Crossroads: Change in Rural America offers small towns a chance to look at their own paths to highlight the changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what happened when America's rural population became a minority of the country's population and the ripple effects that occurred.

Changes in Rural America is a subject near and dear to the hearts of Patrick Countians, who have seen agriculture, manufacturing, and service jobs ebb and flow throughout the last 100 years. Many of our local organizations are working to create events and exhibitions that will highlight these changes in our county.

We have a wide range of events scheduled to invite you to learn more about the local culture and heritage and to provide opportunities for visitors to engage with the exhibit. Please review the list below and visit our website for more information on additional events and exhibit hours.

• Willis Gap Community Center, a Crooked Road site, will host an open jam on Dec 17 and Jan 7 with doors opening at 6pm. Music will run from 7pm until 10pm and all musicians are welcome to join the jam featuring Old Time, Bluegrass, Country, and Gospel music. Food and concessions will be available for purchase and the Appalachian music, fellowship and fun are free!

Enjoy the following supporting collections on display in tandem with the Crossroads exhibit.  

• Virginia Cooperative Extension will curate a display, Stirring Up Memories, featuring family recipes shared from generation to generation and celebrating the importance of food as a community unifying force. The Patrick County Extension office is planning an exhibit that showcases these treasured Patrick County family recipes, with take-home recipes cards to share with attendees. On display at the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce in Stuart, VA. 

• A photographic display of Patrick County over the past 100 years will be presented by the Patrick County Historical Society and Museum and will be on display at the Reynolds Homestead in Critz, VA.

• Engage with the locally designed exhibit Tiny Houses; a reflection of your community curated by Bull Mountain Arts and on display at the Creative Arts Center in Stuart, VA. The exhibit will display tiny houses created by community members who responded to the prompt “what does home or community mean to you?”

• Visit the Patrick County Library & Bookmobile to check out a display of books and suggested reading materials for youth and adults. Cultural interpretations from artists, authors, and musicians have played an important role in conveying the identity of rural Americans. Whether they tell stories of hard work, struggles and conflicts in rural life, migration, or the joys of living close to nature, these writers have given us indelible impressions of what they believed rural life to be. Select a book and explore these authors' interpretations, from both past and present. 

• Stroll along the Mayo River Rail Trail and find the storyboard mounted at the caboose, provided by Patrick County Farm Bureau that highlights how the railroad helped local farmers of the early 20th Century in this isolated, rural area, have access to larger commodity markets for their agricultural products.