BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — In today’s fast-paced world driven by technological advancement, the desire to preserve the Appalachian heritage remains alive and well in Martin County.
Continuing the tradition that the Roy F. Collier Community Center and friends started, members of the community band together each year for Martin County Heritage Day. It is a day to step back in time and pay homage to the traditions and way of life of ancestors who paved the way for those who now call Martin County home.
The 2023 Heritage Day is set for Saturday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the junction of King Fisher and God’s Promise Trail in Inez. The location can be accessed by parking at The Collier Center and hiking the trail up the mountain or catching a ride in an SXS operated by various volunteers.
The site includes a hand-hued cabin originally constructed in 1937 that was relocated from Davis Branch and a one-room schoolhouse relocated from Trace Fork.
Nita Collier, a retired educator dedicated to tourism in the county, has been involved with Heritage Day since its beginning. She spoke of the importance of teaching the ways of the old to ensure they are not forgotten or die away as members of our older generations pass on.
“Heritage Day is such a great event,” remarked Collier. “Visitors may tour the traditional cabin furnished with antiques and vintage items from that day and time. They can watch a performance that explains the day-to-day life of mountain people and the tasks they faced as they survived and built a life for their families.”
Pat Marcum, also a retired teacher, tells all in attendance about what took place during a typical school day inside the single classroom that housed students of all ages.
Outside the cabin, visitors can watch volunteers prepare soup beans over an open fire, bake cornbread in a Dutch oven buried amongst hot coals in the ground and much more.
Enjoying a traditional Appalachian dinner that is second to none is free. There will be fried potatoes, other side dishes and apple desserts.
The popular Webb Boys and the McGinnis Family will provide musical entertainment during the four-hour event.
“Jarrod Goforth, a local frontiersman/farmer who lives the life of his ancestors on a daily basis will speak of those who came before us and of their traditions,” said Collier. “We will have a table set up under an enclosure that will serve as a display for antique tools and other hardware that our mountain people used to toil the land and maintain a homestead.”
Collier added, “In my opinion, it is extremely important to continue to share the ways of those who came before us and to honor them for their never-ending sacrifices and commitment to raising their families in our mountains. If we fail to pass on this information, it will be lost forever and that’s not something I ever want to happen.”