Preserving Local History in Boone, NC

Gus Gress spent his summer working with the Southern Appalachian Historical Association (SAHA) in Boone, NC, with a particular focus in community theatre. SAHA is an organization that works to preserve the history of Boone and Watauga county locals. Since its founding in 1952, SAHA established the Hickory Ridge History Museum, a collection of authentic local cabins built between the Revolutionary War and the Great Depression, and hosts an annual Horn in the West Outdoor Drama. As an Administrative Production Assistant, Gus worked closely with SAHA’s Executive Director, regularly sitting in on meetings with his supervisor and assisting with organizing actor and technician contracts, booking local advertisements, picking up lunch, and doing yard work in the amphitheater. Additionally, Gus supported the organization’s primary goal of re-acquiring a lease for the Daniel Boone Amphitheater by taking the lead on public policy relations for the project, including attending meetings with the Town Council and Chamber of Commerce and writing memos for SAHA’s requests from the local government. Gus also used the summer to conduct research for his senior honor’s thesis, which is centered around the role of local government in preserving access to community art and theatre.

Gus enjoyed working on memos about a topic that truly excited him and appreciated working in an environment in which his work felt necessary, with the Executive Director and volunteers constantly cultivating an environment of gratitude and affirmation. His summer experience with SAHA served as a great exercise in learning how to be a “radical listener,” as he navigated local relations between nonprofits and the government by actively listening and learning from conversation partners passionate and opinionated about their work.