Portal, GA — The Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center (WHHRC) invites the public to its annual Heritage Festival, a weekend of history, culture, and storytelling.

This year’s theme, “Preserving the History of the Willow Hill Community: From Oral Traditions to Community Archiving—You Too Have a Story to Tell,” highlights the power of local memory and the importance of preserving the voices that shaped our communities.

✨SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:

8:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

• The William James High School Class of 1968 will host a Welcome Breakfast followed by a tour of the museum as part of their class reunion celebration

1:00 PM– 6:00 PM

• Featured presentation:

  • “The Heroism of the Black Men of the Willow Hill Community During the 1946 Gubernatorial Election” — developed for the Association of African American Museums Conference, this presentation honors the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

• Community Archiving Panel, featuring:

  • Dr. Ronald W. Bailey, PhD, Professor Emeritus of African American Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign — a nationally recognized expert on Black political thought and community archives

  • LaPortia Mosley, Community Engagement Officer at the Georgia Historical Society, presenting the statewide Community Archives Initiative

• Community Interview with Bulloch County Commissioner Ray Mosley — an engaging conversation highlighting local leadership, legacy, and vision for the future

• Interactive archiving workshops and oral history interviews

• Museum tours and history exhibits

Food available from Mosley Farms

Admission: Free and open to the public

Community members are encouraged to bring funeral programs, photographs, and paper documents that may become part of the Willow Hill Community Archive—preserving local history for future generations.