In Dayton, A Centennial Season For This Year’s Scopes Festival

A scene from “Destiny in Dayton” - performed at the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton.(Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation)It happened in July a hundred years ago in Dayton: The Scopes Trial.John Scopes, a high school teacher, went on trial in the Rhea County Courthouse - accused of violating a Tennessee law that barred the teaching of evolution in public schools.This July, Dayton will mark the trial’s centennial with its annual Scopes Festival - featuring “Destiny in Dayton,” a play staged in the courthouse where the actual trial was held.Rick Dye is president of the Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation.(Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation)