Mark Your Calendar
We have some important events coming in November. Be sure to mark your calendar and make plans to join us.
FALL TRAILFEST: November 8-11, 2024
Be part of a new PATC annual tradition by joining other outdoor enthusiasts for the 2024 Fall TrailFest this November. The event will be held at the Caroline Furnace Camp and Retreat Center in the beautiful Massanutten Mountains surrounded by George Washington National Forest. TrailFest will take place from November 8-11th. There will be activities for the whole family throughout the weekend. Come for a day or stay for the entire weekend; you'll be able to curate your own fun filled itinerary upon registration.
Visit this website to register: https://www.patc.net/trailfest-info-page
SSVC Annual Meeting: Friday: November 22, 2024
Our annual chapter meeting will be held at Arey Hall in Bridgewater. More details coming soon but plan for a covered dish meal, speaker and chapter updates. We look forward to seeing you.
We have some important events coming in November. Be sure to mark your calendar and make plans to join us.
FALL TRAILFEST: November 8-11, 2024
Be part of a new PATC annual tradition by joining other outdoor enthusiasts for the 2024 Fall TrailFest this November. The event will be held at the Caroline Furnace Camp and Retreat Center in the beautiful Massanutten Mountains surrounded by George Washington National Forest. TrailFest will take place from November 8-11th. There will be activities for the whole family throughout the weekend. Come for a day or stay for the entire weekend; you'll be able to curate your own fun filled itinerary upon registration.
Visit this website to register: https://www.patc.net/trailfest-info-page
SSVC Annual Meeting: Friday: November 22, 2024
Our annual chapter meeting will be held at Arey Hall in Bridgewater. More details coming soon but plan for a covered dish meal, speaker and chapter updates. We look forward to seeing you.
PATC Executive Committee Elections
PATC Members,
The bi-annual PATC executive committee election opened on Tuesday, October 1st. We encourage all of you to cast your vote! You should have received an email from our election software on Tuesday morning with your unique link to fill out and submit. It's an easy and seamless process and all submissions are anonymous. Please visit www.patc.net/elections to read about the slate of candidates.
The new executive committee will be announced at our annual meeting taking place during our TrailFest event on November 9th, and they will assume their roles in the new year.
If you have any questions, send an email to [email protected].
PATC Members,
The bi-annual PATC executive committee election opened on Tuesday, October 1st. We encourage all of you to cast your vote! You should have received an email from our election software on Tuesday morning with your unique link to fill out and submit. It's an easy and seamless process and all submissions are anonymous. Please visit www.patc.net/elections to read about the slate of candidates.
The new executive committee will be announced at our annual meeting taking place during our TrailFest event on November 9th, and they will assume their roles in the new year.
If you have any questions, send an email to [email protected].
News about Hurricane Helene
Update received from Appalachian Trail Conservancy:
Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc in the south! Our Damascus Trail Center is currently closed as the town is still experiencing large amounts of flooding. More than a third of the Appalachian Trail is currently inaccessible. A.T. Communities such as Damascus VA, Irwin TN, and Hot Springs NC have been devastated. All national forests in GA and NC are closed as is Great Smokey Mountain NP. And Asheville NC, home to ATC’s Southern Regional Office, is currently only accessible via air.
Updates as we hear them about trail impacts will be in our alerts, currently here:
https://appalachiantrail.org/news/hurricane-helenes-impacts-on-the-appalachian-trail-and-nearby-communities/
Update received from Appalachian Trail Conservancy:
Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc in the south! Our Damascus Trail Center is currently closed as the town is still experiencing large amounts of flooding. More than a third of the Appalachian Trail is currently inaccessible. A.T. Communities such as Damascus VA, Irwin TN, and Hot Springs NC have been devastated. All national forests in GA and NC are closed as is Great Smokey Mountain NP. And Asheville NC, home to ATC’s Southern Regional Office, is currently only accessible via air.
Updates as we hear them about trail impacts will be in our alerts, currently here:
https://appalachiantrail.org/news/hurricane-helenes-impacts-on-the-appalachian-trail-and-nearby-communities/
Annual Deyerle Program Series
Local History to Highlight Shenandoah National Park
Free Events Take Place Thursdays Weekly,
October 3 – October 24 at Central Library:
174 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
The annual Deyerle Program Series on Local History returns to Massanutten Regional Library’s Central Library with four in-person events during this year. This popular annual lecture series features local historians, scholars and area experts who explore a broad range of subjects surrounding the history of the Shenandoah Valley. This year’s series focuses on topics related to Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail and will take place weekly on Thursday evenings at 7PM from October 3- 24, 2024. Advance registration is requested through MRL’s website. Topics and speakers for the 2024 Deyerle Program Series are as follows:
October 3 @ 7 PM: “Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail”
Mills Kelly, Professor of History at George Mason University and author of Virginia's Lost Appalachian Trail, will tell the story of a 300-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that is all but forgotten by hikers. This section was in use until 1952, when the Appalachian Trail Conference moved the AT more than 50 miles to the west.
