River Talks return to Eclipse
Published 11:11 pm Tuesday, November 8, 2016
The Suffolk River Heritage group will take over hosting duties for the next installment of the popular River Talks program.
The next program, scheduled for Nov. 15, will be held at the Crittenden, Eclipse and Hobson Ruritan Hall. More than 20 River Talks have taken place, according to Karla Smith, chairman at Suffolk River Heritage and member at Nansemond River Preservation Alliance, which has hosted previous versions of the event.
In the past, the talks have covered a variety of topics concerning water quality, local history and the value of nature trails, among others.
The Nov. 15 event will highlight the importance of preserving local and family history.
“We are teaching people how to put their stories and their families’ stories together,” Smith said.
There will be four stations on site — a sales station, a lighthouse project expo, a media station and a digital station.
The program will be presented by Joe Bass, historian and workshop coordinator at Suffolk River Heritage; Larry Saint, author and researcher for the Lighthouse Project; Arthur Bradshaw, technology consultant for the Greater Chuckatuck Historical Foundation; Jean Hodges, photography curator for Suffolk River Heritage; and Lynn Rose, historian at Greater Chuckatuck Historical Foundation and Smith.
The sales station will have books and paraphernalia about Chuckatuck Creek. There will also be membership sign-up information available for the three organizations in attendance.
The lighthouse expo will feature information about local lighthouses. Smith said her team is in the process of publishing a book about the lighthouse project.
The media station, referred to as “The Gathering Place,” will have biographies, stories and archives provided by the Greater Chuckatuck Historical Foundation and Suffolk River Heritage.
Members at the station will show guests how letters, pictures, memoirs, maps and interviews can be used to tell personal, family and community stories.
“If you don’t collect the local history, then it’s lost,” Smith said. “Our goal is to try to tell the story of our area.”
The “Digital Palooza” station will teach residents how to save their old photos and documents that can be digitized into files and movies.
Smith said the River Talks have been well accepted in the community.
The event will be at 8881 Eclipse Drive from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a social beginning at 6 p.m.