Conecuh People

If you haven't already met our small town and experienced the unique gifts it has to offer, this spring is the perfect time.  Come take part in Conecuh People . . .the Experience, an afternoon and evening filled with opportunities only a community like Union Springs can offer.  Nominated as the Alabama Tourism Event of the Year in 2004, the inaugural presentation of Conecuh People played before sold-out audiences at each of its four nights' productions its first year.  Two additional performances were added for the 2005 spring season, and there were 6 performances in 2006 and 2007 as well. In 2007 Conecuh People was selected as one of the 50 "Must See" events in the state by the Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel!

The Play

The "Conecuh People" play is an original theatrical production that tells the poignant story of a Bullock County boy's adolescence and two events - one good and one bad - that shaped his life.  Margie Benson, a veteran of community theatre, directs the play, and is well known throughout the state for her theatrical acumen. 

The play was written by Ty Adams, a Barbour County (AL) native currently living in New York, and adapted from Wade Hall's autobiographical book of the same name.  Dr. Hall, who grew up in a small community between Union Springs and Troy is a retired English professor and well-known in his own right, not only for his  anthology of monologues, but for his extensive quilt collection, part of which has already been donated to the University of Kentucky and the University of Alabama.

Jeff Pate, a musician from Enterprise, AL, penned the original music in the play.  He quickly responded when called by Benson, his former high school musical theatre director, and composed four numbers that are performed during the production.  Long after leaving Conecuh People, his haunting melodies linger in your mind.  All of the music in the play is performed by the musicians and singers on stage, adding another touch of theatrical beauty to the performance.

The Experience

Conecuh People . . .the Experience, including tours of historic buildings and sites, a quilt exhibit displayed throughout many of our beautiful churches, art exhibit, dinner, theatre, and lodging, will be presented April 24, 25, & 26, and May 1, 2, & 3, 2008.  You can choose to spend the day with us including an overnight stay or just come and enjoy the play. 

Conecuh People . . . the Experience is a wonderful outing for groups. Many church Sunday school groups and Senior Adult Ministries visited with us last spring. Dinner is served in the Baptist Church, the Red Door Theatre is located in the old Episcopal Church, and the quilt exhibit is displayed in the sanctuaries of four beautiful, historic local churches in Union Springs.

Union Springs is centrally located between Montgomery, Auburn, Columbus, Eufaula, and Troy. Packages are available for groups as well as individuals. Let us assist you in making your journey a memorable experience--please contact us at (334) 738-TOUR (8687) or email conecuhpeople@knology.net for information and  tickets.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to Union Springs and Conecuh People . . . the Experience.

Xan Morrow
Conecuh People Committee
Tourism Council of Bullock County

 Conecuh People... the Experience

Tour of Churches & Quilt Exhibit Art Exhibition at City Hall Log Cabin Museum Pauly Jail Tour Rolling Store Exhibit 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Old-Fashioned Dinner (Union Springs Baptist Church) 6 p.m. "Conecuh People . . .the Play" 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) Thursday, Friday, & Saturday April 24, 25, & 26, 2008 May 1, 2, & 3, 2008 "The Experience" Package (per couple) $130-$200 depending on selected lodge (includes Play Tickets & one night's Lodging with Southern Breakfast for TWO!) Play Tickets (sold individually) $15 Baptist Church "Old-Fashioned" Dinner $15 (reservations required) Groups Welcome! Contact Tourism Council of Bullock County (334) 738-8687 conecuhpeople@knology.net

 

"People are always more believable if their warts show. "Conecuh People" was not an easy book to write or an easy play to craft. My intention was to preserve a portion of the folk culture in which I grew up by capturing the lives of representative people in my part of the county, most of whom I had known all my life. I wanted to present these people accurately but with their dignity intact. We were country people who were living mostly the way our ancestors had lived generations before. Most of us country people somehow felt inferior to people in town. Indeed, ours was a county divided - town and country, black and white, rich and poor. Seldom if ever did these groups come together socially or any other way. Now when I return home to Bullock County, I find a place that, despite lingering problems and inequities, is more united as one people than ever before."

- Wade Hall, author of Conecuh People