Former resident of Cornish, Jerry McConnell, and former resident of Oak Grove, Betty Mayo, shared their memories of growing up in these close-knit communities. A group of four men (Jeff Turner, Aaron White, Clifton James and Brant Warrick) presented a special performance of "Fort Chaffee: You Can Never Go Home Again," which won the the National History Day competition in Washington, D.C. in 1984 when the men were seventh graders. Fort Chaffee Museum Coordinator Joey Chasteen shared rare photos of area families. Former mayor Ken Edwards acted as emcee. Mansfield's "Just Us" and Hartford's "Shankle Sisters Plus One" rounded out the evening with their musical performances.
The Historical Society hopes to make transcripts of the event available in the annual society publication and may be able to offer videos of the event to the public in early fall. Stay tuned for more information.
Thanks to all who participated and all who attended and made this event a tremendous success. Thanks as well to the Greenwood Democrat and Greenwood Tradition for media coverage and to Greenwood School District for the use of the Performing Arts Center. Kudos to tech Bruce Linam for his superb and skilled assistance.
