SWEET SPRINGS W.Va. (Hinton News) – Arietta DuPre, a Summers and Monroe County native, has announced the completion of her first book, “Sustainability – Ideas for Beginners and Brief History of Sweet Springs.” She released the following statement:
“The sustainability portion of the book gives some ideas of how to have balcony gardens, sustainable fertilizers, and sustainable bug repellents. I wrote this short book to help people see that sustainability is not a scary word, nor a scary way of life – it is rather simple. People see commercials and hear people talk about sustainable practices on a large scale, but the average person doesn’t have any reason for a large-scale practice instead, they need to understand how to practice this vital way of life on a small scale that is not the least bit scary or hard to do.
“My other reason for writing the sustainable part of the book was so people attending the Sustainability Forum at Sweet Springs (July 18-22) could leave with a reminder of how important what they learn at the forum is to our future.
“Two new classes at the forum this year are a wonderful means of sustainable actions: (1) learning how to use a rock to cook on so when finished, the rock can be placed back where you found it, and no ecological damage is done; no trash is left behind; and you do not have to carry around heavy equipment when fishing, camping, hiking or biking. Great for 4-H clubs, Scouts, FFA, and other youth groups, and (2) instructional learning on making bricks as they did in the early 1800s using in-ground or mountainside kilns, and no commercial bonding agents. Great for brick masons, contractors, people who work in historic restoration, and youth groups.
“Part two of the book is just a basic brief history of the ‘Old Sweet’ with some pictures showing some of the Historic National Landmark Buildings located on the property. Now, the Sweet Springs Resort Park Foundation Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the restoration of this “old historic” landmark (one of the oldest in the United States) and to creating some wonderful recreational activities for people to come and enjoy – like the Historic Sweet Springs Turnpike Trail – which opened October 15, 2023, and is building to meet the Allegheny Trail. The trail is FREE to hike, and visitors from eight states have now come to hike this historic trail.
“During the Sustainable Forum in July, bring your copy of ‘Sustainability – Ideas for Beginners and Brief History of Sweet Springs’ to the forum if you want a signed copy. There will be copies here as well. The softback book is available on Amazon.
“On July 13, the Freedom Fest will be held at The Sweet Springs Resort Park Foundation Inc. Great food, music, local vendors, axe throwing, children’s plastic axe throwing, tug-of-war, croquet, and more. I will have books at this event as well.
“Watch for my next book, ‘A History of Sweet Springs,’ where you will get all the various versions of some stories about this famous location. This book will be interesting insomuch as some of the history we all think happened, happened in a different matter, or not at all, or worse than we have been told. I have learned a lot about the place while working on this book. It will be up to you to decide what you believe, what you don’t believe, compare to what you have heard, and more.“
