Pat Brown
Contributing writer
Two actors watch from a hill above the stage during a performance of the new play “Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story” at Nesselrod Bed and Breakfast.
Pictured are: (from left) Radford University graduate Brandon Duncan, who played Pierre LeValle and Kate Feuchtenberger, a rising senior at RU, who portrayed Mrs. Bingamin.
RADFORD—A sold-out season and a bus full of folks from Michigan convinced Radford movers and shakers that an outdoor play about Mary Draper Ingles will continue and expand its season next year.
2018 Radford outdoor drama dates:
June 22, 23, 24
July 13, 14, 15
July 27, 28, 29
The successful outdoor play represents hard work over the past decade.
Mary Draper Ingles is a favorite daughter of Radford and of the New River Valley. Many residents here know that she was captured by Shawnee Indians in 1755 from her farm in Draper’s Meadow near Blacksburg and taken hundreds of miles away.
She escaped and embarked on a journey home that took her through wilderness in at least three states. Her capture and escape are the subject of THE book “The Long Way Home,” as well as a movie and a documentary.
Reunited with her husband, she joined him in relocating their home to the banks of the New River in Radford, where they established Ingles’ Ferry.
For many years, Radford residents could be reminded of her story by attending an outdoor drama at the historic Ingles’ farm site. When the stage there was destroyed by fire, the blaze wiped out sound and other equipment that was too costly to replace, said Deb Cooney, Director of Radford Visitor’s Center.
For more than a decade, local residents sought to re-establish the play and honor Mary Draper Ingles. Cooney explained many residents and civic groups had a stake in the return of the play: people interested in history, tourism and economic development.
More than a dozen people joined together as the Board of Directors of The Long Way Home, revitalizing the non-profit organization that helped support the original production.
“When we first decided to work to get a statue” of Mary Draper Ingles, “it was in hopes of bringing back a play,” said Cooney.
The statue stands near the Glencoe Museum, which also houses the town’s visitor center.
In early 2017, members of the General Assembly designated the last Saturday in July as Mary Draper Ingles Remembrance Day. Governor Terry McAuliffe sent a letter of commendation to the cast and crew of the play.
This year’s performances used a new play and a new stage.
Kathleen Harvey Harshberger and Wesley Alan Young wrote the script for “Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story.” Molly Hood, Radford University assistant professor of theatre, directed. “The Long Way Home” song was written by Dr. Lloyd Zurbrigg. Vocalist Sharon Scully, accompanied by Gerry Timlin provided music.
The audience was seated in Nesselrod Bed and Breakfast’s sunken garden.
The production drew heavily, although not exclusively, on the talent pool at Radford University. For example, Amanda Barr, a rising senior in theatre at RU, took the lead role.
“The audience was captivated,” Cooney said. “Any time I would look out, they were on the edge of their seats, not looking down at phones, at all.”
Nesselrod’s pavilion and staff provided a space to offer dinner prior to each performance. “We sold out every single show,” Cooney said.
A note on the program announced that next summer there will be nine performances over three weekends in June and July.
What about that bus from Michigan? Turns out many of the people on the bus had read the book “The Long Way Home.” They stopped in Kentucky to view a statue of the heroine and visited New River Gorge. They rolled into Radford and got a glimpse of the Ingles Farm, still inhabited by an Ingles relative and occasionally open to the public. They saw the statue at the visitor’s center and saw a video at the Glencoe Museum.
Cooney recalled comments by one of the visitors from Michigan: “’You know, I read that book 30-plus years ago,’” Cooney quoted the visitor. “’The story has always stayed with me. I can’t tell you about other books I read back then.’”
“That was our first tour bus, and I was so excited,” Cooney said.
Tourists mean economic development, she explained. Celebrating Radford’s history, welcoming enthusiastic visitors, boosting the town’s economic future.
“That has been our goal from day one.”
