Progressive Dinner: Focus on the Volunteers

Plans Underway for Sold Out Jonesborough Progressive Dinner

All  seating times are now sold out including 3 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:40 p.m.

The magic of Tennessee’s oldest town comes alive during the annual Progressive Dinner hosted by the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. This year’s dinner takes place on the evening of Sat., Dec. 6 with a variety of seating times including 3 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:40 p.m.  However, all seating times are now sold out due to an overwhelming response from folks across the region.

Now in its 37th year, the Progressive Dinner provides an enchanting evening of great food, good friends, holiday music and an insider’s look at some of Jonesborough’s spectacular historic structures. Begun as a way to celebrate Tennessee’s Oldest Town’s historic preservation efforts, the event is still the main fundraiser for the Heritage Alliance, this region’s local partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Jonesborough’s preservation specialists.

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Guests will be escorted to five historic structures during the evening as each location features a different course, live holiday music and the signature warmth and hospitality of Jonesborough. Structures are chosen to highlight the diverse architectural styles and periods represented by Jonesborough’s beautifully preserved Historic District. Three of the structures include private homes. By combining public and private buildings with various styles and periods, the Progressive Dinner takes you back to holidays past and offers a calming atmosphere from the hustle and bustle of today’s holiday season.

The main event begins at the state owned Chester Inn Museum and ends at a private home located in Jonesborough.  The meal is provided by locally owned Main Street Café & Catering with the dessert by Embree House Wedding Cakes, Patricia nbso online casino reviews Stern and Ginine Argueta.

The Progressive dinner has become a traditional start to the holidays for many people throughout East Tennessee and surrounding states. Seasonal music by several of our area’s finest musicians, including the ever popular Jonesborough Novelty Band, gourmet food, memorable camaraderie and great fun are the hallmarks of this popular event.

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Another aspect that makes Jonesborough’s Progressive Dinner a memorable tradition is the volunteers.  Executive Director of the Heritage Alliance Deborah Montanti estimates that in order for the event to run smoothly, nearly 80 volunteers are needed in a variety of forms.

“We are so grateful for the support that comes from the community as they step forward to assist in numerous roles,” Montanti said. “Volunteers are what really make the Progressive Dinner personal and fun for the guests.  They assist in decorations, food preparation and presentation, serving and in many other ways.”

“I’ve been involved with the Progressive Dinner since 1988,” Marcy Hawley said.  “It’s just wonderful, and I look forward to assisting with the event each year.”

Hawley has been involved with the Progressive Dinner in a variety of capacities, including hosting the dinner in her home, washing dishes, serving food and cooking several of the courses.

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“I love sharing Jonesborough with people, it is so special and many folks from the area are not familiar with the Progressive Dinner and what Jonesborough has to offer,” Hawley said. “The Christmas season showcases Jonesborough at its best; there have been some of the same groups attending the Progressive Dinner for nearly 25 years.”

Volunteers are still needed for the 37th Annual Progressive Dinner on Dec. 6.  Anyone interested in supporting the event may contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580.  2015 Progressive Dinner tickets will become available to the public in late August 2015. To be added to a contact list for Progressive Dinner ticket sales, contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580 or email info@heritageall.org.

"Things Are Changing" at ETSU November 14

The History Department at East Tennessee State University with support from the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, invites alumni, students, and community members to a performance of 2013 graduate Anne G’Fellers-Mason’s play “Things Are Changing’: A One-Act Historical Play about Gender, Race, and Education.” Set in late nineteenth-century Jonesborough, Tennessee, and based on newspapers and primary documents of the era, the play conveys the real-life controversy that arose over Yardley Warner”s Freedmen”s Normal School, known as the Warner Institute. Despite strong criticism from the editorial staff of The Jonesboro Journal, Julia Bullard Nelson, a spirited, young schoolteacher for Warner Institute, and Yardley Warner, founder and principle of the institute, online casino remained steadfast in their challenge against long-held stereotypes about gender, race, and education in late nineteenth-century America.

The performance will be held in 118 Rogers-Stout Hall at 7:00 pm on Friday, November 14. A question-and-answer session and a reception with light refreshments will follow the production.  This event is free and open to the public, but anyone wishing to attend should contact the History Department at (423) 439-4222 or email the department at historyofu@etsu.edu to ensure that seats remain available.  To view the flyer, please click here.

Things Are Changing

A Spot On the Hill – Nov 1 Performances Moved Inside!

