Join us for the unveiling of the forest botanicals sculpture and the celebration of the region’s native forest botanicals. The day will feature an herbal-focused arts and crafts fair, food trucks, music, guided storywalks along the trail, giveaways, and so much more.

About the Sculpture

Located at the High Knob Destination Center, an in-progress sculpture created by the artist team of Nathan Wachacha David Bush (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) and William Rogers will celebrate the relationships that Appalachian peoples have long held with forest botanicals, stretching from pre-colonization to today.

Learn more about the Forest Botanicals Region Living Monument at https://forestbotanicalsmonument.org

Schedule of Events

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sculpture Unveiling at the High Knob Destination Center with remarks by the sculpture artist team of William Rogers of Cullowhee, North Carolina and Nathan Wachacha David Bush, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from the Snowbird Community.

12:00 – 4:00 PM:

Vendor booths, live music, food truck, talks, and workshops

4:00 – 5:30 PM:

Guided Storywalk Trail hike, starting at the Norton Reservoir Trailhead parking lot

Classes and Hands-on Workshops

All classes and workshops are free. No pre-registration is required, but seating is limited so plan to arrive early.

12:45 – 1:15
Eastern Woodland Peoples in Appalachian Virginia: Living Off the Land
By Victoria Persinger Ferguson

Presenter: Victoria Persinger Ferguson, Enrolled Citizen of the Monacan Indian Nation; Presidential Ambassador to Native Nations and Director Solitude/Fraction Site, Virginia Tech

Class Description: In this talk, tribal citizen Victoria Persinger Ferguson will discuss how the earth has sustained us and how we can learn from our Indigenous ancestors.

Bio: Victoria Persinger Ferguson is an enrolled citizen of the Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia. She serves as the Presidential Ambassador to Native Nations, Director of the Solitude/Fraction Site, and co-founder of the Indigenous Community Garden at Virginia Tech. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Ferguson was the manager and lead interpreter for the Monacan Indian Village at Natural Bridge State Park. She is an expert in the foodways and daily living habits of the Yesáh (Eastern Siouan-Speaking Peoples) through the early European colonization period, knowledge that is informed by first-person documentation, archaeological studies, and oral teachings passed down through her family. Ferguson regularly gives invited talks and demonstrations about Indigenous lifeways, dietary patterns, agricultural practices, medicinal plants, textiles, and crafts. She has been featured in the Virginia Department of Education’s film The Virginia Indians: Meet the Tribes, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s ‘Women and Ginseng’ video series, and The Roanoker.

1:20 – 1:50
Traditional Afro-lachian Herbalism
by Ruby Daniels

Presenter: Ruby Daniels, Natural Resources Specialist, Herbalist, Forest Farmer, and Owner of Creasy Jane’s

Class Description: In this talk, herbalist and forest farmer Ruby Daniels will discuss African Americans’ history and relationships with plants of the Appalachian region. 

Bio: Ruby Daniels is a Natural Resource Specialist with the USDA NRCS, a farmer, a manufacturer of herbal products, an herbalist, and the owner of Creasy Jane’s, an herbal products company based in Stanaford, West Virginia. Ruby founded Creasy Jane’s to provide education, herbal products, and fresh produce to her local community. She gained her knowledge from her elders in West Virginia and expanded her plant knowledge by attending Maryland University of Integrative Health.  Ruby received a Master of Science in Therapeutic Herbalism, with a focus on Afro-lachian foods and herbs, field botany, and phytochemistry. She is a board member of the United Plant Savers and previously worked with a non-profit organization as a consultant in the Agroforestry industry. Ruby Daniels also works on cultural preservation and education focusing on African American relationships to the plants of Appalachia. Her mission through Creasy Jane’s is to educate the public about the power of plants and how to use them to support wellness.

2:00 – 2:50
Forest Botanicals Propagation
by Robin Suggs

Presenter: Robin Suggs, Herb Hub Procurement Manager at Appalachian Sustainable Development

Class Description: This hands-on class will cover the concepts of both rhizome division and seed propagation of your favorite forest botanicals. 

Bio: Robin is the Procurement Manager at Appalachian Sustainable Development’s (ASD) Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub. In this role, Robin identifies and supports medicinal herb farmers to meet secured demand for sustainably grown and harvested forest botanicals, including American ginseng, goldenseal, black and blue cohosh, and field grown medicinal herbs, such as peppermint and nettles. Robin also leads seed to sale training with the Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition (AFFC), as well as workforce development for the Wild Stewards Alliance (WSA). Before joining ASD, Robin was the sole proprietor of MoonBranch Botanicals, producing native medicinal plants and other non-timber forest products in the small community of Yellow Creek in far western North Carolina. His company supplied the natural products and medicines industry with high quality native raw bulk botanicals produced in their natural habitats.

