Aunt Orlene Will Be at Puckett's Cabin on June 13-Blue Ridge Parkway
June 3, 2010
The Blue Ridge Parkway will offer a unique experience on Sunday, June 13 from 2-4 pm, when Aunt Orlene will step out of the old cabin at milepost 190. Aunt Orlene Puckett will come out and talk to you.
Blue Ridge Parkway News Release
June 4, 2010
For Immediate Release
Mindy DeCesar (540) 745-9680
Play They Call Me Aunt Orlene
to be Presented
on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Countless numbers of Blue Ridge Parkway visitors have stopped by the quaintcabin on the county line between Carroll and Patrick in the mountains ofVirginia. Walking around the picket fence, peeking into windows, it’s hard for present day folk to imagine the lives of those early inhabitants. The Blue Ridge Parkway will offer a unique experience on Sunday, June 13 from2-4 pm, when Aunt Orlene will step out of the old cabin at milepost 190 and
tell of her life as a mountain mid-wife around the turn of the 20th
Century. Orlene Puckett, portrayed by local author and poet Phyllis Stump,
has become a local legend for delivering over 1000 babies, while none of
the 24 children she bore herself ever lived for more than a few months.
Based on extensive research including National Park Service oral histories
and interviews with many surviving family members “They Call Me Aunt
Orlene� is written, as well as performed, by Phyllis Stump. Stump is a
retired English and speech and drama teacher, who has many years of
experience as an actress and director with Community Theater. She has
written a book of poetry that has received an award from the North Carolina
Poetry Council.
Bring your own chair and be prepared for a captivating afternoon. The
presentation will be repeated on three additional Sunday afternoons: July
11, August 22 and September 19. For more information call the Rocky Knob
Visitor Center at (540) 745-9662.###
