JULY 23, 2009 ISSUE
Daniel Boone Days 2009 Presents…
2nd Annual Dr. Edwin Arnold Daniel Boone Symposium at ASU September 4
Award-winning authors Robert Morgan and Randell Jones will illuminate who the real Daniel Boone was while giving detailed accounts of his character, accomplishments, exploits, trials and tribulations during the 2nd annual Dr. Edwin Arnold Daniel Boone Symposium from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 4, in room 1018 of Thelma C. Raley Hall on the ASU campus. The event is part of the 2nd annual Daniel Boone Days Music & Culture Festival, which takes place on Friday and Saturday, September 4 and 5, at various locations around Boone.
Want to know who the real Daniel Boone was, as well as about his connections to this region? Award-winning authors Robert Morgan and Randell Jones will illuminate the iconic figure while giving detailed accounts of his character, accomplishments, exploits, trials and tribulations during the 2nd annual Dr. Edwin Arnold Daniel Boone Symposium from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 4, in room 1018 of Thelma C. Raley Hall on the ASU campus. Admission is $3 at the door, first come-first serve.
As the first event for the 2nd annual Daniel Boone Days Music & Culture Festival—the Town of Boone’s official annual festival—the symposium is named for Dr. Edwin “Chip” Arnold, former professor of the ASU Appalachian Studies Department, who spearheaded the symposium’s creation in 2008 before health issues took him away from his academic duties. Arnold, like the promoters of Daniel Boone Days, understand the need for an annual symposium that will give residents and visitors a greater understanding of who Boone was as a person, especially in relation to this region.
“We hope to annually enlighten the public as well as ourselves about the history of Daniel Boone,” said Sam Calhoun, promoter and organizer of Daniel Boone Days. “We live in a town that bears the pioneer’s name, so we hope to bring a better identity to why that is and why it’s important. Thankfully, we have two bestselling authors who are well versed on the subject, and they have agreed to travel to Boone on Labor Day weekend to share their thoughts on the subject.”
Morgan is the author of the Oprah’s Book Club selection Gap Creek and New York Times bestseller Boone: A Biography, and Jones is the author of In The Footsteps of Daniel Boone. Both have numerous other books in their collections; a full bio on both men is available by clicking to www.danielboonedays.com.
The symposium begins at 10:00 a.m. with a presentation by Jones, followed by a presentation by Morgan at 11:00 a.m. Jones and Morgan will give presentations on Daniel Boone, revealing some secrets about the pioneer icon never before heard and describing Boone’s time in the High Country.
After Morgan concludes at 12:30 p.m., attendees will break for lunch and receive downtown Boone walking maps from the Downtown Boone Development Association that include information on downtown businesses and restaurants. As an added bonus, Jones, in coordination with the North Carolina Humanities Council, will distribute information for an historical scavenger hunt in downtown Boone that can be completed during the 1.5-hour lunch break. The scavenger hunt will highlight locations in Boone that hold an historical significance in relation to Daniel Boone.
At 2:00 p.m., the symposium will reconvene for a one-hour question and answer session. At the beginning of the session, Jones will present a PowerPoint on the locations involved with the scavenger hunt. The symposium will conclude at 3:00 p.m.
High Country Press and Mountain Fountain Productions are the presenting sponsors of the 2nd annual Daniel Boone Days Music & Culture Festival. The Downtown Boone Development Association and the North Carolina Humanities Council sponsor the 2nd annual Dr. Edwin Arnold Daniel Boone Symposium. Horn in the West, Appalachian Hospitality Management, the Watauga Education Foundation and Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc. also sponsor the 2nd annual Daniel Boone Days Music & Culture Festival.
Daniel Boone Days 2009 also features a Fess Parker Wine Dinner at Gamekeeper Restaurant on Friday, September 4, and a 10-hour music and culture festival at Horn in the West on Saturday, September 5, that features Donna the Buffalo, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Upright & Breathin’, Forget Me Nots featuring Randell Jones, the 2nd annual Watauga Arts Council Fiddlers’ Competition, storytelling, kids’ activities, a Daniel Boone Look-Alike Contest and a World Record attempt. Tickets to September 5’s festival cost $16 in advance and $20 at the door.
To purchase tickets and/or for more information, click to www.danielboonedays.com or call 828-264-2262.
Want To Go?
What: 2nd annual Dr. Edwin Arnold Daniel Boone Symposium
Date: Friday, September 4
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Raley Hall, Room 1018, ASU Campus
Cost: $3 at door, first come-first serve
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