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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.
The Romney Dairy Barn was one of seven winners of the alliance's annual funding program.
Communities

Preservation Alliance awards funding for seven 2022 projects

by Clyde Craig

ELKINS, W.Va. — The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia in 2022 awarded more than $488,000 in funding to restoration projects in Brooke, Mercer, Preston, Summers, Randolph, Greenbrier, and Hampshire counties through its Saving Historic Places Grants program. According to Danielle Parker, executive director of the alliance, the program was established to help save certified historic … Read more

Steel bars manufactured by CMC await export to market.
Communities

Steelmaker to open micro-mill in Berkeley County

by Clyde Craig

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice and officials at Commercial Metals Company, also known as CMC, have announced that Berkeley County will be the home of the company’s fourth micro-mill. Projected to cost approximately $450 million, the facility will produce rebar and is projected to begin operating in late 2025. Justice said he’s honored … Read more

More than 260,000 West Virginians are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday in 2022.
Communities

Thanksgiving travel to rebound in West Virginia in 2022

by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Over the river and through the woods, more than 265,000 West Virginians are expected to travel more than 50 miles from their homes this Thanksgiving, according to a report from American Automobile Association. The association reports that travel for the holiday is around 98 percent of what the forecast called for in … Read more

Displays at the West Virginia State Farm Museum are being readied for Christmas.
Attractions

W.Va. Farm Museum Christmas Light Show runs Dec. 5-20

by Clyde Craig

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Two million lights will twinkle at the West Virginia State Farm Museum December 5-20, 2022, to celebrate Christmas, though volunteer groups and individuals are being sought to adopt buildings to decorate, according to Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt. “This light show is one of the best in the state and a … Read more

Join storytellers in a celebration of their art at Tamarack in Beckley.
Arts

Storytellers to weave tales at Saturday program in Beckley

by Clyde Craig

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Hosted by the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, story-tellers Linda Durrett, Karen Vuranch, Mikalena Zuckett, and Jodi French-Burr will weave tales on Saturday, November 19, from 2-3:30 p.m. at Tamarack at Beckley, West Virginia. The four speakers, who are widely known for their skills, will perform in concert with the worldwide observance of … Read more

Coal waste impoundments in southwestern West Virginia.
Communities

Omnis to invest $60 million to extract rare earth metals

by Clyde Craig

MULLENS, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has announced that Omnis Sublimation Recovery Technologies will invest $60 million in Wyoming County and use revolutionary technology to extract rare earth metals from coal waste impoundments in the region. Coal waste impoundments have created an opportunity for innovation, Justice said during a meeting in the coalfields … Read more

Crowds wander Word Park during the Oddities and Curiosities Fair
Arts

Downtown Beckley getting even odder, say fair organizers

by Clyde Craig

BECKLEY, W.Va.—Organizers of a third annual oddities fair being celebrated September 24 in historic downtown Beckley say things are about to get even odder. Sponsored by the Beckley Arts and Entertainment Exhibition, otherwise known as BEX, the Oddities and Curiosities Fair, will host the expanded open-air market with more than 40 artists and vendors, including … Read more

Community members gather to plan a Mine Wars monument installation at Marmet.
Attractions

Museum installing monuments to commemorate Mine Wars

by Clyde Craig

MATEWAN, W.Va. — The first of two monuments commemorating the Battle of Blair Mountain in West Virginia will be installed this weekend in Logan and Kanawha counties, acknowledging a history that state schools long worked to suppress, say organizers. Commissioned by the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, located on the Kentucky border at Matewan, the … Read more