Local history will be on display next weekend Barnes & Noble.
The Fort Watauga Society, based out of Sycamore Shoals State Park, of the Children of the American Revolution is focusing on the “Road to Literacy” at a statewide level this year.
The road locally leads to Barnes & Noble in Johnson City on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. as a kickoff event for a fundraiser that will last for five straight days.
Tammy Markland, fourth grade teacher at West Side Elementary School in Elizabethton is no stranger working with the different events at Sycamore Shoals. A proceed of funds raised during the event will benefit her classroom to help purchase educational equipment for the school year.
Markland added that Melodie Daniels helped spearhead the event and credit her work into getting the event organized.
“The Children of the American Revolution doesn’t keep the funds,” Markland said. “They asked if we would be interested. It’s a great event and we’re looking for to the weekend.”
The CAR has been assigned their own barcode for attendees to use when making a purchase on a book at the store. Individuals can also make a purchase and state they are there for the CAR.
Markland added the state-recognized Watauga Valley Fifes and Drums will be on hand to “drum up some business” along with reenactors on hand to march inside the store at 1 p.m.
Along with the other festivities, Steve Ricker and Mark Halback will be in attendance, providing stories of the Overmountain Men in first-person.
Markland, who will also be having a book reading, stressed the importance of having an event like this to encourage literacy and history in the community.
“We would love to have as many reenactors there as possible to march in together for the ‘takeover’ and help talk with shoppers about our cause,” Markland said. “There’s so much history from our area. It’ll be a great experience.”