By Taylor Boyd
The JEB Stuart Preservation Trust, Inc. will hold a celebration on Saturday, February 7 in honor of Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s 192 birthday.
The event will be at the Ararat Ruritan Club from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission to the celebration is free, and guests can register to win a door prize.
Trust President Ronnie Haynes said there will be displays about Stuart and Laurel Hill and items for sale to benefit the organization’s preservation efforts at Laurel Hill.
In addition to music, food, cake, and refreshments, a guest speaker will present a program at the event.
Haynes said the group’s been having the birthday celebration for decades.
“We used to have it at an antique store there in the Town of Stuart, and we started doing that maybe 15 to 20 years ago. We sort of picked it up and moved to different locations,” he said.
For the last seven years or so, it’s been held at the Ararat Ruritan Club.
“That’s really turned into a really nice event for the community, and they come out, enjoy the music and dance, do a little fellowshipping, and have a good time,” he said.
Haynes estimates about 100 people attended last year’s event. If the weather is good, he expects the same number of people to attend this one.
While there’s no set plan to potentially reschedule the celebration, Haynes said it could possibly be scheduled for the Saturday afterwards.
“We’re just going to keep our fingers crossed,” he said.
If the event is rescheduled due to inclement weather, Haynes said people can find out on the group’s website or Facebook page.
For more information, go to www.laurelhill@jebstuart.org or Facebook.com/JEBStaurtPreservation,Inc.
