Admission is free, and the public is cordially invited to participate and help us celebrate Georgia’s Appalachian Poet/Novelist through the arts. Included in the day’s activities are musical and dramatic presentations, storytelling, culinary art, poetry readings, and visual art. Most of these presentations will take place in or near the group pavilion.

Rev. Keith Jones will emcee the program and will contribute to the storytelling segment. Reece’s nephew, Terry Reece, will share recollections of his Uncle Hub. David Brose, a folklorist associated with the John C. Campbell Folk School and an accomplished musician specializing in the banjo, will provide music. Jackie Elsner, a vocalist who has set many of Reece’s poems to old ballad tunes, will also contribute to the program. The poetry reading segment will feature five of the winners in previous poetry contests sponsored by the Society.

A dramatic presentation of Reece’s works is planned, including a special visit by an actor portraying the poet. Al Garnto, a Union County artist who has specialized in outdoor and folk art, and Dick Aunspaugh, retired chair of the Young Harris College Art Department, will be displaying and discussing some of their works. Also, a culinary artist will be on hand to demonstrate and explain the art of cooking with an Appalachian flavor.
Refreshments will be available for purchase, provided by the Union County High School Swim Team Booster Club.

The Welcome Center’s gift shop and museum will be open for visitation, as will the Farm’s exhibits area. The admission fee for touring the exhibits will be waived in lieu of a donation by visitors.

Have some time? Looking for a fun and worthwhile outlet for your energy? Want to spend some time along beautiful Wolf Creek?

The Byron Herbert Reece Farm and Heritage Center is looking for persons in the local community to assist in the operation of the Center from April through October. You can give a little time or a lot, as best suits your schedule and talents.

What would you be doing? The variety is endless.

· We need people willing to keep the site looking good – dusters, sweepers, grounds care, and light maintenance.

· We need folks to greet our visitors, make them feel welcome, and answer questions about the Farm site and the local area.

· We need docents – persons trained to teach programs about rural life and Reece to groups who make a special trip to the Farm.

· We need Special Events Staff. The site is turning into a popular venue for weddings and other events, and we need people to help with parking, setup and take down of tables and chairs, and managing these events.

We’re developing our volunteer lists now, and orientation and training will begin soon. Please call the Union County Commissioner’s Office at 706-439-6000 or Young Harris College at 706-379-5196 to place your name on the list. You can also email us at reecesociety@gmail.com

We look forward to working with you at the Farm!

Arranged and sung by Jacqueline Elsner, a Reece Society member, who is preparing a CD of Reece poems set to the tunes of the Scots-Irish-English ballads, such as those heard by Reece in Choestoe. At the 2013 annual meeting of the Reece Society, Jacqueline will share some of these poems/songs. The CD will be available for purchase. All proceeds will benefit the Reece Society.

Jacqueline learned this tune, and many others, from Sheila Kay Adams, seventh generation ballad singer from Marshall, NC.”

In his remarks Mr. Gantt said “When it comes to Byron Herbert Reece, both as a poet and an artist, he is unique among the writers of the Southern Literary Trail in a very significant way. We celebrate others…William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Erskin Caldwell and Borden Deal…who were born on farms and even lived on them for a part of their lives. But only Byron Herbert Reece dedicated his life to working the land that he wrote so passionately and poetically about… I have no doubt that the Southern writers whom we honor in our Literary Trail welcome him to their table.”

Click on the Southern Literary Trail logo to learn more about this prestigious organization.

The Reece Farm and Heritage Center is open to the public Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from 1 pm until 5 pm. The site features a gift shop and museum at no charge, and a minimal admission fee for farming exhibits and access to the beautiful grounds along Wolf Creek.

An attentive audience

Dr. John Kay, Mr. Bill Starr of the Georgia Center for the Book, and Mr. William Gantt

Byron Herbert Reece lived and wrote in the Choestoe valley of North Georgia. He lived the life of a small farmer, on land his family farmed for generations. He was lucky enough to attend high school and college, and went on to be a published and respected poet and novelist. His most prolific years were between 1938 and 1955, and saw the publication of four books of poetry and two novels. Financial success as an author and good health eluded him and he died in 1958, at the age of 40.

His legacy lives on as a respected Georgia author. The Byron Herbert Reece Society formed in 2003 to increase awareness of his work through programs, publicity and development of the Reece Farm into a destination to learn about the poet and mid-twentieth century farm life.

Use the above tabs to learn more about Byron Herbert Reece, about the work of the Reece Society including the Reece in the Schools initiative, about the Reece Farm Heritage Center, and to explore some of his poetry.