A Spot on the Hill Offers Special Matinee on Saturday, October 14th

A Spot on the Hill, Jonesborough’s annual cemetery play presented  by the Heritage Alliance will host a special matinee performance on Saturday, October 14th inside the auditorium of the Jonesborough Visitors Center. The play, now in its ninth year, shares the stories of the people buried in the Old Jonesborough Cemetery. New stories include Miss Ethel Brown who was a teacher at Booker T. Washington School and Jonesborough Elementary School, brick and stonemason John Rhea, Dr. William R. Sevier who was instrumental during the cholera epidemic of 1873, and Samuel Irvin who has the oldest marker in the cemetery. You’ll meet them and many more!

 

The show on October 14th will start at 2:00 pm and last about an hour. Tickets are only $10.00 and proceeds from the play help fund preservation efforts in the Old Jonesborough Cemetery. “Even if you do not see this show in the cemetery, it is still powerful,” Executive Director Anne Mason shares.  “We know that some people aren’t able to come to the cemetery to see the other performances, and we also know that some people don’t want to come near a cemetery. If that’s the case, this special matinee is a wonderful option.”

 

To purchase tickets, please call the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center at 423.753.1010. Tickets can also be purchased online at jonesborough.com/tickets.

A Spot on the Hill Returns to Old Jonesborough Cemetery

A Spot on the Hill, the original, research-based play returns this October to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery. Now celebrating its ninth season, this edition features new characters. New stories include Miss Ethel Brown who was a teacher at Booker T. Washington School and Jonesborough Elementary School, brick and stonemason John Rhea, Dr. William R. Sevier who was instrumental during the cholera epidemic of 1873, and Samuel Irvin who has the oldest marker in the cemetery. Irvin’s marker is even older than the cemetery itself. You’ll meet them and many more! Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to sit on. Seats are not provided at the cemetery. Come and listen to real stories of real lives among real tombstones.

Performances for A Spot on the Hill will take place at 6:30 p.m. on October 13th, 14th, 20th, and 21st. There will be a 2:00 p.m. matinee performance on October 14th in the Jonesborough Visitors Center and a 2:00 pm matinee in the cemetery on October 21st. At the outdoor matinee, there will be ASL interpretation provided by BridgeEAST. The indoor performance on October 14th is ADA accessible. Tickets are limited, and sell out fast, so make sure you buy yours today. Tickets are $10.00 and proceeds benefit the Heritage Alliance’s educational programs and initiatives, including ongoing programming in Jonesborough’s historic cemeteries.

Audience members should arrive 15 minutes prior to show time. Parking is available at the First Baptist Church and downtown. It is a short walk up East Main Street to the cemetery from the First Baptist Church lot. A golf cart courtesy shuttle will be available for guests who need it. This program is not suggested for children less than 10 years of age. In case of inclement weather, the show will be canceled and audience members will be notified in advance.

To purchase tickets, please call the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center at 423.753.1010. Tickets can also be purchased online at jonesborough.com/tickets.

A Spot on the Hill Shares New Stories in the Old Jonesborough Cemetery in October

A Spot on the Hill, the original, research-based play returns this October to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery. Now celebrating its eighth season, this edition features new characters. New stories include Ella Ford Freeze who ran the Dew Drop Inn Restaurant in Bristol, Zachariah Lyle Burson who donated the bell to the First Baptist Church, and James Edward Shipley who died in a tragic and bizarre accident.  You’ll meet them and many more! Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to sit on. Seats are not provided at the cemetery. Come and listen to real stories of real lives among real tombstones.

Performances for A Spot on the Hill will take place at 6:30 p.m. on October 14th, 15th, 21st, and 22rd. There will be a 2:00 p.m. matinee performance on October 15th in the Jonesborough Visitors Center and a 2:00 pm matinee in the cemetery on October 22nd. The indoor performance on October 15th is ADA accessible. Tickets are limited, and sell out fast, so make sure you buy yours today. Tickets are $10.00 and proceeds benefit the Heritage Alliance’s educational programs and initiatives, including ongoing programming in Jonesborough’s historic cemeteries.

