ROMNEY, W.Va. — Plans and events are underway by the committee for the Romney History Festival.
One of the first events will be April 5 when Lonesome Highway will be performing. The time and place has yet to be determined.
The festival will honor Confederate Memorial Day, June 5, with a Camp 284, Sons of Confederate Veterans’ luminary event at Indian Mound Cemetery at 8:30 p.m.
Details on participants during the ceremony will be listed on the website as the plans are completed.
Re-enactors will march down Main Street (U.S. Route 50) on June 7 to the cemetery for the draping of the garland around the Confederate Monument conducted by the Hampshire County Historical Society, 13th Virginia Volunteer Infantry and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The public is invited to join in the march to honor those fallen.
The committee is also planning a train ride to Ridgedale again this year with some major changes. Ride the Rails to Ridgedale will take place June 8 at 11 a.m. Lunch provided by Greta’s Kitchen will be served on the train.
Re-enactors from the 8th Virginia Infantry, Company F I, will participate in entertainment on the train as well as at Ridgedale. Civil War-era events at Ridgedale are being planned for children as well as adults.
Plans are also being made for a tentative black-powder shoot with the help of professional organizers.
The committee plans to hold a Veteran’s Day event in November.
All proceeds from fundraisers held by the Romney History Festival Committee are to help complete the construction of Celebration Park. The park includes a history plaza, a serenity plaza and a veterans memorial plaza. The Veterans Plaza will have a walled backdrop complete with bronze plaques depicting each branch of the service. Each plaza is connected by dual landscaped island and brick walkways.
History plaza houses the Civil War Memorial, flags and a time capsule.
Plans are to eventually install a water fountain in Serenity Plaza. Four solar lamp poles were recently installed at the park with more to come.
The wall at Veterans Plaza will also be solar lit. Construction will continue on the park as soon as weather permits.
“Reserve a prominent place in history by buying a personalized engraved brick to be placed in the park,” Dan Hileman, vice president of the committee and City of Romney mayor said. Purchasers of bricks can designate in which area they would like bricks placed. The committee continues to offer a buy one brick and get a second half price.
On June 6, a ceremony will take place at Celebration Park where all the names on the engraved bricks will be read.
Bricks now in the park include family names, businesses, logos, birthday greetings and historical dates. The laser engraved brick pavers come in two sizes, 4 inches by 8 inches and 8 inches by 8 inches.
Go to Romney History Festival web page, romneyhistoryfestival.com, to order a brick or for more detailed information call 304-788-0903.