Bring your own chair and be prepared for a captivating afternoon. The
presentation will be repeated on four additional Sunday afternoons: July
17, August 14, September 11, and October 9.
Blue Ridge Parkway News Release
June 9, 2011
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 quaint
cabin on the county line between Carroll and Patrick in the mountains of
Virginia. 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 19 from
2-4 pm, when Aunt Orlene will once again 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 four additional Sunday afternoons: July
17, August 14, September 11, and October 9. For more information call the
Rocky Knob Visitor Center at 540-745-9662.###(See attached file:
stumpV.JPG)