We haven’t seen much of each other this difficult year, but time passes, and the seasons go round. With the holidays, the Center’s first and only event of 2020, Christmas in Sedalia, will be held outdoors and under the pavilion on Saturday, December 12th, from 12-4. No Santa this year, but an opportunity to shop for unique, one-of-a-kind gifts and support local artists and artisans. It’s been an especially hard year for them as they’ve not had many opportunities to sell their wares. Come join us, outdoors and with plenty of room for social distancing, rain or shine!
Christmas in Sedalia cancelled due to executive order, dated November 16, 2020, by the Governor of Virginia.
Sedalia has remained open through strict budgeting and the generosity of benefactors who have permitted their funding to cover operational expenses. As a result, we are still open, and thank all who have remembered the Center through the year. Although we had to forego festivals, we have maintained the grounds, which you are invited to come and enjoy — or rent for a relaxed and spacious outdoor wedding or private party.
Meanwhile, with funding from local grantors, we have forged ahead with a history project rooted in the Sedalia Center’s original identity, as the Counter Ridge School built in 1959. This important project dedicates a classroom as a cultural center committed to collecting local history from the perspective of the Counter Ridge School. It will store oral histories the project collects, and be a repository for artifacts, documents, and memorabilia. A mural project draws on this historical research to paint a mural of Sedalia, Virginia, around the walls of the old cafeteria. The focus of these projects is local, and the Center is fortunate to work with highly skilled local artists, in the beginning stages of the mural, and as curator of an exhibit featuring local African American artists, scheduled for June 19th, 2021. The multi-media art show will be spread out and embrace the site’s history. Sedalia, Virginia is a beautiful and special place, with family-owned farms, ancient mountains, and stories waiting to be told. The Counter Ridge History Project joins the arts and humanities to explore the memories and legacies of this historic old school and its community.
The project keeps us busy, but like you, we miss bluegrass, barbeque, chili, bagpipes, and blues. In a year we planned to bring back Oktoberfest, and couple it with local craft breweries, we were unable to produce a single event. Our events support and celebrate local culture and the arts, but they also produce revenue which allows us to stay open. Times are tough all-around, but if you had planned to attend any of these events, would you please consider donating the gate fee you would’ve paid to attend your favorite festival(s)? Any amount would be greatly appreciated, and all donations are tax-deductible. You may use the enclosed envelope to send a check or you can visit our website, www.sedaliacenter.org, and make an online donation.
From all of us here at The Sedalia Center, we wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season. We look forward to a time when we can all be together, and hopefully, celebrate The Art of Living and The Living Arts in 2021.
On Behalf of the Staff and Board of Directors,