Abingdon English Guests Offer Fond Farewell

By Debra McCown
Reporter / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: October 5, 2008

ABINGDON, Va. – The 46 visitors from Abingdon, England, leave early this morning, but not before commenting on the area’s friendliness and hospitality.

“Everybody’s been so wonderful, so friendly, so kind, we feel like royalty,” said Jan Hughes, one of the guests. She added: “The weather’s beautiful.”

Members of the group attended church in town Sunday before heading to the Barter Theatre to see a show before a dinner at the Martha Washington Inn.

“I’ve really enjoyed being here,” said Barbara Earl, another guest from the other Abingdon. “I think it’s just the fact that it’s so laid back; life is slow here. You know, it’s lovely. It’s just the way you live is great, and of course the weather is perfect.”

She said everyone seems to know each other here in Abingdon, Va.; not so in Abingdon, England, where people are much more reserved and don’t always know their neighbors.

“I’d love to come back to this area. I’d love to see more of the mountains and the whole area really, because it’s just so beautiful,” Earl said, adding that she hopes the civic friendship between Abingdon, Va., and Abingdon, England, continues for a long time.

“I can’t wait to come back, and I think it’s almost everybody, not just me,” said Hughes. “Everything we’ve done, everything we’ve seen, has just been magic.”

Abingdon, Va., Tourism Director Myra Cook said plans are also in the works for a trip from Abingdon, Va., to Abingdon, England, in 2010.

“The host families, I think, have gotten to know the people who stayed with them, and they want to go visit as if they were friends or family,” Cook said.

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