Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 25, 1992 TAG: 9201250035
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KIM SUNDERLAND
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
MANY SIGN ON TO HELP WITH TOWN BICENTENNIAL
About 150 people showed up Thursday night to learn about plans for the town's upcoming bicentennial celebration, and most of them signed up to help out with the festivities."It thrills my heart to see you all here!" bicentennial commission Chairman Jack Via told the crowd gathered at the National Guard Armory. "It's true that many hands make life work."
Without public support, the fund-raising arm of the Christiansburg Bicentennial Commission would stand to lose a heap of money.
The Rogers Co. of Pittsburgh is being paid about $26,000 to help plan and administer the observance. Total budgeted allocations will run about $34,550.
Following a welcome speech by Mayor Harold Linkous, and a rousing pep talk by Via, Rogers Co. representative Phillip Frable laid out the schedule for the audience.
Frable and others urged citizens to sign up for various committees to help with the June 19-27 events.
Those events include a five-day stage show to be performed by about 300 volunteers at a local school. And hundreds more volunteers are needed as stage hands, sound technicians and construction crews to build and run the stage where the pageant will be held.
"We will use men, women and children," Frable said. "If you have a heart beat, you can be in the show."
The show division will be in charge of the production and division co-chairman Jim Stewart is a little worried.
"We've got to have about 500 people total to pull this pageant off," he said. "We've got to get more people interested."
By the end of the meeting, it seemed most people were interested.
"There were a lot of new faces in this crowd," said Kathy Mantz, executive director of the Christiansburg-Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. "That says to me that this is going to work."
Local government officials - including Town Council members and three members of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors - also showed up.
Supervisor Nick Rush, whose District B includes most of Christiansburg, left before the meeting ended. Friday he explained that he and his wife, Amy, had to pick up their son. "That's part of being a family man," he said.
Asked if he was going to get involved in the bicentennial planning, Rush said, "I'm gonna be as involved as I can, but I won't join any committees or anything. My wife may be more involved."
Charles Johnson of the Christiansburg Industrial Institute Alumni Association said his group was planning to be involved in the special events division and hopes to build a float for the parade that will depict the historical school for blacks.
"I've been with them [bicentennial commission] since the first meeting," Johnson said. "I think this is a wonderful idea."
Erlene Barber of Gates Flowers also signed up for special events where she said she could pack and mail invitations or decorate windows.
"I stuff about 500 statements a month so I've got this down to a science!" she said.
"Now you have to be a mouthpiece and help us recruit," Frable told the audience. "Tell your church, neighbors and the people at work. No one should ever say `Nobody asked me to help!' because now we're asking."