Culture
Appalachian Spring Celebration Hits Nelsonville This Week
By: Sara Brumfield | Athens Messenger
Posted on:
The 12th annual Little Cities Appalachian Spring Celebration will kick off on Thursday on Nelsonville’s Historic Public Square.
The annual celebration — which highlights the region’s coal mining history — will begin with a half-day tour of some of the Little Cities of the Black Diamonds on Thursday. A full-day tour is scheduled for Friday.
The events will continue Friday evening during Nelsonville’s monthly Final Friday event on the Public Square. The opening of the exhibit Coal Town Childhood: Growing Up in the Hocking Valley Coalfields will be held from 6-9 p.m. in the lobby of Stuart’s Opera House.
A Coal Town Soup Supper runs in conjunction with the opening, featuring homemade soups and pies. Admission to the exhibit is free. The exhibit will be on display at Stuart’s through mid-June.
Also on Friday evening will be the Little Cities Children’s Chautauqua Tent Show at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on the Public Square. The show will feature live music, jugglers, magic, a ventriloquist, puppets and more.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at Tish’s Treasures, Fullbrook’s Café or the Nelsonville Emporium. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://littlecitiesofblackdiamonds.wordpress.com.
The season’s celebration will conclude with the 9th Annual Tour De Forest Benefit Bicycle Ride on May 3, departing from Stuart’s Opera House. Ride registration and route maps are available at www.tourdeforest.wordpress.com. Proceeds from the ride benefit heritage education provided by the Little Cities of Black Diamond Council and environmental education provided by the Little Cities of the Forest Collaborative.
For information about the Appalachian Spring Celebration or the Little Cities of Black Diamonds, call 394-3011, email lcbd@ohiohills.com or visit http://littlecitiesofblackdiamonds.wordpress.com.