140th MEMORIAL DAY IN BOALSBURG:

A DAY IN TOWNE, 2004 

In 1864, three women walked to the village cemetery to decorate the graves of loved ones who had died in the Civil War and thus began the national tradition of Memorial Day. This year Boalsburg will continue the 140-year-old tradition by presenting A Day In Towne on Monday, May 31, 2004 with history, music, food, crafts and exhibits.  The day’s festivities will culminate with the 5:45 pm walk to the cemetery for the annual service at 6:00 p.m. The walk and service provide the community with an opportunity to participate in celebrating the lives and contributions of people, both past and present, who serve our community and our country.  The Master of Ceremonies will be Mike Gilpatrick, president of Boalsburg Village Conservancy.  The speaker for the service will be Neil Porterfield, a resident of Harris Township, who has contributed significantly to our community as Dean Emeritus of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State and by his community leadership.    The cemetery service will feature Battery B, 3^rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, Civil War enactment group led by Col. James V. Dearing, Confederate troop re-enactors, the Boalsburg Community Choir, the Pierre Boal Purple Heart Chapter, Girl and Boy Scouts and a Veteran’s Firing Squad.  The public is encouraged to join in the brief walk from the Diamond to the cemetery, which begins at 5:45p.m. and to bring their own chairs for the 6:00p.m. Service.  Winners of the 4th Annual Essay Writing Contest will read their essays at the Boalsburg Heritage Museum at noon. The “Best of the Best” essay winner will be recognized at the Cemetery Service at the close of the day.  Scouting groups are invited to help honor the soldier’s graves in the cemetery by participating in the walk and placing flowers on the gravesites. Scout leaders should contact Lynda Powell (364-2071) for more information. In addition, the Boalsburg Fire Company will hold a carnival from Thursday through Monday (closed Sunday), and a parade on Saturday at 5:00p.m.

 The 24^th ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY RUN will begin at 8:30 a.m. at BLUE SPRING PARK on West Pine Street. Check-in time is between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. at the park. Advance registration will be held Sun., May 30th from noon until 2:00 at the park. Advance registration cost is $13.00 and $15.00 on the day of the race. Avoid the hassle and register early!  T-shirts are guaranteed to all who register by Sunday, May 30th. Registration forms may be dropped off at Rapid Transit Sportswear, 115 S. Allen St. State College.  Make checks payable to "MEMORIAL DAY RUN".  Come dressed to run. There are no changing facilities available. There is ample parking space available at the Military Museum and Shrine. The race will start at 8:30 a.m. with

the firing of the Battery B cannon.  PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN DOWNTOWN BOALSBURG AND DO NOT DRIVE DOWN CHURCH STREET.  THE DOWNTOWN WILL BE BLOCKED OFF.  Questions contact Karen Weiler @466-2032.

 This year Boalsburg is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the David Boal Tavern. In 1804, pioneer David Boal built the tavern at a frontier crossroad around which the village of Boalsburg grew up in 1808.  The tavern with the original architecture still stands at 229 East Main Street (across from the Harris Township building).  Sue Spalvins, the present owner, has on display an 1812 document granting a tavern license to Jeremiah Culbertson, Joseph Gilliland and John Brisbin who acquired the tavern from David Boal.  The accounts book from the tavern for 1816-17 is on display at the Boal Mansion Museum.  The tavern, the last standing of a series of four or five taverns between Lewisburg and Water Street in Huntingdon County, will be open to visitors from 9 – 5 on Memorial Day.

 HERITAGE MUSEUM

Homemade Vegetable and Ham & Bean soups with bread will be on sale at the rear of the Blacksmith Shop from 11:00 a.m. till the kettle is empty.  The Museum gallery will be open from 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. with an exhibit of artwork by 5^th Grade students of the Boalsburg Elementary School. The Schoolroom will have pictures of the class that graduated from the old Boalsburg School.  Please come and help us identify them. The 4H-Petting Zoo will be on the lawn across the road from the Museum from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.  There will be a Clothesline Art exhibit along Loop Rd. from 10:00 a.m. -4:00p.m. (all children are eligible).  A Spelling Bee for elementary age children will be held in the backyard of the Museum from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Registration will be from 12:30p.m. - 1:00p.m. at the museum by the clothesline art exhibit. Information on the Spelling Bee - call Jane Steff – 466-7227.

 THE BLACKSMITH SHOP will be open from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. with a blacksmith in residence all day.  Homemade soup and bread will also be on sale at the rear of the shop. Those bringing soup, please use Loop Rd. and Chambers Alley.

 22nd ANNUAL FRUIT PIE CONTEST

The Conservancy will sponsor a contest for the best fruit pie. Pies will be accepted for judging on the Diamond until 11:00 a.m.

