BEANS is the C&O Railway Heritage Community lunch. This past Friday BEANS returned, September 16 for a lunch and social. Members of the C&O Historical Society, retired C&O employees, and area train buffs gathered at the C&O Heritage Center pavilion. Brandy Dudley representative of the Historical Society was on hand with other employees providing leadership and hospitality. Brandy advised, ” BEANS was developed about a decade ago and was first held at the C&O Historical Society Archive Center.” You may ask why is the gathering called BEANS? Brandy explains, “Back in the day the railroad employees called lunch, ‘BEANS’.” This time of the year, with things beginning to cool down a bit during the day, BEANS was the perfect way to enjoy good food and fellowship.
It was also the perfect place to be for What’s Your Story? community storytelling project workers Joan Vannorsdall and Judy Clark along with photographer Doug Houtz. Joan and Judy were busy listening to the stories and scheduling video interviews for mid-October. The second book in the What Your Story? series is ‘Rail Tales’: Stories from the C&O in the Alleghany Highlands. The team of project workers stayed busy during the gathering, however, it was obvious they were delighted listening to stories, as well as, scheduling future interviews. “I didn’t get any beans, but we got some great stories started, and a lot of people scheduled for story sessions,” said Vannorsdall.
If you’d like to share your stories about working for the C&O, call Joan Vannorsdall at (540) 664-3565 to schedule an interview. “We want stories from all angles: what it was like to work on the trains, on the tracks, in the shops, at the C&O Hospital, at the Bull Pen Restaurant. Stories about being a railroader wife, or child. These stories deserve to be saved; their tellers deserve to be listened to–all of us in the Alleghany Highlands will be richer for them,” Vannorsdall said.
The next Beans lunch will be at noon on Friday, October 28th. Everyone is invited. Come share food, friendship, and stories.
Visit, like & Share WYS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WhatsYourStoryVirginiasAlleghanyHighlands/