3:00 – 3:50
One Plant, Many Medicines
by Lori Briscoe

Presenter: Lori Briscoe, Founder of Appalachian Teas & Botanicals, HerbLAB and The Appalachian Apothecary

Class Description: One plant offers many gifts. Meet a few of my favorite herbs and learn how to make simple medicines like tea, folk tinctures, poultices and more.  

Bio: Herbalist, writer, educator and creator Lori Briscoe is passionate about deepening the connections between plants, people and place. She is driven by a mission to help individuals experience what she calls the Magic & Medicine of Place. For the past 20 years she has been educating and inspiring adults and children to value and conserve Appalachia’s biological diversity and rich cultural heritage to empower a sustainable future for the region. Lori holds a B.A. in Anthropology, an M.A. in Appalachian Studies and Sustainable Development, and is a certified herbalist of the Appalachian School of Natural Health. Lori founded Appalachian Teas & Botanicals & HerbLAB to bring full circle her academic and deeply experiential approach to the wonder of the region. Her bioregionally grown and gathered herbs, tea blends and botanical products lift the body and spirit not only in Appalachia, but across the country.

Vendors

Madi Bop Shop

Custom art prints and crochet items relevant to the sculpture unveiling, including some coloring book pages!

For more information, visit Madi’s Facebook page or email Madi at madibopshop@gmail.com.

Appalcahian Teas & Botanicals

Regionally sourced and inspired tea blends and herbal products, education and more.

For more information, visit the Appalachian Teas & Botanicals website or email them at Apptandb@gmail.com.

CREASY JANE’S HERBAL REMEDIES

Combining Appalachian herbal traditional remedies, science and research, and spirit to formulate the best herbal remedies for our clients.

For more information, visit the Creasy Jane’s website or email them at CreasyJane@gmail.com.

Future Generations University

Future Generations University focuses on education and research related to agroforestry for both youth and adults. We work with service providers, producers and educators to increase awareness and opportunities.

For more information, visit the FGU website or email Heather at heather.harper@future.edu.

Monuments Across Appalachia Virginia

MAAV hopes to reimagine what constitutes a monument while commemorating histories and experiences that have been silenced, denied, or excluded.

For more information, visit moremountainstories.org or email Lauren at ltrice@vt.edu.

Cherokee Copper Art

Nathan Bush is a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from the Snowbird Community. He is a blacksmith and coppersmith working on the revitalization of the pre-colonial style of copperwork and is Program Coordinator for the Cherokee Historical Association. Nathan is a Cherokee medicinal plant expert who learned from a young age about the uses of plants from his parents, Onita and Mark Bush, and his grandfather, Mose Wachacha. Nathan’s goal is to promote Cherokee arts and knowledge and to preserve copperwork as one of the Cherokee People’s traditional crafts.

LIKEN Network

The LIKEN Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network is a link-tank for communities – to build capacity to grow good livelihoods based on local assets, to monitor community health and wealth to avoid boom and bust, and to take evidence-based action for future well-being based on deep understanding of the past.

For more information, visit the Liken Knowledge website or email Mary Hufford at hufford@likenknowledge.org.

Appalachian Sustainable Development

ASD’s Agroforestry and Herb Hub team will be sharing information about agroforestry practices – like silvopasture, alley cropping, and forest farming – that provide growers with a variety of economic, environmental, and social benefits. Plus, the team will share information about the Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub, located in Duffield, VA. The herb hub’s goal is to help build and support a thriving and sustainable herbal economy in Central Appalachia, where plant conservation is achieved through profitable cultivation.

Stop by our booth to enter into a free giveaway prize!

Music

Directions

The main event will take place at the High Knob Destination Center (HKDC),1147 Laurel Ave. SW, Norton, VA 24273.

Parking at the HKDC is limited to a maximum of 30 cars. Overflow parking is located at the high school with a free continuous shuttle provided back and forth to the HKDC. If the HKDC parking lot is full when you arrive, please park at the high school instead and wait for the next shuttle.

Important Links

• Learn more about the Forest Botanicals Region Living Monument at https://forestbotanicalsmonument.org
• Explore Norton, Virginia
• Learn more about Monuments Across Appalachia Virginia

Project Partners and Sponsors