including living history interpretation, management of the museum and archives collection, summer camp programming, and event planning and production. Students who have an interest in history, agriculture, sociology, and recreation are given first preference.

Haley is exposed to a range of experiences through his work at the BRI. “My responsibilities are extremely broad, which is one of the things I love most about the job,” he said. “A typical day could consist of me taking care of our animals at the farm museum in the morning, digitizing and graphically editing artifacts in the middle of the day, leading an interpretive tour of the museum in the afternoon, and finally working to prepare the latest exhibit at the end of the day.”

“He has been absolutely outstanding,” said BRI Director Bethany Worley. “He is passionate about history and feels right at home in the archive, working on our upcoming exhibit, and on the 1800s farm in costume.”

When Haley is away from the museum, he can typically be found hiking, camping, fishing, rock climbing, and kayaking. “It’s where I’m most in my element,” he explained. And once he graduates from Ferrum College in 2021, he hopes to become a police officer and eventually enter federal law enforcement.

But he’s also keeping his options open to the possibility of graduate school and pursuing a career in the museum field. “Christian is getting what so many students need who are entering the job market or looking at graduate school: invaluable hands-on experience at the state’s largest folklife museum,” Worley said.

Read more about the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum here: https://dev.ferrum.edu/blueridgeinstitute/.