"In the still air Old Buncombe's whistle blew - far away. The sound echoed faintly in the valley between the mountains....Then even the sound was gone, and there was nothing...I stood there wanting to move and yet not able to, staring at the spot on the horizon where the two tracks converged into one." Christy, Chapter One

ChristyFest™ 2009 pays homage to the real-life events which inspired the novel, Christy. In 1909, Leonora Whitaker left her home to teach at a mission school near Del Rio, TN. She is the mother of Catherine Marshall, and Christy [the novel] is inspired by Leonora's experiences teaching in rural Appalachia. ChristyFest™ 2009 will feature special programming to commemorate this event - please check out the Schedule for more details.