Historic documentation preserves the aspects of a community that will follow it into the next generations. The Wythe County Historical Society, with Wythe County, is aiding in a historical survey to be conducted by Hanbury Preservation Consulting and The College of William and Mary in the coming months.

At a meeting of community leaders and researcher Mary Ruffin Hanbury on Nov. 28 at the Heritage Preservation Center, the group discussed what steps will be taken before field studies for the survey begin.

A main focus of the meeting was how to get the residents of Wythe County involved. As noted by the surveys intentions, the residents of the county are as beneficial as the structures themselves.

As social networking becomes more prevalent in the lives of many residents, Wythe County has jumped into the new media age to a booming response. The county’s presence on Facebook is part of a larger effort to connect with the residents of Wythe County and help better communicate information.

The Wythe County Facebook account officially launched on Oct. 29, 2011. In the month of its existence, the account has been accepting and adding friends by the hundreds, with a current friend count of almost 1,300.

By “friending” the account, users can view status updates that contain information about Wythe County meetings, news and public information. In addition, users can view press releases in the “notes” section of the page and view photographs of events from around the area.

The annual Foster Falls Festival of Lights will again draw thousands to the area to celebrate the season and give back to the local community

Marking its eighth anniversary, the Foster Falls Festival of Lights is expected to make Wythe County shine even brighter as it opens the holiday season on Dec. 2, 2011 and continues lighting the park on Dec. 3. The charity event draws thousands annually and benefits countless local communities.

Dawned with over 200,000 lights, the New River Trail State Park welcomes families each year to visit Santa, take a carriage ride and celebrate the opening of the holiday season. The event started out with a few hundred visitors but has grown in every aspect.

“Each year the festival continues to expand, with sparkling little lights as well as visitors,” said Patrick McFall, park interpreter.

The history of Wythe County is duly noted in books, markers and online; however, the history of many of its structures has gone unexamined. The historic architectural study to be conducted by Hanbury Preservation Consulting, with the Wythe County Historical Society and Wythe County, will seek to document such properties throughout the County.

At a meeting with Mary Ruffin Hanbury, researcher for the project, on Nov. 28, 2011, at the Heritage Preservation Center, community leaders were asked to think of what properties should be included in the study.

Some quick suggestions were the log houses and shot tower in Foster Falls. Others included stone walls, steps and foundations found throughout many parts of the area.