October 10 @ 7 PM: “The Natural History of Shenandoah National Park”
Learn with Shenandoah National Park Ranger Margo Roseum about the wonders of the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains! Have you ever wondered why some rocks are so hard and others are like sand below your feet on the trail? What kinds of animals are living on this land? How is it managed and protected? What is its history? What else is there to be discovered? This overview of natural and cultural history will guide you on a journey through Shenandoah National Park and give you an idea of the fun and adventure that awaits you on your next visit!
October 17 @ 7 PM: “The Lewis Mountain Story”
Shenandoah National Park was established in 1935. At the time, Virginia was a "Jim Crow" state with laws that legalized racial segregation. By 1940, a segregated area that included a campground, picnic area, lodge, and cabins was developed at Lewis Mountain. Learn about Shenandoah National Park in the Jim Crow Era from Park Rangers Allysah Fox and Karl Rand.
October 24 @ 7 PM: “The Anguish of Displacement”
Katrina M. Powell, Ph.D., is the author of The Anguish of Displacement: The Politics of Literacy in the Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park and the editor of Answer at Once: Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park, 1934-1938. Dr. Powell is the founding director of the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies and a professor of rhetoric and writing at Virginia Tech. In this final session, Dr. Powell will discuss the displacement of families that occurred to create the Shenandoah National Park.
All events hosted by Massanutten Regional Library, including the Deyerle Program Series on Local History, are free and open to the public, and you do not need a library card to participate. Find details and a registration link for each session at MRL’s website:
https://mrlib.org/news-events/newsroom.html/article/2024/09/04/annual-deyerle-program-series-on-local-history-to-highlight-shenandoah-national-park
Local History to Highlight Shenandoah National Park
Free Events Take Place Thursdays Weekly,
October 3 – October 24 at Central Library:
174 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
The annual Deyerle Program Series on Local History returns to Massanutten Regional Library’s Central Library with four in-person events during this year. This popular annual lecture series features local historians, scholars and area experts who explore a broad range of subjects surrounding the history of the Shenandoah Valley. This year’s series focuses on topics related to Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail and will take place weekly on Thursday evenings at 7PM from October 3- 24, 2024. Advance registration is requested through MRL’s website. Topics and speakers for the 2024 Deyerle Program Series are as follows:
October 3 @ 7 PM: “Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail”
Mills Kelly, Professor of History at George Mason University and author of Virginia's Lost Appalachian Trail, will tell the story of a 300-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that is all but forgotten by hikers. This section was in use until 1952, when the Appalachian Trail Conference moved the AT more than 50 miles to the west.
October 10 @ 7 PM: “The Natural History of Shenandoah National Park”
Learn with Shenandoah National Park Ranger Margo Roseum about the wonders of the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains! Have you ever wondered why some rocks are so hard and others are like sand below your feet on the trail? What kinds of animals are living on this land? How is it managed and protected? What is its history? What else is there to be discovered? This overview of natural and cultural history will guide you on a journey through Shenandoah National Park and give you an idea of the fun and adventure that awaits you on your next visit!
October 17 @ 7 PM: “The Lewis Mountain Story”
Shenandoah National Park was established in 1935. At the time, Virginia was a "Jim Crow" state with laws that legalized racial segregation. By 1940, a segregated area that included a campground, picnic area, lodge, and cabins was developed at Lewis Mountain. Learn about Shenandoah National Park in the Jim Crow Era from Park Rangers Allysah Fox and Karl Rand.
October 24 @ 7 PM: “The Anguish of Displacement”
Katrina M. Powell, Ph.D., is the author of The Anguish of Displacement: The Politics of Literacy in the Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park and the editor of Answer at Once: Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park, 1934-1938. Dr. Powell is the founding director of the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies and a professor of rhetoric and writing at Virginia Tech. In this final session, Dr. Powell will discuss the displacement of families that occurred to create the Shenandoah National Park.
All events hosted by Massanutten Regional Library, including the Deyerle Program Series on Local History, are free and open to the public, and you do not need a library card to participate. Find details and a registration link for each session at MRL’s website:
https://mrlib.org/news-events/newsroom.html/article/2024/09/04/annual-deyerle-program-series-on-local-history-to-highlight-shenandoah-national-park
