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Clyde CraigClyde Craig

Clyde Craig is a staff 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. He has been a writer with the explorer since 2018. He can be reached at 304-575-7390 or at craig@wvexplorer.com.
Crowds fill downtown Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, during the annual Apple Butter Festival, which returns Oct. 9–11 for its 51st year despite spring freezes that damaged the region’s apple crop.
Festivals / Events

Despite damaging spring freezes, apple butter will simmer again in Berkeley Springs

by Clyde Craig

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Spring freezes devastated apple crops across parts of the Mid-Atlantic this year, but organizers of a 51-year-old West Virginia festival say its giant copper kettles will still be bubbling in October. The Apple Butter Festival will return to Berkeley Springs, in Morgan County, Oct. 9–11, preserving a tradition in which volunteers … Read more

Glenville State University rises above the small Gilmer County seat of Glenville in central West Virginia, where the university has played a prominent role in the community since its founding in 1872.
Higher Education

Glenville State establishes College of Business as programs expand beyond campus

by Clyde Craig

GLENVILLE, W.Va. — A small public university in rural West Virginia is expanding the reach of its business education beyond the Appalachian community it has served for more than 150 years, establishing a College of Business after adding online undergraduate and graduate programs. Glenville State University formally marked the college’s establishment Wednesday, elevating its business … Read more

Students gather outside Hogan Hall on the WVU Tech campus in Beckley, West Virginia. A new scholarship program will cover remaining tuition, housing and meal costs for qualifying students from 13 southern West Virginia counties. (Courtesy WVU Tech)
Higher Education

New WVU Tech scholarship targets talented students across southern West Virginia

by Clyde Craig

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A new scholarship program at West Virginia University Institute of Technology will cover remaining tuition, housing, and meal costs for high-achieving students from 13 southern West Virginia counties, potentially making a four-year education possible for students who might otherwise rule it out because of cost. Beginning in fall 2027, the Golden Scholars program will accept … Read more

West Virginia students take part in a hands-on technology activity. A new $2.6 million initiative is expected to bring similar problem-solving and entrepreneurship programs to 15,000 middle- and high-school students statewide over three years. (WVU Photo/Canyon Lohnas)
Higher Education

West Virginia initiative aims to teach 15,000 students how to turn ideas into businesses

by Clyde Craig

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A new $2.6 million initiative is expected to help 15,000 West Virginia middle- and high-school students learn how to develop ideas, solve real-world problems and potentially turn those ideas into businesses. West Virginia University officials announced Monday that the three-year effort will bring teachers, business experts, and community partners together to give … Read more

Historic buildings line the railroad at Thurmond in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. A proposed New River Gorge Artisan Corridor would seek to connect preservation and adaptive reuse here with arts, workforce development, recreation and economic opportunities in communities from Hinton to Montgomery. (Photo David Sibray)
Economic Development

New plan imagines a different future for communities of the New River Gorge

by Clyde Craig

PRINCE, W.Va. —  A sweeping new proposal would link communities throughout the New River Gorge region through arts, recreation, preservation, and business development, aiming to keep more of the economic benefits the gorge and its national park generate within surrounding communities. Called the “New River Gorge Artisan Corridor,” the proposal would extend through communities from … Read more