FARRAR ISLAND RENDEZVOUS 1998:
This is last minute information and our final contact before we meet.
Please refer to your April 1998 Farrar Newsletter insert for details not included here.
Due to some erroneous information originally sent by the Henricus Park Service we will have to change our daily schedule.
Also:
1. Due to our numbers (50 plus) there are no facilities available for a group breakfast.
2. The conference room of the Fairfield Inn is on an annual lease to a church congregation, therefore unavailable to us for an initial meeting Sunday morning.
3. Due to the heavy traffic during Public Day (Sunday) we will be unable to walk the Nature Trail or drive to the Park. Police officers will direct traffic to designated off-Park parking areas and shuttle buses to and from the Park will be utilized throughout the day.
However, the dates previously stated are firm: Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday; 20, 21, and 22 September 1998.
If you haven’t already made your accommodation reservations, do so now!
DAILY SCHEDULE:
Sunday, 20 September: Public Day. (The Park will be crowded with visitors).
Monday, 21 September: Our ‘quiet day’ at the Park. Normally closed on Mondays, the Visitor’s Center will be open and available to us. Also, an evening picnic at the home of our new-found and most hospitable and accommodating Cousins, Gil and Louise Shockley (retired), in Richmond.
Tuesday, 22 September: Visit Berkeley Plantation and Old Jamestown. (Fees: $12.00 and $5.00, unless increased from previous charges).
Point of Rendezvous: The Fairfield Inn. Located on the north side of VA Route 10 (the main E-W drag thru Chester) about 1/4 mile west of I-95.
Remember too, the following daily program is for you to participate in fully or partially as you may desire.
DAILY PROGRAMS:
Sunday, 20 September: Public Day at the Park:
1. 8:00 am: Rendezvous on the Parking lot at the NE corner of the Fairfield Inn. Meet and Greet.
2. 8:15am: Joe Farrar will give a briefing and answer questions.
3. 9:00am: Proceed to Henricus Historical Park on Farrar Island.
Monday, 21 September: Our ‘Quiet Day’ at the Park:
1. 7:00am: For those desiring to walk the Nature Trail, drive to the Dutch Gap boat launch parking area. The Trail starts at the far end of the parking area.
2. 8:00am: For those not walking, drive to the Park parking area.
3. 9:00am: On the Park grounds near the Visitor’s Center: Dr. Dennis A. J. Morey, Chairman of the Henricus Historical Research Committee, will give a presentation of early ‘Citie of Henricus’ and Farrar Island history.
4. 10:00am: Mr. Walter K. Heyer, Executive Park Director, responsible for Park completion in time to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the ‘Citie of Henricus’ in the year 2011, will present a program of the Park’s planned future development.
5. 4:00pm: Rendezvous at the NE corner of Fairfield Inn. Confirm driving directions. Proceed to picnic with Gil and Louise (coffee, iced tea and chips), who are hosting an evening of togetherness for us to become better acquainted and to share in our heritage in old Virginia, the land of our roots.
Tuesday, 22 September: Visit Berkeley Plantation and Old Jamestown:
1. 8:00am: Rendezvous at the NE corner of the Fairfield Inn.
2. 8:30am: Proceed to Berkeley Plantation. Berkeley was chosen because it is near (about 12 miles), the most historic, with well preserved grounds and many points of interest. It has an interesting, rustic pub, and a good restaurant. Homemade bread, too... oom oom! Good!
3. 1:00pm: Rendezvous at Berkeley exit gate. Proceed to Old Jamestown. This is a National Park. Those with Golden Age Pass enter free. An excellent Visitor’s Center, hourly live presentations; a guided walking tour.
From here, those who wish, may cross the wide Old James by toll ferry and return to Chester via VA route 10 West.
This is the end of our planned program. We hope we all have been enriched by our unique and shared experience; that we have garnered much from our early history for years of memories and tellings; have had, perhaps, a few butterflies in the stomach.