Lavonia/Franklin County Folk Life Play
Name: Land of Spirit
Rational: Land of Spirit is Franklin County’s Folk Life Play that uses real life, true stories to celebrate the culture and spirit of her people. Land of Spirit promises to make you laugh and cry as stories are woven into a spellbinding play, year after year, and highlight the Spirit of our community.
From the Spirit of our Cherokee Ancestors, to the Spirit of our Founding Fathers and Mothers, to the Spirit of our Families as they Work, Play, and serve their God and Country, and even to the Spirit generated by our Moonshine Entrepreneurs, stories are gathered to celebrate a culture that is uniquely Southern. And, it celebrates a Spirit that is unique to a community located at the foothills of the Appalachia and Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s a Spirit of our people, rich in heritage, and one that is proudly passed from generation to generation.
Land of Spirit is professionally written, directed, and designed. With a new play produced each year, Land of Spirit continues the Southern tradition of storytelling. The plays are performed by a cast of community volunteers. There is music, drama, comedy, with a special blend that is sure to entertain folks of all ages.
Mission: Through the production of the Lavonia/Franklin County Folk Life Play, Land of Spirit, it is our mission to enhance heritage tourism and the arts, through economic benefits like new and expanded businesses, jobs, and at the same time to further promote the spirit of community pride, to preserve our heritage and to improve quality of life for our citizens.
Vision: Land of Spirit will unite ALL the citizens of our county, of all ages, gender, race and nationality, to actively work together to preserve our cultural heritage, and to promote heritage tourism and the economic benefits it will bring, which in turn will improve our local economy and quality of life for our citizens.
Values and Principles: Through our words and actions, Land of Spirit, will treat each story and story teller with sensitivity, trust, appreciation and respect and The Spirit of our community will always be portrayed through our productions, with respect, dignity, and honor.
Additionally, Land of Spirit will make the most of opportunities for heritage tourism by following five basic principles, as defined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation:
- Focus on authenticity and quality
- The true story of our area is the one worth telling. The story of the authentic contributions previous and current generations make to the history and culture of where we live is the one that will interest visitors, because that story is what distinguishes our area from every other place on earth. It’s authenticity that adds real value and appeal.
- Preserve and protect resources
- We must accurately record and preserve our traditions. The preservation and perpetuation of traditions is important to telling the story of the people who settled the land and created the Spirit passed from generation to generation.
- Make sites come alive
- The human drama of history is what visitors want to discover, not just names and dates. Land of Spirit, through drama, music and comedy, will present a creative and exciting message to our visitors.
- Find the fit ”between our community and tourism
- For Land of Spirit to succeed, it must have widespread acceptance by our community. Residents must WANT to welcome visitors and our heritage tourism program must be firmly grounded in local circumstances.
- Collaborate
- Building partnerships is essential not just because they help develop local support but also because heritage tourism demands resources that no single organization can supply. Success of Land of Spirit depends on active participation of political leaders, business leaders, operators of tourist sites, artists, performers and craftspeople, hotel/motel/BB operators, and many other people and groups.
Land of Spirit OPENED June 2008 with THE LAST HARD TIMES. The 2009 show was Gas Sugar Nylons and Chocolate Bars. . . and, for
2010 A (ahhhhhhh) Shot in the Arm!