Historians and authors Gregg Clemmer and Nancy Sorrells will tell the stories of their family’s almost forgotten soldiers – two local boys (Ashby Forrest Painter and Herman Leonard Clemmer) who represent the thousands of young men who went off to serve their country in WWI and never returned home. And, while the stories of the two men are typical of those who served in World War I, the twisting, turning detective work needed to uncover the facts are somewhat unusual. Clemmer’s story comes via a framed photograph found in a trash pile in Nebraska. Painter’s tale was uncovered on a nearly 70-year-old quilt in North Carolina.

The Stonewall Brigade Band is the oldest-continuous among over 2,000 community bands in the nation. Initially formed as a brass band, we have grown and changed into a community concert band with the usual woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments, averaging 70 playing members (out of about 100 on the active roll) on each Summer concert.  Our age range is 12 through 85. The band has had well over 1000 members during its long history. Our members come from several Shenandoah Valley cities and counties, and other areas of the Virginia and West Virginia.

Edmund is a native of Lynchburg, Virginia and the Curator of the 116th Infantry Regiment Foundation’s Stonewall Brigade Museum in Verona. Dr. Potter also teaches at Piedmont Virginia Community College and for the United States Air Force Graduate Program.  He is an expert in World War I and earned his PhD from Auburn and his Masters from UVA.