Tuesday, September 30, 2025
56.9 F
Beckley
More

    Aging, declining population leading to drop in ramp dinners

    A decline in population across West Virginia may be contributing to a drop in traditional spring ramp feasts, despite increased interest among tourists and younger generations.

    Advertisement

    The fluctuations are apparent, though not quantifiable, says the publisher of West Virginia Explorer Magazine, which produces an annual online .

    David Vincent enjoys a ramp dinner at the Richwood Ramp Festival.

    "I was saddened to talk to many organizers this year who say they're ending the tradition because of a lack of volunteers," publisher David Sibray said.

    "In some cases, the congregations at churches have aged, and elderly church members are no longer able to manage the dinners.

    Advertisement

    "In another case, a volunteer fire department just didn't have the manpower to manage but hopes to bring it back next year."

    Sibray said the decline is only anecdotal and is based on the number of organizations that respond to the magazine's annual call for event updates.

    "There could be new ramp dinners, the organizers of which hadn't alerted us, and certainly there are dinners that we just don't know about," he said.

    "Especially where elderly congregants are concerned, they don't use social media, though we also put out an annual request through newspapers and other media."

    Advertisement
    Advertisement
    Advertisement
    Advertisement

    Annual ramp dinners have been celebrated in the eastern U.S. since Europeans first settled the region and have remained robust in the mountains where isolated settlements depended on the plant as a first spring green, he said.

    Also known as , the plant's bulbs and young leaves are dug up in early spring from patches that harvesters usually keep secret, though the plant grows liberally in the Appalachian Mountains without cultivation.

    Over time, the harvest became the focus of traditional community feasts that in the 20th century served as fundraisers for non-profit organizations.

    West Virginia’s population declined by 12,000 residents in 2019, which brings the state’s total population down to about 1.78 million. The state’s population peaked in the middle of the last century with approximately two-million residents. It now claims 1.8 million.

    Advertisement

    Many younger residents have left to seek work outside the state, in which employment has gradually declined.

    To submit information on a ramp festival, email editor@wvexplorer.com, and include contact information, including a phone number, if possible. The guide, to which updates are continuously being made, .


    Sign up to receive a FREE copy of West Virginia Explorer Magazine in your email weekly. Sign me up!
    Clyde Craig
    Clyde Craighttp://wvexplorer.com
    Clyde Craig is a writer for West Virginia Explorer. Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, he traveled with his family across the globe with the U.S. Army before returning to the Mountain State in 2011.

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    Hot this week

    West Virginia officials to open scenic new elk viewing platform on October 1

    LOGAN, W.Va. — West Virginia officials will host a...

    Which are the five most haunted towns in West Virginia, wild and wonderful?

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Which are the five most haunted...

    Prehistoric West Virginia was never a so-called "uninhabited" hunting ground

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When I moved to West Virginia...

    Tourism surge in southern West Virginia yields more than $108 million for local economy

    GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — A newly released report from...

    Forecasted autumn rainfall promises vivid 2025 fall foliage in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State officials say West Virginia is...

    Topics

    Which are the five most haunted towns in West Virginia, wild and wonderful?

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Which are the five most haunted...

    Forecasted autumn rainfall promises vivid 2025 fall foliage in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State officials say West Virginia is...

    Charles Town grave marks the last resting place of restless John Yeats Beall

    CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — In the Zion Episcopal churchyard...

    2025 archery and crossbow hunting seasons open September 27 in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials at the W.Va. Division of...

    Related Articles

    Popular Categories