Events and Opportunities
COMMUNITY HERITAGE PROJECT

THE VIRGINIA FOUNDATION FOR THE HUMANITIES (VFH) has recently awarded a matching grant of
$8,600 to the Chincoteague Island Library to support its ongoing Community Heritage Project.  The
VFH was established in 1974 to develop and support public programs, education, and research in the
humanities and to relate the humanities to public issues.  The VFH is non-profit and non-partisan and
receives support from private gifts, grants and contributions, and from the National Endowment for
the Humanities, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This VFH grant will facilitate the collection of island traditions and heritage including oral history,
historic photographs and documents of local significance for preservation and study.

Fast disappearing are the “tradition bearers” who still carry the knowledge and skills of the
traditional island occupations of commercial fishing, net making, waterfowl hunting, boat building,
decoy carving, animal husbandry, quilting, as well as knowledge of local island lore and history.

The library board’s Oral History Committee, chaired by Mary Jester, has already captured many of
these stories on audio tape.  If you would like to listen to any of the published interviews come to the
library and sign on to one of the computers or see the librarian for the tape player.
The VFH grant not only will enable the committee to transcribe these tapes and to conduct many
more interviews, but also to present a public program “1962 Storm Stories” to be held in 2008.

If you are interested in local island history, and/or you would like to be trained to conduct interviews,
or if you know of someone who should be interviewed, please contact The Chincoteague Island
Library at 336-3460 and leave your name and phone number with the volunteer on duty.

The library board is committed to maintaining its interest and leadership in preserving Chincoteague’
s history and heritage for future generations.  For excellent content on Black History in Accomac
County and Chincoteague Island go to .
Children's Reading Program
for Earth Day 2010

For Ages 3 years to 8 years old

SATURDAY   APRIL 22ND  at  3:30 PM

Stories, Crafts, Games, and Fun!

  at The Chincoteague Island Library
  4077 Main Street
Chincoteague Island, VA