Herald staff report

TODD WETHERINGTON | DAILY HERALD A standing-room-only crowd gathered at Consuming Fire Church of God in Roanoke Rapids for Saturday's Exodus for Youth meeting. (Use arrows above to view more photos) Advertisement

ROANOKE RAPIDS - It's a deal that is hard to pass up. You can spend your lunch hour learning about the history of the Roanoke Canal in the comfort of The Centre at Halifax Community College and, perhaps, get a free sandwich from Subway to boot.

The Centre in partnership with the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail and Halifax County Tourism is hosting the community's second History in a Bag program at noon Thursday.

The premise behind the program is to bring history enthusiasts together for an informal lunch-hour gathering with a variety of historical topics.

The topic for this program is “The Canal System: Transportation via the Roanoke & Dismal Swamp.” Three presenters will discuss the construction of the two canals and the way the system worked to bring goods from the West to the seaports in the East via the Roanoke River.

The presenters include:

€ Harold Jacobson, manager of the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail (RCM&T), who will offer background on the development of the Roanoke Canal and the Roanoke Navigation Company.

€ George Ramsey, Southeast Virginia director of the Virginia Canals & Navigations Society, who is active in the continued preservation of the historic waterways of eastern Virginia and North Carolina and keeping them viable.

€ Penny Leary-Smith is director of the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center.

Either bring a bagged lunch (drinks and dessert will be provided) or be one of the first 15 to call The Centre box office to register for the program and receive a free Subway sandwich compliments of our Roanoke Rapids Subway. Contact The Centre at (252) 538-4336 to confirm your attendance.