Thursday 02 April

Specialty Blades was a question mark for most of us on our itinerary, until we got there. We found our tour of this facility, which focuses on the production of blades for medical use, fascinating. The success to this company, in our opinion, lies in the vision of its leadership, and the dedication of its staff. It is impossible to say, after a visit, that this company "just makes blades". A large team of engineers constantly works to ensure that their product, if you'll excuse the pun, remains on the cutting edge of technology. The staff are all obviously proud of their work and one leaves with a sense that this environment, where the professional integrity of staff at every level is valued, is the recipe for success.

At 10:00, the team were taken to the birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson, and also to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, both interesting tributes to a well respected national leader.

Although the morning was a good one, the afternoon's experience at the American Museum of Frontier Culture overshadowed all else. This "living" exhibit allows the visitor to explore life as it was for the people who would become the first settlers of America. In order to do this, the Museum literally bought and brought homesteads from Ireland, England and Germany.

Each brick and beam was numbered, the whole structure was disassembled, shipped to Virginia and then painstakingly re-assembled. To further create the sense of what life was like in these communities, a permanent staff "live" the life of these people, and later pioneers, by re-enacting cooking, weaving, farming, log cabin building, blacksmithing and so on, all day long. The team agreed that it is surely a sin to live anywhere in Virginia and not visit this amazing exhibit.

To top off a great day, the five of us took a little time-out from Rotary Group Study Exchange and ate together at the Depot Grill in Downtown Staunton. The opportunity to sit and chat amongst ourselves for a change, and laugh and reflect, was relished almost as much as the super food we enjoyed.

Fun at the Frontier Culture Museum: