The Botetourt 250th Anniversary ends
Botetourt County’s 250th anniversary is over, and while Covid-19 ended most of the over 40 activities that the Sestercentennial Committee had planned, the four women who headed up the committee still managed to pull off several events to commemorate the historic moment.
Wendy Wingo, Angela Coon, Donna Vaughn, and Lois Switzer made up the committee charged with planning activities. Prior to the advent of the pandemic and the resulting shut-down of activities, they had events planned with various businesses, churches, the Botetourt Chamber of Commerce, the Botetourt Historical Society, Historic Fincastle, Inc., the Genealogy Society, and others for multiple events, including a history and genealogy fair that was been postponed indefinitely.
Wingo, who spoke for the group before the Board of Supervisors at the their monthly meeting on November 23, 2021, told the Supervisors that the activities had received much press coverage from The Botetourt Bee, The Fincastle Herald, and WDBJ7 and WSLS10.
The group held a logo contest at the high schools and the library system held a poetry contest. Two original songs were written for the event.
“We were ready to celebrate,” Wingo said.
The county held a kick-off event on February 1, 2020, and showed off a 100-page magazine that the committee created. The magazine highlighted county history, current and past businesses, and persons of interest. The magazine, which was put together and edited by Anita Firebaugh, was paid for entirely by advertisements and cost the county nothing, Wingo noted.
After everything was cancelled, the committee designed a 250th Christmas ornament for 2020. On September 18, 2021, during the Fincastle Festival, the committee placed a 250th anniversary memorial monument at the Botetourt County Historical Museum.
The Historical Society of Western Virginia in Downtown Roanoke this November finished up a display of Botetourt County: 250 years (+1) that was well received, Wingo reported.
The committee still hopes to have another event in the spring of 2022.
The Supervisors honored the Committee for their hard work with bouquets of flowers.
— Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee