Sunday, September 26, 2004
Caswell County to hold annual Bright Leaf Hoedown
From the Danville (VA) Register Bee
Caswell County’s biggest event of the year returns this Saturday and Sunday. The 23rd annual Bright Leaf Hoedown will draw an estimated 25,000 people to Historic Court Square in downtown Yanceyville over the course of its two-day run, according to Bob Hillman, executive director of the Caswell County Chamber of Commerce.
Hillman explained the namesake of the Hoedown.
“On Abisha Slade’s farm, back in 1839, it seems that one night it was raining. As the story goes, a young man named Steven was watching the fire and fell asleep, then, in a panic, he went to the blacksmith’s shop and got some coals and threw them on the fire. The fire became intense. The next morning, much to his surprise, the tobacco had turned a golden yellow. When they took it market, it quadrupled in price. What came to be known as flue-cured tobacco made every tobacco farmer in North Carolina and Virginia rich.”
“And thus, we have the Bright Leaf Hoedown,” he said.
“It’s quite an event. Folks get a chance to see old friends from all over the county.
“People look forward to a chance to get together and have a good time.”
Read the article
Danville Register Bee
Caswell County’s biggest event of the year returns this Saturday and Sunday. The 23rd annual Bright Leaf Hoedown will draw an estimated 25,000 people to Historic Court Square in downtown Yanceyville over the course of its two-day run, according to Bob Hillman, executive director of the Caswell County Chamber of Commerce.
Hillman explained the namesake of the Hoedown.
“On Abisha Slade’s farm, back in 1839, it seems that one night it was raining. As the story goes, a young man named Steven was watching the fire and fell asleep, then, in a panic, he went to the blacksmith’s shop and got some coals and threw them on the fire. The fire became intense. The next morning, much to his surprise, the tobacco had turned a golden yellow. When they took it market, it quadrupled in price. What came to be known as flue-cured tobacco made every tobacco farmer in North Carolina and Virginia rich.”
“And thus, we have the Bright Leaf Hoedown,” he said.
“It’s quite an event. Folks get a chance to see old friends from all over the county.
“People look forward to a chance to get together and have a good time.”
Read the article
Danville Register Bee
# posted by Dave Sichak @ 9:11 PM 
