This morning we drove via carpools north on I-81 to
Harrisonburg, Virginia. Harrisonburg is
home to James Madison University (JMU) and the center of the Brethren and
Mennonite population in the Shenandoah Valley.
We started the day with an excellent tour of the CrossRoads Heritage Center. The 23-acre site opened
to the public in 2006 and is designed to look like a farmstead. The facilities
allow visitors to experience the way that the Mennonite and Brethren people of
the Shenandoah Valley lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has an early 1800's log house, a Civil War
era home, washhouse, blacksmith shop, a one room school and meeting house.
 |
| 1800's Log House |
 |
| Civil War Era House |
 |
| One Room School and Meeting House |
We started our tour by viewing a 14-minute video that highlighted
and helped interpret the faith and lifestyles of the Brethren and Mennonites in
the Valley. We then went on a walking
tour of the buildings to get a first-hand image of how the Brethren and
Mennonite faithful once lived. Our
docents did an excellent job of interpreting each of the sites. After returning to the Welcome Center, we had
an opportunity to view 15 large display panels that told the story of the Mennonites and Brethren coming to the Shenandoah Valley and their legacy
of faith and life here.
 |
| J.D. Introduces the Display Panels of the Story of Coming to Virginia |
Our group then drove to downtown Harrisonburg to explore
the farmers’ market and get lunch.
Several people bought fruit and vegetables from local vendors.
After lunch, we drove to the Green Valley Book Fair, a 25,000
square foot discount book outlet store featuring over 500,000 new books at
bargain prices. Customers reportedly save up to 90% off retail on over 30,000
different titles in more than 60 different categories – including fiction,
history, health and self-help, children’s books, religion, science, sports,
cooking, home and garden, crafts, art, reference, nature and outdoors, and
more.
In the early evening, we traveled south of the campground to
the Edelweiss Restaurant for German food.