Grades 6 - adult are eligible to enter pies. Please bring pies in disposable plates. For more information, contact Darlene Bachman (466-7453).

No CARS will be allowed in the Diamond after 6:30 A.M. , so please walk your pies to the Diamond after this time. Please use Loop Road and Chambers Alley.

 ON MAIN & CHURCH STREET

9:00 – 5:00 – craft sales and demonstrations with over 80 dealers on Main Street and 25 dealers on Church Street participating.  There will be demonstrations on chair-

caning, whittling of wood flowers and wood-working.  Village shops and restaurants will be open their normal hours and Brewer’s

Café (on the Diamond) will be open early for coffee and breakfast. There will also be food sales by the Harris Township service organizations featuring Raspberry Shrub,
Asparagus Soup, Bar B-Q chicken, a Pig Roast, homemade pies, Kettle Corn, homemade Chicken Corn Soup, Hot Dogs, candy, peanuts, drinks and baked goods. For information, contact Margie Tennis – 466-6311.

 THE INFORMATION BOOTH is located at the Diamond. Restroom & handicap restroom facilities are available at different locations in town.

 THE BOAL MANSION (open 9:00a.m. -5:00p.m.) will feature a family picnic and music party under the ancient oak and maple trees on the lawn of the 1789 home of David Boal and eight generations for his descendants. David Boal II built his 1804 tavern, still standing across from the Township building, 200 years ago this year. The village of Boalsburg grew up around the tavern in 1808.

There will be food, music, crafts and Revolutionary War and Civil War artillery encampments and demonstrations plus the Dragon’s Breath Forge with 19th century blacksmith Tim Bradford. A new regional group, Our Local Renaissance, will be providing free tea from its new “mobile tea house” designed to promote community interaction and value sharing.

At noon on the porch of the Mansion, three service awards will be given to community members deserving of recognition.

1)      The Ambassador Pierre de Lagarde Boal Historic Preservation Award will be given to Susan Spalvins for preserving the 1804 David Boal Tavern. 

2)      The Judge George Boal Education Award will be given to Boalsburg Elementary School teacher Karen Rossman-Styers and Penn State Intern Eva Tarbuk for designing a new “station/action learning” tour of the Museum for fifth grade students.

3)      The Colonel Theodore Davis Boal Community Award will be given to the many student volunteers who helped last year during the rewiring of the Boal mansion.

Knowledgeable docents will guide tours from 9:00a.m. – 5:00 p.m. of the 215-year-old Boal Mansion with the original furnishings of nine generations of Boals and the Columbus Chapel inherited and imported from Spain in 1909 with Christopher Columbus’ Admiral’s Desk and two pieces of the True Cross of Jesus.

The Community is invited to come picnic all day and listen to old/new/original music by young and old musicians from the ongoing Family Music Party. 

Call for Volunteers. Volunteer museum guides ages 14 – 84 are sought to bring history to life for children and visitors to the Boal Mansion. For information call the museum @ 466-6210 or email us at office@boalmuseum.com or visit our web page at www.boalmuseum.com.

 THE BOALSBURG GARDEN CLUB will hold its annual flower show from 10:00-5:00 at Zion Lutheran church. The theme is Home and Garden Vignettes.  Admission is free and free refreshments will be served. The plant sale (on the lawn across Church Street from the church) will begin at 9:00 a.m. Information call Robyn Pietrucha – 231-3956 or Kathy Stabile – 861-7799. PLEASE NOTE NEW PLACE AND NEW TIME.

4th Annual Essay Contest   The Boalsburg Conservancy in partnership with the Heritage Museum will sponsor the 4th Annual Essay Writing Contest for the Harris Township school children. Essays will be read at the Heritage Museum at 12:30 with the “Best of the Best” acknowledged during the Cemetery Service. Contest winners are awarded U.S. Savings Bonds. 

THE BOALSBURG CONSERVANCY

The Conservancy was established in 1973 as a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the historic nature and ambiance of Boalsburg Village and the surrounding community.  Each year the Conservancy sponsors or participates in different events intended to enhance the ambience of the village and increase the quality of life in the community.

Ongoing projects sponsored or co-sponsored by the Conservancy include: Discovery Days, the Village Forum, Stan Yoder Memorial Preserve, Village Streetlight Project, planting and maintenance of shade trees, the, annual Village Ice Rink, Boalsburg Halloween Parade Heritage Museum Easter Egg Hunt, Colonial Christmas and the Three Ladies Statue. The history and folklore of Boalsburg is depicted in brochures and books on sale at the Conservancy’s booth on Memorial Day. Membership is open to all. For information call Mike Gilpatrick @ 466-2297 or Lynda Powell @ 364-2071.

