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A Trade Show for Preservationists |
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The Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition Expo |
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Gary Dickens January 2012 |
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Last month, a small group decided to throw a party and you know what? A lot of people showed up! Perhaps because, as I said before, Leesburg and Loudoun County are full of passionate people. Give them a beautiful location to gather (the REHAU campus on Edwards Ferry Road), the hard work of Al Van Huyck (Coalition President) and Patty Rogers Renner (Chair of the Coalition's Environmental Committee) and they'll put on a show for you, tell you about important things going on in the county. The LCPCC entitled their expo "In Our Backyard: A Celebration of Loudoun's Historic and Environmental Heritage". Their overall mission is to bring together Loudoun groups of like mind as to impact legislation. Legislators seemed to take notice too. In attendance that night were Virginia State Senator Herring, Virgina Delegate-elect Minchew, Leesburg Councilman/Board of Supervisors-elect Reid; and Board of Supervisors-elect Higgins and Clarke. In addition to 20+ groups setting up table-top displays and staffing them with experts, the LCPCC scheduled three excellent speakers. Mr. Van Huyck made the opening introductions (bottom panel of the cover collage). Assistant County Administrator Charles Yudd (upper left collage) spoke regarding efforts and impacts affecting us locally. The keynote speaker was Kathleen Kilpatrick Director, Virginia Department of Historic Resources. From her vantage in Richmond she spoke of the state's successes and challenges; of 400 years of history to protect while the Commonwealth's growth proceeds. In addition to wonderful exhibitors and speaker, the LCPCC completed the expo's trifecta with a tour of Fort Evans, which REHAU conserves on its campus. Rarely open to the public, local Civil War expert and author Jim Morgan served as guide, telling the fort's history and anecdotes. It was inspiring to see all the people who work so hard (most are volunteers) to preserve our heritage, especially when there are so many who don't mind using a bulldozer when a trowel is ultimately for the greater good. To get a better idea of the event, please spend a few minutes with the photos and captions below. |
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Preservation and Conservation groups are some of Loudoun's unsung heroes. Rarely do they get the chance to engage the public directly, rarer still is the chance to engage en masse and at the same time network with peer organizations. LCPCC's expo gave some 20 exhibitors the chance to educate the community about their missions, was fully open to the public. A brilliant idea, one which I hope will be repeated in the coming years. |
Never too young to learn about conservation! The Goose Creek Association seeks to guard the Goose Creek watershed in Loudoun and Fauquier Counties from pollution, much of which is caused by the encroachment of development or poor farming practices. I pray these kids will be able to canoe a clean Goose Creek in the coming decades as I was able to do back in the '70s. |
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Lori Kimball, who is the president of the Loudoun Preservation Society, also had a lot to do with organizing the LCPCC expo. Here she and Loudoun BOS-elect Geary Higgins (jacket), are speaking with Joe Coleman and Phil Daley of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. The Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy works to preserve healthy wildlife habitats, conduct research and teach. One of the great ways they teach the next generation is during their summer nature camps at Banshee Reeks Park: http://leesburgmag.com/GoodWorks/DriveforCharityLWC.html
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Tracy Gillespie (tan suit) is the manager for the Aldie Mill and Mt. Zion Historical Park, for the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority (NVRPA). The NVPRA manages important parks in Loudoun which also include the W&OD Trail, Ball's Bluff Regional Park, Temple Hall Farm and their newest project, White's Ford Park, just north of Leesburg. No doubt she is telling these guests about the bounty Loudoun has in its NVPRA properties. Ms. Gillespie is also a member of the Loudoun Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee. You can read more about one of the programs Mt. Zion Historical Park offers here: http://www.leesburgmag.com/Places/MtZion4thSundayProgram.html |
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Speaking of the Loudoun County Sesquicentennial Committee, they had a tabletop display with lots of information on Civil War history in Loudoun and commemorative events on the calendar. Photographer Gary Mester was at the expo documenting the evening but put down his camera for a few moments. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a also member of the Loudoun Sesquicentennial Committee, which includes local historians Rich Gillespie and Jim Morgan, and many other notable characters from Loudoun. One of the Sesquicentennial Committee most memorable events from 2011 was the commemoration of the first Loudouner to die in the Civil War, which you can read about here: http://leesburgmag.com/Biography/CumberlandGeorgeOrrison.html |
Jim Morgan, local historian and author of "A Little Short of Boats: The Fights at Ball's Bluff and Edward's Ferry" gave visitors tours of Fort Evans, the Civil War fortification on the grounds of the REHAU Leesburg campus. This was a special treat for expo visitors as Fort Evans, is infreqently available to tour, but as the expo host, REHAU made it available. Also, it was fascinating to have Mr. Morgan tell its story, as he is most knowledgable about Leesburg's Civil War history and the fort's part in it. |
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It was most appropriate that REHAU-Leesburg be the host for the LCPCC expo. REHAU is hard at work across the globe creating polymer products, a great company. Their campus, on the hill at 1501 Edwards Ferry is steeped in local history and they work hard at conserving it. You know about Fort Evans, the 1.5 acre Civil War earthworks largely intact, but the site was also a top-secret electronics development (DECO) company durng the '50s & '60s. It was also home of Helmi Carr, brilliant Leesburg entrepreneur who lived there until her death in 2006. REHAU is headquartered in Switzerland, which is easily a decade ahead of the USA in going "green". Not only do their light polymer products help cars achieve weight goals, but they produce systems which help reduce other environmental impacts, like rain water collection/reuse. |
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SPONSORS |
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for more information email gary@leesburgmag.com |
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Coalition Exhibitors: |
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Aldie Heritage Association (www.aldieheritage.com) Banshee Reeks Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia (www.brasv.org) Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (www.blueridgecenter.org) Friends of Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve (www.bansheereeks.org) Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains (www.blueridgemountains-friends.org) George Marshall International Center (www.georgecmarshall.org) Goose Creek Association (www.goosecreekassn.org) Land Trust of Virginia (www.landtrustva.org) Lincoln Preservation Foundation (www.lincolnpreservation.org) Loudoun Archaeological Foundation (www.loudounarchaeologicalfoundation.org) Loudoun County Civil War Roundtable (lccwrt.wordpress.com) Loudoun Preservation Society (www.preserveloudoun.org) Loudoun Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee Loudoun Watershed Watch (www.loudounwatershedwatch.org) Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (www.loudounwildlife.org) Mosby Heritage Area Association (www.mosbyheritagearea.org) Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (www.nvrpa.org) Piedmont Environmental Council (www.pecva.org) Sustainable Loudoun (www.lccss.org) Unison Preservation Society (www.unisonva.org) Waterford Foundation (www.waterfordfoundation.org)
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