Schuyler
Nelson County, Virginia
By Jennie T. Williams
Many Nelsonians (and, to be fair, many Americans) of a certain age (and, to be inclusive, of pretty much all ages) grew up learning important life lessons from watching The Waltons on television.
Mary McDonough grew up learning those same important life lessons from being a Walton on television.
And now she’s written a book to help us non-Waltons feel even more like part of the family.
Mary, who played Erin Walton on the long-running television series based on the writings of hometown hero Earl Hamner, was cast as Erin when she was just 10 years old. Though the show (which aired from 1971 to 1981) and movies were set in 1930s and 1940s Nelson County, Mary didn’t set foot in the county until 1992 for a Walton’s reunion. And she hasn’t been able stop coming since.
“I love it!” she said.
Mary will be back 1 p.m. May 14 at Walton’s Mountain Bed & Breakfast in Schuyler to sign copies of her new book, Lessons from the Mountain: What I learned from Erin Walton.
For more information, visit www.waltonsmountaincountrystore.com or www.marymcdonough.com.
