Ten years ago, a Shenandoah University undergraduate history major had an internship project: create a summer kid-friendly program at Burwell-Morgan Mill. This Saturday, that program will draw hundreds of families and host history organizations from across the state. On this Tourism Tuesday Berryville/Clarke County edition of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael catches up on the Zooms with Nathan Stalvey, Executive Director of the Clarke County Historical Association, for a full-throttle preview of Colonial Kids Day, the fall Art at the Mill submission window, and the VA 250 Mobile Museum's stop at Long Branch.

Nathan walks through the growth of Colonial Kids Day — now in its 10th year with sponsorship from United Bank and a Virginia Tourism Corporation grant — and the impressive roster of participating organizations for 2026: the Sons of the American Revolution (with a special Daniel Morgan Beeline March reenactment), New Town History Center, Loudoun Heritage Area Farm Museum, Blandy Experimental Farm, Sky Meadows, Belle Grove Plantation, the Fort Monroe Museum, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Then it's a preview of the fall Art at the Mill call for artists (open now, closes the last Monday of July, $35 to submit up to five pieces, thanks to a significant new marketing grant from the VA Tourism Corporation and continued Tito's Handmade Vodka sponsorship). And finally: the VA 250 Mobile Museum — a genuinely impressive expandable semi-trailer — is coming to Long Branch August 21-23. Plus a delightful mill anecdote about grinding barley for Chilly Hollow Brewing's forthcoming "Carter's Gold," a beer named after Carter Hall.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

CCHA is always looking for volunteers, especially for: • Colonial Kids Day (day-of assistance) • Saturday mill grinds throughout the year — hands-on experience running the historic mill • Special events, art shows, and educational programming

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Clarke County Historical Association: clarkehistory.org (events, Art at the Mill, artist submissions, volunteer information)

• CCHA on Facebook and Instagram: @ClarkHistory

• Burwell-Morgan Mill on Facebook

THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations.

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