 

Audience members should arrive 15 minutes prior to show time. Parking is available at the First Baptist Church and downtown. It is a short walk up East Main Street to the cemetery from the First Baptist Church lot. A golf cart courtesy shuttle will be available for guests who need it. This program is not suggested for children less than 10 years of age. In case of inclement weather, the show will be canceled and audience members will be notified in advance.

To purchase tickets, please call the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center at 423.753.1010. Tickets can also be purchased online at jonesborough.com/tickets.

A Spot on the Hill Returns to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery in October

– A Spot on the Hill, the original, research-based play returns this October to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery. Now celebrating its seventh season, this edition features new characters. New stories include members of the Panhorst family, John Simpson who owned the Mansion House, Spanish American War veteran William Armstrong, and Lucy Stuart who has a secret she’s been keeping.  You’ll meet them and many more! Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to sit on. Come and listen to real stories of real lives among real tombstones.

Performances for A Spot on the Hill will take place at 6:30 p.m. on October 15th, 16th, 22nd, and 23rd. There will be 2:00 p.m. matinee performances on October 16th and 23rd. We have made some changes this year in light of the ongoing Covid19 pandemic, and there will be no indoor performances. Tickets are limited, and sell out fast, so make sure you buy yours today. Tickets are $8.00 and proceeds benefit the Heritage Alliance’s educational programs and initiatives, including ongoing programming in Jonesborough’s historic cemeteries.

 

 

Audience members should arrive 15 minutes prior to show time. Parking is available at the First Baptist Church and downtown. It is a short walk up East Main Street to the cemetery from the First Baptist Church lot. A golf cart courtesy shuttle will be available for guests who need it. This program is not suggested for children less than 10 years of age. In case of inclement weather, the show will be canceled and audience members will be notified in advance.

To purchase tickets, please call the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center at 423.753.1010. Tickets can also be purchased online at jonesborough.com/tickets.

A Spot on the Hill Live on the Air with the StoryTown Radio Show

The popular annual play A Spot on the Hill, written by Heritage Alliance director Anne G’Fellers-Mason, usually performs before sold-out crowds at the historic cemetery in Jonesborough, and features stories about the people buried there. This year, due to COVID-19, the cast was unable to perform as usual. However, the Heritage Alliance is partnering with the StoryTown Radio Show this month to present a combined production: A Spot on the Hill: On the Air!

 

“Anne and I have collaborated on so many projects together. When I heard that she was not going to be able to do her production, I realized that our monthly StoryTown Radio Show and Podcast could provide an opportunity for the play to still take place- but as a radio style program,” explained Jules Corriere, McKinney Center Outreach Program Director and the writer and director of the StoryTown series.

 

When Corriere presented the idea to Mason, they both agreed it would be a great opportunity. The cast of A Spot on the Hill, many of whom are regular performers on the StoryTown Radio Show and Podcast, will perform their play after all. Corriere will book-end the performance with two or three local ghost stories to round out the hour, and the production will be presented as a livestream on the StoryTown Facebook page as well as its own podcast episode on the StoryTown podcast channel.

 

“I’m really happy that this important and creative work by the Heritage Alliance will still be presented, even if it is in a different format. I really support the work of the Heritage Alliance, and all they do for the community,” continued Corriere, who served for six years on the Board of Trustees for the organization.

 

The Livestream event will take place virtually on Monday, October 26 at 7:00 PM. The audio version will air on WETS 89.5 FM Johnson City on Wednesday, October 28 at 8PM, and the podcast will be available starting Friday, October 30 on the StoryTown podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts.

 

The StoryTown Radio Show is sponsored in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission, and is a project out of the McKinney Center and Jonesborough’s Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts.

 

Here is a link to watch the show – https://www.facebook.com/StoryTownRadioShow/

 

You do not need a Facebook account to watch the livestream.