ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210019
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: out & about
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS
It was the summer of 1775.
Mary was a young mother, a hard-working pioneer woman - tending to a family and a piece of Virginia's rich land.
Life here, however, was uncertain.
The Shawnee Indians, allied with the French, sent raiding parties to attack English settlements along Virginia's western frontier. Cabins were burned, possessions destroyed and many settlers killed or captured.
Mary Draper Ingles was one of those taken from her settlement in the summer of 1775.
"The Long Way Home," the annual outdoor drama chronicling Mary Draper Ingles' journey following her capture, opens this weekend at the Ingles Homestead Amphitheatre in Radford. This is the 26th season for the popular play written by Earl Hobson Smith.
The drama is based on the true story of Ingles' escape from the Shawnee. She wrestled her way through more than 800 miles of wilderness to get back to her Virginia home. Her captors had taken her to a camp in Kentucky.
Amazingly, she survived the ordeal. In just over 40 days, Ingles found her way into Adam Harman's cornfield in Giles County. Harman and his sons helped her return to her family.
The amphitheater is on the Wilderness Road site where Ingles lived for 57 years following her homecoming. She was buried at the site, too.
The drama shows Thursday through Sunday each week through Aug. 31. Performances start at 8:30 p.m.
This season's production features new music by Phil Coulter, Bruce Mitchell and Barry Phillips. Kristi Pomo is directing the 1996 show.
Tickets are $7 for adults or $3.50 for children 12 and under. To make reservations, call 639-0679.
The amphitheater is on Virginia 232. From Interstate 81, take Exit 105.
OH, APPALACHIA! Radford University's Highland Summer Conference, the annual conference on Appalachian culture and writing, wraps up next week. You won't want to miss the final two guest artists who'll be sharing their mountain magnetism.
Blacksburg's Elizabeth McCommon is a woman of many talents. A teacher, writer, singer, musician and actress, McCommon has appeared in films and stage productions. Her recordings include "Rhododendron," an album of original music recorded in concert, and "Help Yourself to Health," a collection of children's songs.
On the local scene, McCommon has taught in Virginia Tech's communication studies department and served in a variety of roles as a community leader.
She will entertain you Tuesday with a dramatic reading at 7:30 p.m. in Heth Hall lounge A. It's free and open to the public.
On Thursday, you can catch a reading by Don Secreast - same time, same place.
Secreast, who was born in Lenoir, N.C., now lives in Radford and teaches in the university's English department. His writing includes novels, poems, essays, short stories, criticism and reviews. "White Trash and Red Velvet" and "The Rat Becomes Light" are among his book titles. He also wrote "Adventuring in the Andes" with Charles Frazier.
Secreast's reading Thursday evening is another freebie.
SUNDAY BEST: You'll find some of the best organ music Sunday at the First United Methodist Church in Pearisburg. Mildred Heimlich will play in a concert to benefit the Giles County Historical Society's museum and restoration fund.
Heimlich, who graduated from the old Pearisburg High School and went on to earn a master's degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York, was an associate professor of music at Radford University for 38 years. She's now retired and living in Salem.
Heimlich has served as the organist and choir director at several churches. She's currently at Salem's College Lutheran Church.
Sunday's concert starts at 3 p.m. Admission is by donation. The church is at 1101 Valleyview Drive.
MUSIC BY THE RIVER: The New River will keep on rolling when the Blacksburg Community Band rolls into Radford's Bisset Park. What could be more relaxing than an evening of great music down by the river?
The band plays at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the park gazebo. The concert is part of the summer series sponsored by Crestar Bank and the Radford Parks and Recreation Department.
The musicians play all kinds of concert band music - marches, show tunes, light symphonic numbers, popular tunes, old favorites and novelty music.
Tuesday's performance is free and open to all. Bring a picnic supper and a blanket or lawn chair if you like.
SCHOOL'S OUT... but don't let the learning stop now!
The Museum of Natural History at Virginia Tech has a new exhibit, "Stories by Nature." Kids (and grown-ups, too) will get caught up in the hands-on learning demonstrations about plants, rocks, dinosaurs, sharks and more.
The museum also has a collection of permanent scientific displays, as well as a "Discovery Corner," an educational resource center and a shop with lots of neat gifts to keep you learning at home.
Located at 428 N. Main St. in downtown Blacksburg, it's open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
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