1 of 2
Sheila Arnold Jones
Sheila Arnold Jones, a historical character interpreter who has performed at Colonial Williamsburg since 1998, will portray the slave Ol’ Bess and Oney Judge, personal maidservant to Martha Washington.
2 of 2
Fiddler Ted Borek
Fiddler Ted Borek will entertain with eighteenth-century tunes at Lancaster Court Day.
Event organizer Laurie McCord is pleased that MBWM is able to sponsor this educational experience. “Court Day was the day when the circuit judge came through Lancaster Courthouse to settle legal cases. The locals turned Court Day into a festival. Farmers sold produce and livestock. The militia often held drills on the Green. Horse races were organized. Food and drink was available at the tavern,” she says.
Festivities will kick off at 10:00 a.m. and extend to 4:00 p.m. Sheila Arnold Jones, a historical character interpreter who has performed at Colonial Williamsburg since 1998, will portray the slave Ol’ Bess and Oney Judge, personal maidservant to Martha Washington. Fiddler Ted Borek will entertain with eighteenth-century tunes, while Jami Borek will teach eighteenth-century dancing, assisted by a group from the Lancaster Players. Ampersand, a group that performs old-time American folk music, will entertain with Revolutionary war tunes.
Jeff Schmidt, former Commonwealth’s Attorney for Lancaster County, will play the Magistrate who administered the oath of allegiance to men in the Commonwealth during the Revolutionary War. McCord explains, “Every male citizen was required—not always willingly—to renounce allegiance to the King and pledge loyalty to the new United States.”
Artwork by children participating in MBWM’s Northern Neck History Detectives Poster Contest will be on display in the old County Clerk’s office. George Washington’s Young Friends will establish two shops to give visitors a chance to see what shopping was like in colonial times. Other performers and educators will be added in the coming weeks. Food and drink will be available for purchase.
Admission for Lancaster Court Day is $5 for adults, $3 for teens (13-17); those under 12 are admitted at no charge. Family admission tickets are $12. To purchase tickets online at a discount, visit the MBWM Facebook page or website, mbwm.org, or call the Museum at 804-462-7280.
This article appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of The Local Scoop Magazine, pg. 69.