The annual Jackson's Mill Jubilee at historic Jackson's Mill, West Virginia, will feature a new layout in 2018, a spokesman for the organization announced, also addressing rumors that the event had been cancelled.
The festival, which attracts 10,000 visitors to historic Jackson's Mill near Weston, in Lewis County, is one of three celebrations that bring thousands of visitors to the region that weekend.
Jubilee president David Vaughn said the August 31-September 2 event will feature a more accessible layout and said financial losses last year due to rain had not grounded future celebrations:
"Contrary to what you may have heard, there will be a Jackson’s Mill Jubilee in 2018. It was close,” Vaughn said. “We had a couple of days of rain...and we barely broke even, but we managed to pay all our bills.
He said the organization has also decided to invest in improvements to the event.
“We are arranging everything in a new layout to make it more family-friendly and easier to access. The biggest complaint we had the last few years was that things were too spread out.”
The event is part of one of the biggest travel weekends in Lewis County, according to Chrissy Richards, executive director of the Lewis County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
"The same weekend the Jane Lew Arts & Crafts Festival is being celebrated in Jane Lew, and the Italian Heritage festival is going on in Clarksburg. And people come to attend all three," Richards said.
The jubilee will continue to maintain that which makes it so popular, Vaughn said, including good music and arts and crafts exhibits and "some of the best food at any fair or festival in the state. This year's jubilee theme is “Keeping Heritage and Tradition Alive.”
“We are arranging everything in a new layout, to make it more family-friendly and easier to access,” he said. “The biggest complaint we had the last few years was that things were too spread out, so we will address that problem.”
Vaughn said parking will remain free and admission will remain $5 per adult, and children under three will be admitted free.
"The biggest change will be in the look. Visitors won’t have to walk a mile to see everything, although free golf-cart rides will still be available to those who need them," he said.
Now a state fair and festival ground, Jackson's Mill is the childhood home of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
