The Heart of Virginia Festival

[Panoramic view of High Street during the festival]

It all started one cold, windy day in the parking lot behind the Winn Dixie store.

Under the direction of Martha (Pennington) Louis, who wanted fine arts to be available to the general public, over 95 artists and craftsmen gathered to display and hopefully to sell their works. People came, some bought art and lots of people looked. The next year the artists and craftsmen moved to the Five County Fair grounds to brave the spring winds on top of that knoll. About 75 artists came and a few more people were attracted to the quality of work they saw presented. The Central Chapter of the Virginia Museum sponsored the event and thus in 1974 the Outdoor Arts Festival now associated with the Heart of Virginia Festival was born.

In the third year, with the colleges blessings and support, the Arts Festival moved to the campus of Longwood College (now Longwood University) under the shade of the grand old oak trees and under the protection of the famed colonnade. Beverly (Bass) Hines joined Martha in organizing and promoting the festival. The quality of the artwork grew to rival that on display in the gift shop itself of the Virginia Museum. It became a juried show. A museum curator or art professional familiar with a variety of categories was hired to preview either slides or examples of artwork before the show to assure the quality of the art presented to the public. No kits or mass-produced items were permitted. Only one of a kind items of art or craft would be allowed in the Festival. Thus, the Arts Festival accepted the challenge to educate the general public of Central Virginia to a variety of beautifully crafted items, blends of colors, spectacular landscapes, and sculpture with fine lines of form. The public could trust that what they were seeing and buying was first quality. The two women sought and found financial support from local merchants to support the show. The Central Chapter continued to add warmth and a personal touch for the artists by hosting a reception after every show with homemade culinary delights. This was different from most professional art shows. Martha and Beverly made the festivals truly a festival of ARTS by including poetry readings, live music, wandering minstrels, wine tasting, great locally made food, even karate and ballet demonstrations.

And the people loved it. Crowds came out in droves on the first Saturday of May to stroll under the trees of the beautiful campus. They liked what they saw and they supported the artists. The artists realized this and soon came from many states on the East coast and from the Midwest. The Outdoor Arts Festival, which had gained a wide reputation for fine quality art presented in a leisurely atmosphere, blossomed.

The first organizers of the Heart of Virginia Festival were wise enough to realize there was no need to develop a new date and time for another celebration in Virginia s heartland. The Outdoor Arts Festival of the Central Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Museum was well established into a date that meshed with other juried art shows and that fell on a beautiful spring weekend that promised sunshine. The Heart of Virginia Festival's goal was to promote unity within the community. The first Heart of Virginia Festival attached itself to the Outdoor Arts Festival to promote the gathering of crowds of people to mix and blend and have a terrifically good time.

So the original Outdoor Arts Festival expanded. The first Heart of Virginia Festivals saw the addition of petting zoos, handcrafted items, and awesome fireworks displays. Music that was once limited to strolling minstrels at the Outdoor Arts Festival grew to include stages and bands. Today food can be found from many cultures and pleasing for any discerning pallet. After twenty years of organizing, the two women who so loved the art festival retired. In the custom of the original festival, the artists who come to Farmville are treated by the Festival with love and respect. The Heart of Virginia Festival is recognized as a first rate festival statewide. But most importantly, the Festival has grown into a homecoming for the community, for Virginia s Heartland.

In a year when county residents are celebrating the very special 250th Anniversary of the founding of Prince Edward County, the Outdoor Arts Festival is celebrating its 30th year. Compared to many historical events spawned by this county, both the Outdoor Arts Festival and the Heart of Virginia Festival are but a small speck in time, but so noteworthy for the people of Virginia s heartland. Remember your heritage! Remember to take time to enjoy the finer and more carefree side of life. Enjoy this Heart of Virginia Festival with family and friends!

All because a few artists and craftsmen gathered in a windy parking lot one early Spring Saturday.

The Heart of Virginia Festival

By Martha (Pennington) Louis and Beverly (Bass) Hines