A year in review and a look into the future for both Friends of Ferrum Park and Ferrum Forward took place at Ferrum Forward’s annual membership meeting Tuesday.
Ed Saunders and Director of FOFP Rebecca Saunders spoke about their plans moving forward.
FOFP applied for and received approval on all event permits for 2024, including Farm and Craft Market and Holiday Craft Bazaar permits from VDOT, VDH, and Franklin County.
“Advocacy for Ferrum Park was the main focus of the year,” Ed Saunders said. “Working with both Ferrum Forward, Friends of Ferrum Park, and Ferrum Lions Club to engage Supervisors and build support for the park project was a large focus of work during the year. Thankfully, it was successful and FOFP is now in the process of purchasing the property from Franklin County.”
Rebecca Saunders gave an update on the park to Ferrum Forward. FOFP is in full-time fundraising mode.
An all you can eat pancake breakfast will be hosted at the Fire Station on Sept. 28 from 8-11 a.m.
“If anyone is interested in volunteering, you get free unlimited pancakes,” she said. “It will be $10 per person, and all the proceeds will be split between the Lions Club and Friends of Ferrum Park.”
On Oct. 5 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. FOFP will host the Ferrum Flea Market.
“Currently we have 60 vendors signed up and 1,700 people interested in attending,” Rebecca Saunders said. “We will shut down the street that runs right into the park and line both sides with vendors.”
A big fundraiser for the FOFP is the Haunted Trail on Oct. 19 from 8-11 p.m.
Currently, 1,500 people have already said they’re interested in coming to the event, and FOFP has sold $1,000 in tickets.
Prior to the Haunted Trail, FOFP is teaming in a community event with the local elementary school from 3-6 p.m.
“We are partnering with the PTO at Ferrum Elementary to give us space for the kids to go trick or treating in a really unique way,” Rebecca Saunders said. “We set people up along the trails at different stations, and they hand out candy to the kids.”
The final Farm and Craft market is Nov. 7, followed by the Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 16.
Ferrum Forward and FOFP are two separate organizations, but many members are active in both groups.
“We continued to support Friends of Ferrum Park in several ways,” FF Interim Chair Burton White said. “We supported Friends of Ferrum Park in obtaining the property for the park by attending Board of Supervisor’s meeting. We also helped with fundraising and awareness for the need of fund through the Farmer and Craft Market.”
Tuesday’s FF meeting saw the election of officers, with White being elected as the full-time chair after being the interim since former chair Jennie West had to resign during the year due to a health issue.
“It has been a busy and mostly successful year for Ferrum Forward. We were sad that our chair, Jennie West, had to resign during the year,” White said. “I was selected to finish the year as interim chair. It was a fairly steep and sometimes frustrating learning curve, but we all survived.”
Bob Pohlad was re-elected as vice chair, Melissa Anderson as treasurer, and Susan Selvage will also be returning as secretary but was also voted as the three-year director.
Ferrum Forward has a full plate with plenty of projects in progress.
The biggest of those is the Folklife Festival Oct. 26, which takes place on campus.
Ferrum Forward also wants to continue to stay involved with the college.
Some of the projects in progress with the college include inviting Bill Sliwa–the college’s new vice president for marketing and enrollment management–to speak at an upcoming FF meeting, collaborate with the college and Katrina Harrison to organize a blood drive on campus, and continue to inform faculty and students about volunteer opportunities.
“We want to take action in the community and change things in Ferrum,” White said. “Working with the merchants, working with the college, and all the individuals.”