Due to the bitter cold and rain/snow mix this Saturday, the 3:30 and 5:00 performances of A Spot On the Hill have been moved inside to the Jonesborough/Washington County History Museum located inside the Historic Jonesborough Visitor’s Center on Boone Street as you enter downtown. The light will be low and the spirits of the Old Jonesborough Cemetery will still be ready to share.

 

Progressive Dinner SOLD OUT

The 37th Annual Progressive Dinner is SOLD OUT!  We look forward to seeing our ticket holders for a night of merriment and delicious food online casino on December 6th.  Thanks to you all for helping to keep this wonderful tradition alive.

New Show Added to A Spot On the Hill!

Due to weather readjustments, we”ve added a new show to A Spot On the Hill for 3:30 on Saturday, November 1st.  We also still have tickets available for the best online casino 4:00 show on October 25th.  To order tickets, please call the Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580 or the Jonesborough Visitor”s Center at 423.753.1010.

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Historic Preservation Panel Discussion – Preserving the Heart of a Place: “Changeable… rain at night…”

A historic preservation effort and panel discussion will take place at the Jonesborough Visitors Center on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. entitled Preserving the Heart of a Place: “Changeable… rain at night.”

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The program’s title comes from a DeVault daybook that includes several weather journals. The moderator will be Deborah Montanti, Director of the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Montanti will be joined in discussion by Dr. Carroll Van West, Professor and Director of the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, Dr. Tom Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at East Tennessee State University, and Dr. William “Bill” Kennedy, Chair of the Jonesborough nbso online casino reviews Historic Zoning Commission.

The discussion is a programming event associated with a current exhibition at the Reece Museum located on the campus at East Tennessee State University entitled The DeVault Tavern. The exhibition will take place at the Reece Museum September 11 through December 12 and showcases the photography of guest curator Paul Kennedy.

For additional information on Preserving the Heart of a Place: “Changeable… rain at night…” contact the Heritage Alliance at 423-753-9580 or email dmontanti@heritageall.org.

A Spot On the Hill – 10/11 7:00 CANCELED

We”ve had to cancel tonight”s performance of A Spot On the Hill due to weather and mud.  We apologize for this inconvenience.  We have options available, though.  There is casino online still space for 4:00 on October 25, and we”re offering two new shows, one at 3:30 and one at 5:00 on November 1st.  For more information, or to reschedule/purchase tickets,  please contact the Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580.  If you have tickets for the weekend of October 24/25, please join us in the “no rain” dance.

Spot On the Hill – Friday 10/10 4:00 & 7:00 CANCELED

The 4:00 and 7:00 performances of A Spot On the Hill today have been CANCELED due to weather. If you have tickets for tomorrow, Sat 11, hold on to them, and we hope for a less wet day. If you had tickets for today, there is space still casino available tomorrow at 4:00, Sat Oct 25 at 4:00, and we”re scheduling a make up performance on November 1 at 5:00. Contact the Heritage Alliance for more information.

A Spot On the Hill – Weather Advisory for 10/10 & 10/11

Weather Advisory for A Spot On the Hill – Hopefully we will not need this, but in case of severe rain or storms this weekend, performances of A Spot On the Hill will be nbso online casino reviews canceled.  Look here at 3:00 and 6:00 the day of for cancellation notices.  You can also view the notices on our Facebook page (Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia).  We will have options in place for ticket holders.  Please join us in doing the no rain during performances dance.

 

A Spot On The Hill

Something new is coming to the Old Jonesborough Cemetery this fall. A Spot on the Hill, an original, research-based play by Anne G’Fellers-Mason, will share the stories of the inhabitants in the old cemetery. Visit their makers and hear their tales of triumph and woe. How did these people come to Jonesborough? What kept them here, and what ultimately happened to them? What do the spirits at the top of the hill have to say? Come and listen to the real stories of real lives among real tombstones.

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(Photo courtesy of Peter Montanti of Mountain Photographics, Inc.)

Performances for A Spot on the Hill will take place at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on October 10th and 11th and October 24th and 25th. All eight performances will be limited casino to groups of 25, so make sure you buy your tickets today! Tickets are $8.00 and proceeds will benefit tombstone restoration and preservation in the Old Jonesborough Cemetery. This 45 minute performance will require walking and standing in the cemetery. Please wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. Audience members should arrive 15 minutes prior to show time and park in the First Baptist Church parking lot at 210 East Main Street in Jonesborough. This program is not suggested for children under 12 years of age.

To purchase tickets, please call the Heritage Alliance at 423.753.9580. You can also purchase tickets online at http://boxoffice.printtixusa.com/jonesborough/eventcalendar, or through the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center at 423.753.1010.