ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 19, 1996 TAG: 9609190022
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
Admission to Old Salem is $14 for adults and $8 for children; children 5 and under are free. For more information, call (910) 721-7300.
Other sites of interest include The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Old Salem, which displays rooms decorated in Southern style dating through 1820 (call 910-721-7300 for admission and information) and Bethabara, a 110-acre wooded park where the original 1753 settlement and its foundations are preserved (call 910-924-8191 for information; admission is free).
Visitors can also see Salem Academy, a college preparatory school for girls founded in 1772 - and the oldest American Protestant girls' school in continuous operation - as well as Salem College, a liberal-arts school for women. Formerly Salem Female Academy, it was granted college standing in 1866.
During the holiday season, Old Salem honors Christmas simply with greenery, illuminated Moravian stars, candles and music. The Salem Christmas Festival, a day of special activities, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 21, and there is a traditional lovefeast on Christmas Eve.
A special Easter morning service, a tradition since 1772, begins outside the church in pre-dawn darkness with a crowd of over a thousand people of all denominations waiting quietly. The Moravian band plays hymns throughout the service. At sunrise, the service processes to God's Acre, where hundreds of white headstones have been scrubbed and adorned with flowers by church volunteers and family members.
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: KAREN ADAMS God's Acre. colorby CNB