Afton / Greenfield
Nelson County, Virginia
On Saturday night, February 29th, Rockfish Valley Community Center in Afton will mark its 20th Anniversary with a pot-luck dinner and dance, a tribute to its founders, the launch of its new “Legacy League” endowment fund and a mortgage-burning bonfire to celebrate the retirement of the debt on the property. The family-friendly event will also feature special movies and games for kids.
The 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM event will be free to the public, thanks to generous sponsorships from Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Bold Rock Hard Cider, Wild Wolf Brewing Co. and from music sponsor Mountain Area Realty. Guests are being asked to bring a covered dish to share for the pot-luck dinner – a throwback to the many such events that supported the Center in its early days.
Personal invitations have been sent to the original organizers of RVCC from its earliest days – names gleaned from scouring the archives and from the recollections of several of the founders who are still involved with the Center. Board member Mary Cunningham, who was involved with RVCC from its earliest days, has taken charge of identifying and inviting the founders, and even hand-addressing the envelopes.
“We hope we’ve identified and invited everyone who was instrumental in growing RVCC from its infancy,” says Stu Mills, RVCC’s Executive Director, noting that some of those pioneers are now living as far away as coastal Oregon. “But if we’ve left anyone out, it wasn’t for lack of trying. We hope that everyone who was a part of the beginning here will feel welcome to return and celebrate with us, and to be part of our present and future.
” Music for the evening will be provided by the Eric Knutson band. The “Bring Your Best Dish” pot-luck food will be free, and beer, wine, cider and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
“This will be a very special night for all of us,” Mills says, “commemorating two decades of a journey that started with a handful of dreamers determined to build community in a 60-year old abandoned school building.”
“For many of those early years, the journey was focused simply on survival – just keeping the doors open and the lights on,” he continues. “But more recently, the hard work of the Board, the staff and our incredible volunteers has allowed us to focus on sustainability – building the organizational foundation, the community support and the financial capacity to ensure that community will always have a place to happen in the Rockfish Valley.”
