Study Tour to England and Wales Planned
Fairmont State University's Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is
offering an excursion called "Roads to Appalachia through Mystical England and Wales."
Hosts for the trip, planned for June 19-30, 2008, will be Dr. Judy Prozzillo Byers,
Director of the Folklife Center, and Noel W. Tenney, Cultural Specialist.
An important part of the folklore-folklife academic offerings has been a series of
study abroad programs to the homelands of emigrants to Appalachia, such as travels
to Scotland, Ireland and Italy. The June 2008 study will focus on influences into
North Central Appalachia from parts of England and Wales. Beginning and ending in
London, the great city which controlled the flow of colonists to so many areas of
the world, the study will continue through the English south and west country from
which many sailed, particularly the shipping center of Bristol.
The oral traditions of King Arthur and the literary storytelling of William Shakespeare
and Dylan Thomas will also be traced in both England and Wales. A major emphasis of
the study will explore the rich cultural heritage of the Welsh, ranging from the old
world coal industry, which developed many of the mining techniques used in our Appalachian
mines, to the villages and countrysides from which flowed the people that established
communities bearing such Welsh names as Davis, Morgantown and Shrewsbury.
The study tour is open to travelers of all ages from the university and community.
Participants may earn 3 hours of college and or continuing education credit. Programs
and presentations will be offered in preparation for the study experience.
For complete information and an application form, contact Dr. Judy P. Byers or Noel
W. Tenney, trip coordinators, at either (304) 367- 4403 or (304) 367-4286 or by e-mail
at wvfolklife@fairmontstate.edu. or jbyers@fairmontstate.edu.
Highlights of the tour include the British Museum, Winchester Cathedral, Stonehenge,
"King Arthur Country" (including Glastonbury and Somerset), the Roman Baths, Tintern
Abbey, the Big Pit Coal Museum, Tredegar House (ancestral home of the early Morgans
of western Virginia), the Roman Legionary Amphitheatre, Cardiff Castle, Swansea Museum,
National Waterfront Museum, the University of Wales, Caernarfon Castle, Anne Hathaway's
Cottage, Shakespeare's birthplace, Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried,
the Globe Theatre and St. Paul's Cathedral. In Stratford, travelers will see the Royal
Shakespeare Company's production of "The Taming of the Shrew," and in London, they
will see the Welsh musical "Billy Elliot."
Cost of the trip is $4,250 for the community and $4,150 for FSU students. A $250
deposit is due with the application by Saturday, Dec. 1. The number of those who can
sign up for the trip is limited, so applications and deposits will be accepted on
a first-come, first-served basis. Interested persons should apply as soon as possible
for a guaranteed place on the trip.
The cost includes all transportation, all English breakfasts and dinners, all entrance
fees and all sightseeing. Accommodations will be provided in superior first-class
hotels or best available first class hotels. Rooms will have twin beds and private
bath or showers, based on double occupancy. Hotel taxes, service charges, state and
local taxes, tips to baggage porters and hotel staffs are all included in price. Not
included in the price are lunches, all items of a personal nature (such as laundry,
telephones, fax), tips to the motor coach driver, tour director and local guides,
travel insurance and bus travel to and from Dulles International Airport, Washington,
D.C. Arrangements made by National Travel Services, Inc.
