DOBSON — Automobiles have played key roles in Surry County’s development, including transporting raw materials and manufactured products along with helping citizens access goods or services — so it’s only natural that a car show help showcase its history.
“It’s part of who we are,” county government spokesman Nathan Walls said Tuesday in discussing plans for the auto component to be part of an upcoming kickoff celebration in recognition of Surry’s 250th anniversary.
That event is scheduled for Aug. 21 on the Historic Courthouse Square at 114 W. Atkins St. in Dobson.
“Definitely, that ties into the history,” Walls said of how motorized conveyances have clearly been a part of Surry’s heritage and fueled a rich tradition and culture all their own — from the Model T to electric vehicles increasingly seen on roadways.
This is reflected by popular cruise-in events held in local downtown venues including Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain, added Walls, who is the assistant to the county manager and clerk for the Surry County Board of Commissioners. He also is on a planning committee for the Surry 250 observance.
It will honor the 250th anniversary of the county’s founding in 1770, six years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The celebration initially was planned for the spring of 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic caused its postponement along with other large public gatherings in the area.
“We had originally discussed doing it, and that was for the May 2 (2020) event and at that time it was just not going to materialize,” Walls said of the car show amid restrictions in place at that time.
“But now it did materialize,” he said, with conditions having changed.
“The car show is being organized by Jerry Venable, who runs the awesome and well-attended car shows in Pilot Mountain,” Walls mentioned regarding the Hot Nights and Hot Cars series there.
Such events usually include an array of vintage and other vehicles spanning different automotive generations which provide a built-in history lesson.
Other 250 highlights
The Aug. 21 kickoff event in Dobson is designed to be a prelude for continuing activities commemorating the county’s historic milestone.
An opening ceremony is scheduled at 10 a.m., with entertainment and activities continuing throughout the day, closing at 6 p.m.
Aug. 28 has been picked as a rain date for the Surry 250 event.
The gathering is free and open to the public and will be presented by Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital.
On June 7, the Surry County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to accept a request by the Elkin hospital to be the primary sponsor of the 250 kickoff celebration.
Live performances will be headlined by Presley Barker and Taylon Hope — reflecting traditional music that also is part of the county’s history — along with The Nunn Brothers, The Slate Mountain Ramblers and the Celtic Sessions band.
Barker is a 16-year-old local prodigy who has competed on “American Idol” and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, MerleFest, Elkin Roots Music Festival, Reeves Theater and Galax, Virginia, Old Fiddlers Convention, where he won the adult guitar competition at age 10.
Hope is another highly successful 16-year-old with much experience in Nashville, who has shared the stage with Dolly Parton, Tracy Lawrence, Lee Greenwood, Lonestar, Shenandoah and Colin Raye.
She moved to Nashville from West Jefferson to pursue her career in country music as a pre-teen and is a signed artist for Dolly Parton’s Dream More Resort, where she performs throughout the year. Hope also has appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, on historic WSM Radio and at the CMA Music Fest and MerleFest.
Children can enjoy the Dobson Splash Pad, a monster mural, a playground, cornhole boards and Horne Creek Living Historical Farm old-timey games during the celebration.
Historical displays and demonstrations will be provided by Horne Creek, the Wake Forest University Anthropology Department, heritage craftsmen and Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. It will present a walk-through mobile museum tracing Surry County’s history from the Native Americans to today.
A Revolutionary War demonstration also is planned.
Surry County historical videos will be screened in the Historic Courthouse boardroom on the second floor and a time capsule will be on hand for citizens to add their contents for reopening in 2121.
Walls said the videos will include silent films and other footage highlighting communities including Pilot Mountain and Elkin. Duke University is serving as a contributor for the video component of the event. Walls is equally enthused about old pictures that are to be displayed with help from libraries in Surry which are in the Northwestern Regional system.
Representatives of the Surry County Genealogical Association and a local digital heritage project also will be part of the kickoff event, with laptop computers to be on hand to access historical materials.
Surry County sonkers and numerous food trucks are additionally on the menu, with Walls mentioning Tuesday that this is to include a food truck offering Mayberry pork chop sandwiches.
Atkins and Crutchfield streets will be closed for the event, but parking will be available at Dobson Elementary School, Dobson First Baptist Church, Surry County Judicial Center and Surry Community College, where guests can hop on a shuttle for a free ride downtown.
Those who attend should bring a blanket or lawn chair to relax on the Historic Courthouse lawn, where concerts and social events were held for decades.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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