.THE PENNSYLVANIA MILITARY MUSEUM

The grounds of the Pennsylvania Military Museum will once again be transformed into a scene from the heady days of post-invasion France, 1944 with the return of 109^th Regiment, 28^th Infantry Division re-enactors marking their fifth Tour of Duty this Memorial Day Weekend and the public is invited!  On SATURDAY and SUNDAY, THE World War II Revisited bivouac will be open for guided tours from 1000 to 1700  (that’s 5p.m.for you civilian types.)  This years event is chock full of history and interpretation with scheduled demonstrations for drill routines, sick call and mail call.  A tactical demonstration against German opposition is set for 1300 (that’s 1 p.m.) each day. Our USO style canteen for the boys will once again feature Country Music radio personalities Ted and Ruth Reinhart of Lamar Records at 1500 (that’s 3 p.m.) on Saturday.  On Sunday at 1500, we will have a guided tour of the M4 Sherman Tank named “Abigail” and a discussion on understanding the armor by Master Modeler and past President of the Friends of the Military Museum, Mr. Mike Siggins.  Monday will see over 100 pre-war and classic antique cars on the parade grounds of the Shrine as the Allegheny Region Antique Automobile Club of America starts the endless summer fun.  All events are free and open to the public. There is a charge for the on-site parking on the Memorial Day.  Please call 466-6263 for more information.

 ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH  will offer the following FREE service:  Rest rooms.   There will be music recitals (piano, organ and voice) in the sanctuary from 10:00a.m. -2:00p.m.Call 466-6893 if you have any questions about the services offered.

 TRAFFIC/STREET CLOSING/PARKING

The following streets will be closed on Thurs., Fri., Sat (May 27,28,29): Pine Street will be closed from Church Street to Academy Street for the Boalsburg Fire Company Carnival, starting at 6:00 p.m. and opening when the carnival closes.

MONDAY, MEMORIAL DAY (MAY31): from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Main Street between Rt. 322 and Tennis Alley. Church Street between Chambers Alley and Rt.322. Pine Street between Rt.322 and Tennis Alley. Old Boalsburg Rd. between N. Church St. and the Boal Mansion.  From 5:30p.m. till the end of service, Church St. between Old Boalsburg Rd. and Rt. 322 will be closed.

SHUTTLE BUS: The Bus will run at approximately 20 min. intervals, stopping near each parking lot to pick up passengers and making three stops on Rt.322 to discharge passengers:  Boal Mansion, N. Church St. (traffic light), and E. Main St.  There is no charge to ride the Shuttle Bus.  PARKING:  No vehicles will be allowed in most of the village.  Parking is available at a number of locations served by the Shuttle Bus including the Medical Center, Heritage Run Office Building, across from the new Car Wash on Rt. 322 E, Military Museum grounds and the Boal Estate Grounds. Parking will be PROHIBITED on both sides of Old Boalsburg Rd. during the Boalsburg Fire Co. Carnival.

9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. - Encampment of the 3rd Pennsylvania Artillery - Colonel James V. Dearing, commanding, a Civil War re-enactment group and the Ladies of Battery B 3rd. PA Vols. at the Cemetery. Also camping at the cemetery will be Valley Division, Army of Northern VA., Gen. R.C. Pratt, commanding.

 SPECIAL NOTICES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

*Recycling will be part of the Memorial Day weekend. A large bin will be located in the township parking lot throughout the weekend. There will also be smaller containers located in the downtown area on Monday.

 * Anyone interested in being in the community choir or band for the service at the cemetery at 6:00 is encouraged to attend the rehearsals at Zion Lutheran Church on the following dates and times: 

Thurs, May 13th 7:00

Thurs, May 20th 7:00

Mon. May 31st (Memorial Day) 4:00 & 5:45 for the service.

 *PLEASE HAVE ALL PARKED VEHICLES OFF MAIN ST. BY 5:00A.M. MON.

 *  Please NO PETS, BIKES OR 

SKATEBOARDS IN THE VILLAGE

 *Handicap restroom facilities are available in several locations. Check at Information Booth at Diamond.

 * Handicap parking only will be available at Tennis Lamp shop across from Kwik Fill gas station and vacant gas station at the intersection of Rt. 322 and Boalsburg Pike.

 SPECIAL THANK YOU to all the residents of Boalsburg and Harris Twp. for their cooperation and help with the annual Day in Towne celebration. Your cooperation and help make Memorial Day a very special time of year for all of us. A special thank you to the parents of Boalsburg Boy Scout

Troop 380 for taking care of all the trash and the Harris Township Public Works Department for their help.

The Memorial Day Committee