Reflections from the Past and Present
The Shenandoah Valley Folklore Society began in 1967. One of the founders of the Society, Dr. Elmer Smith of then Madison College had begun writing columns “Valley Folklore” which were published in both local and regional newspapers in 1963. He had begun researching the Shenandoah Valley “folkways” in the early 1960s and talked to friends at Madison College about how to preserve, continue and share interviews with local folk on the Germanic traditions.
The first Shenandoah Valley Folklore officers included President Dr. Paul Cline and Vice President Herbert Whitmer. A Board of Directors was chosen; board members were Woodstock Historian Fred Painter, Bridgewater College German Professor Ellsworth Kyger, Secretary Madison College Sociology Professor Dr. Elmer Smith, and John Paul of Harrisonburg. Later the name was changed to Shenandoah Valley Folklife Society because the society was interested in all aspects of early Valley life. The mission of the Society as listed in an early pamphlet was “The Shenandoah Valley Folklore Society is a society devoted to collecting, recording and disseminating those aspects of culture, past and present, which characterize the region and make it unique.”
During the late 1960s, the Society sponsored two arts and crafts festivals (one at the National Guard Armory in Harrisonburg, and the other at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds.) The Society also participated in a Folk Arts and Craft Exhibit in Middletown, and a Folk Music Festival at Massanetta Springs. In 1969, the society published Arts and Crafts of the Shenandoah Valley, a 44-page booklet compiled by Elmer Smith and Mel Horst, and published by Applied Arts in Witmer, Pennsylvania. In 1970, a booklet Shenandoah Valley Cooking was published with recipes and kitchen lore. This booklet can still be purchased at the Historic Shenandoah County Courthouse Museum staffed by the Shenandoah County Historical Society, or through the website www.Shenandoah History.org. John Stewart was a member and a prolific researcher on folklife topics; many of his articles on folklife along with those of Dr. Elmer Smith are available in files in the archives of the New Market Area Library.
In 1968, Shenandoah Valley Folklore Society newsletter was begun; the quarterly newsletter has been edited and published since 1993 by Dale MacAllister, a SCFS board member. The newsletter contains well researched articles on Shenandoah Valley folklife topics such as history, superstitions, Appalachian speech patterns, folk sayings, holiday practices and more. The newsletter is mailed out to SVFS members and also contains information of quarterly dinner meetings which are held at Southern Kitchen in New Market. Each meeting has a program related to Shenandoah Valley Folklife.
The major publication of the Society was the 152-page book Folk and Decorative Art of the Shenandoah Valley which was published in 1993 with 1000 copies printed. The book included many photos of Shenandoah Valley folk-art items which had “extra flair” by the maker which made them folk art and not just utilitarian objects. The book is out of print but was recently for sale for $25 on eBay.
Dues for the SVFS are $10 a year which is the same as the dues in the early pamphlet. However, dues will be increasing soon as postage costs to mail the newsletter continue to increase. To join or for more information about the Society, contact Board Member and Newsletter publisher Dale MacAllister at dale22850@aol.com. Special thanks go out to Dale, who is an excellent historian and provided much of the background information for this article. Other board members are Rod Graves, Gail Keller Lohr with Betty Driver joining the Board soon. The Board meets four times a year to plan the quarterly meetings. The Society is looking for more board members; contact Dale MacAllister if interested!
The next meeting of the Society will take place on June 17, 2025, at 6:30 pm. Watch for an announcement of the program presenter in the June issue of the Chimney Rock Chronicle! Recent speakers have included Dave Yutzy, speaking about the history of Court Manor; Dale MacAllister, speaking about the Belsnickeling tradition in the Valley; Stephanie Gardner, Special Collections Librarian at Bridgewater College’s library, The Forrer Learning Commons, who talked about her book based on true stories from Thorton Gap Rattlesnake Granny: Nancy Remembers Life in Old Thorton Gap; a presentation about Traditional Folk Medicine by Chantel Pence; a program on Early American Tin Lighting owner Mike Walsh of Dayton; a program on Broadway Pottery by Betty Driver and many more! Thanks to the Shenandoah Valley Folklife Society for their work in keeping traditions alive and known for almost 40 years!
