The Reynolds Homestead is celebrating its more than 50 years of service on Sunday, June 19, and all are invited to attend the Anniversary Celebration, which begins at 2:30 p.m.
After R.J. Reynold’s daughter, Nancy Susan Reynolds, spent more than $1 million restoring the family’s home and other outbuildings on the property, the Reynolds Homestead was dedicated on June 20, 1970.
Ms. Reynolds donated the buildings and 717 acres to Virginia Tech to create a community engagement center and forestry research center. For the past 52 years, the Reynolds Homestead has provided countless programs and services to Patrick and surrounding counties in Virginia and North Carolina.
Sunday’s celebration event will include music, as well as stories about how the Reynolds Homestead became a Virginia Tech center and how programs have evolved over the past five decades.
Following the program, attendees will be invited to witness a groundbreaking ceremony for the addition of a community kitchen to the Community Engagement Center.
“We are pleased that the Richard S. Reynolds and Virginia S. Reynolds foundation have pledged $800,000 for the construction of the kitchen, as a gift to celebrate the 50th anniversary and to provide new programming opportunities for the communities served by the Reynolds Homestead”, said Julie Walters Steele, director of the Reynolds Homestead.
The kitchen will include eight teaching stations where classes can be taught by local chefs, Extension agents and Patrick & Henry Community College faculty. A chef’s table is also featured in the design, providing an opportunity for more intimate dinners that can provide revenue to support the education programs.
In addition, the kitchen will provide equipment needed for the Homestead to offer more food-based programs, including programs that provide opportunities for guests to learn about different cultures through food traditions. The site will also serve as an incubator for entrepreneurs interested in starting a food-based business.
Following the ground-breaking ceremony, guests will be invited to tour the home and property and to mingle with area artists who will be demonstrating their art. P. Buckley Moss will also be on hand to sell and sign prints of the original artwork she created for the Reynolds Homestead’s 50th anniversary.
More information can be found by visiting reynoldshomestead.vt.edu.
