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David Sibray

David Sibray is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of West Virginia Explorer, a news and travel magazine devoted to the state’s history, tourism, outdoor recreation and economic development. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390 or at editor@wvexplorer.com
West Virginians celebrate West Virginia Day on June 20, marking the state's 1863 admission to the Union and honoring the history, culture, and traditions of the Mountain State.
Festivals / Events

West Virginia Day 2026: 10 events and festivals celebrating the Mountain State’s birthday

by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginians will mark the state’s 163rd birthday, West Virginia Day, on Saturday, June 20, with festivals, heritage celebrations, outdoor events, and community gatherings stretching from the Eastern Panhandle to the coalfields of southern West Virginia. West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863, becoming the nation’s 35th state during the … Read more

Effie "Aunt Effie" Wells of Tyler County recalled a family story that linked her household to John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.
Lore and Legend

Tyler County woman claimed family hosted John Wilkes Booth after Lincoln assassination

by David Sibray

PURSLEY, W.Va. — A Tyler County woman who lived to 100 years old claimed her family unknowingly sheltered John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, shortly after Lincoln’s death in 1865. The account was published in Volume 14 of the W.Va. Heritage Encyclopedia, compiled by West Virginia historian and publisher Jim Comstock. It … Read more

West Virginia Explorer publisher David Sibray explores a remote section of Tomlinson Run within Tomlinson Run State Park. The park protects one of the largest remaining forested watersheds in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle and supports plant communities uncommon elsewhere in the region.
State Parks, Forests

Tomlinson Run preserves unusual Appalachian forest rarely found in Northern Panhandle

by David Sibray

NEW MANCHESTER, W.Va. — Many visitors know Tomlinson Run State Park as West Virginia’s northernmost state park, but park officials and naturalists say its ecological significance may be even more important than its location. The 1,398-acre park in Hancock County protects the Tomlinson Run watershed, a tributary of the Ohio River, and preserves plant and … Read more

An architect's rendering shows the new Railyard Event and Conference Center in Elkins, a $11.6 million facility expected to attract conferences, weddings, entertainment events, and new visitor spending to West Virginia's Allegheny Highlands region.
Economic Development

$11.6 million railyard venue opening in Elkins to draw visitors to the Allegheny Highlands

by David Sibray

ELKINS, W.Va. — A new $11.6 million event and conference center, scheduled to open this summer, is expected to bring conferences, weddings, entertainment, and increased tourism to downtown Elkins, marking one of the largest recent investments in Randolph County’s hospitality industry. The Railyard Event & Conference Center, a 28,000-square-foot venue built on the site of Elkins’ … Read more

The historic Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center hosts the annual Mtn Craft Film Festival, which showcases films created by Appalachians, about Appalachia, or featuring Appalachian locations and crews. The festival is part of a growing network of film events across West Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center)
Arts

West Virginia film industry growing as 13 new film festivals emerge across state

by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Thirteen new West Virginia film festivals have emerged in recent years, reflecting growing momentum in the Mountain State’s film industry as advances in technology and rising interest in Appalachian stories create new opportunities for filmmakers. Dave Lavender of the W.Va. Film Office in Charleston said two major forces are driving the growth … Read more

A historic sketch depicts Camp Allegheny, a Confederate mountaintop fortification in the Allegheny Mountains of present-day West Virginia. The site is among several hidden Civil War battlefields that formed the front lines of the 1861 Western Virginia Campaign.
History / Prehistory

West Virginia’s hidden mountaintop Civil War sites reveal forgotten campaigns

by David Sibray

TOP-OF-ALLEGHENY, W.Va. — The highest battlefields of the American Civil War lie not in Virginia’s rolling countryside but atop the rugged mountains of eastern West Virginia, where soldiers fought for control of strategic mountain passes and vital transportation routes through the Alleghenies. Today, many of these remote sites remain largely overlooked by travelers, hidden among … Read more

July 4 Festivals: Spectators line the streets of Alderson during the town's annual Fourth of July parade, one of West Virginia's longest-running Independence Day traditions.
Festivals / Events

Small-town West Virginia festivals that still celebrate July 4 the old-fashioned way

by David Sibray

ALDERSON, W.Va. — As communities across America prepare for Independence Day, some of West Virginia’s most beloved celebrations carry on traditions that have endured for generations. While major cities host large fireworks displays and concerts, many of the state’s most memorable Fourth of July experiences remain in small towns, where parades, community picnics, historic traditions, … Read more

Volunteers gather on Peters Mountain near Franklin to help build a new trail system in the Monongahela National Forest during a hands-on trail-building workshop.
Hiking

New Peters Mountain Trail System takes shape in Monongahela National Forest near Franklin

by David Sibray

FRANKLIN, W.Va. — Nearly 30 volunteers braved rain, fog, and mud last week to begin construction of the new Peters Mountain Trail System, a project designed to improve public access to the Monongahela National Forest and strengthen connections between local communities and the region’s growing outdoor recreation economy. The trail-building training event, held on Peters … Read more