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“It was cold, but there were a few people standing or sitting along the wall in front of the courthouse. Winter or summer, there were always people there. The boy wondered if they knew it was Christmas.” - from “Sounder” by William Howard Armstrong
On Monday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m., in the parish hall of Grace Episcopal Church, the Sounder Community Circle will illuminate how images of old Lexington set the scene for this crucial Christmas passage in William Howard Armstrong’s Newbery Award-winning book “Sounder.”
Long-time residents will remember, as did Collierstownborn Armstrong, what a child might have seen as he made his way through the courthouse square on the way to deliver a Christmas cake to his father, held in one of the old jailhouse cells.
“Although the story told in ‘Sounder’ supposedly takes place further south, this scene is undeniably inspired by memories from Armstrong’s youth —and mine,” said Susan Mead, co-founder of the Sounder Community Circle. “When Mrs. Warren read that passage to us in the fourth grade at Waddell, I remember thinking ‘That’s Lexington!’” To explore these connections, community members are invited to join the discussion circle on Dec. 11 at 121 W. Washington St. in Lexington.
“There is no need for folks to be familiar with the book before Monday night because we will read the passage together –and perhaps even view scenes from the 1972 and 2003 films based on Armstrong’s book. We’ll all be on the same page, so to speak,” Mead said, “as together we discover local images embedded in our hometown author’s poignant portrayal of a Christmas reunion between father and son.”
The visual centerpiece of the evening will be a remarkable work of art that serves as the fifth illustration in ‘Sounder’; the original painting by James Barkley depicts the jailhouse backdrop for the Christmas scene.
“It is clear to me now that my love for illustrated children’s books is rooted in Barkley’s hauntingly beautiful paintings,” Mead reflected.
She marvels at the good fortune of having all 10 of Barkley’s original illustrations for “Sounder” right here in Rockbridge, through the generosity of local art enthusiast Matt Fogo.
“Matt is eager to make them available for Sounder Community Circle programming, to inspire and educate people of all ages. We hope to celebrate the full collection at a special event next spring,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mead encourages everyone to come Monday night to see this special painting so closely tied to a Lexington landmark.
“Y’all tell me that isn’t our old jail! And the folks sitting on that courthouse wall? I bet we could name more than a few folks who were regulars,” Mead said.
For more information, contact Mead at svm@diversityserves. org.
