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Feature article
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Outdoor Banquet At Hungry Mother State Park
By Greg Tershansy
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MARION, Va. — Visitors to the 2,200 acres of unspoiled Virginia countryside that make up Hungry Mother State Park can see wild turkey, white-tailed deer, fish and a variety of birds. They also can camp, hike, swim, fish and hunt.
"The main reason people come is because of the variety," said Forrest Atwood, district resource specialist at Hungry Mother State Park. "We have plenty to do here."
The legend of the park goes like this: When American Indians destroyed several settlements on the New River, south of what is now the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders' base.
Molly and her child eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed and her child wandered down a creek until she found help.
The only words the child could utter were "Hungry Mother." When the search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly had collapsed, they found her dead.
Today, the mountain is Molly's Knob and the stream Hungry Mother Creek. When the park was developed in the 1930s, the creek was dammed to form Hungry Mother Lake.
Among the attractions of the park are a restaurant, camping grounds, a sandy beach, a lake, a group lodge, conference center and cabins.
"The cabins can be reserved up to a year in advance for up to two weeks," Atwood said. "The conference center is popular with retreat groups, corporate training groups and family reunion groups and includes a swimming pool during the summer months. The group lodge is popular with other large groups and also needs to be reserved a year in advance because of its popularity."
Scattered throughout the park are three picnic shelters that also may be reserved. Picnic tables located near the shelters are used on a first-come, first-served basis.
"Five hundred acres of the park are set aside for hunting," said Dan Patton, assistant manager of Hungry Mother State Park. "People can rifle and bow hunt during the specified seasons."
The park's Discovery Center features hands-on exhibits, aquariums, animal exhibits and a period cabin.
There is also a computer for campers and registered guests staying at the park to use for e-mail and interactive CD-ROMs. A gift shop and a WCYB TV-5 Weather Station are also located at the center.
The lake features rental rowboats, paddleboats and canoes. Fishing is allowed with a valid Virginia fishing license. Out-of-state residents may obtain a five-day fishing license at Hungry Mother Grocery located just outside of the park's entrance for $6.50.
Fishing boats with electric-powered trolling motors are allowed, but gasoline-powered motors are not.
The sandy beach area of the lake includes a swimming area, concessions and showers. There is a $3 fee to swim and lifeguards are present.
"We are popular with Tennessee residents," Atwood said. "We're not too far and are less crowded than the Smokies."
The facilities of the park including cabins, the original restaurant structure, conference center, group lodge, bathhouse, dam and sanitation system were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, an employment program started by Franklin Delano Roosevelt that constructed government facilities. The commonwealth of Virginia later asked for and was granted approval for constructing six state park facilities. Hungry Mother State Park was one of the six and was completed in 1936.
The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday for lunch and supper and for brunch on Sunday. There is no parking fee if you are just eating at the restaurant.
The park is open year round and the cabins, lodge and conference center may also be rented year round.
There is a $1 per car parking fee to enter the park during the weekdays and $2 on weekends.
For more information on rental rates or general park information, call Hungry Mother State Park at (540) 781-7400 or visit their Web site at www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/hungrymo.htm.
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