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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
Susanna Wheeler and Brad Woolf raise a high tunnel to be used for the market garden.
Agriculture

Fayette County to unveil region’s first community farm

by David Sibray

Fayette County officials are set to unveil on Saturday the region’s first community farm, an agricultural initiative designed to support sustainable development. To occupy the historic Whitlock Farm on W.Va. 16 two miles south of Fayetteville, West Virginia, the project will provide for community gardens, a local food distribution site, sustainable farming educational opportunities, vocational … Read more

Re-enactors stroll the grounds of the Blennerhassett Mansion on Blennerhassett Island.
Attractions

History Alive! programs come to state parks this summer

by David Sibray

Historical figures from Mark Twain to Sacagawea will visit West Virginia state parks on weekends this summer as part of the West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive! program. These living-history portrayals by scholars will provide a passage through time for student and adult audiences, according to Paulita Cousin, a naturalist at Blackwater Falls State Park … Read more

“It’s my belief that board games bring people together," says Jared Kaplan of Beckley-based Lonely Hero Games.
Communities

W.Va. board-game developer launches first title on Kickstarter

by David Sibray

Lonely Hero Games, a new board game development company founded by two Beckley natives, has launched its first game, “Bank Heist” on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Jared Kaplan and Christopher Kincaid grew up in Beckley, where Kaplan still resides, while Kincaid moved to Morgantown. Kaplan says the pair believe that creating and launching their company … Read more

A poster for the BEX exhibitions at Beckley seems to underscore the community's undefined vibe.
Arts

BEX arts exhibition June 22-30 celebrates “weird” Beckley vibe

by David Sibray

Artists in downtown Beckley, West Virginia, have engaged more than 40 partners in BEX, a remarkable collaborative exhibition set for June 22-30 that includes workshops, installations, a film festival, a maker’s fair, and an oddities-and-curiosities bazaar. More than 35 events­—including a “human library,” three camera obscuras, and a smell-o’-vision demonstration—have been arranged to underscore diversity … Read more

A knight prepares to joust at the West Virginia Renaissance Festival.
Culture

W.Va. Renaissance fest ’19 offers family-friendly fun

by David Sibray

Boasting fairies, mermaids, unicorns, and a real elephant, the West Virginia Renaissance Festival is ideal for families with children, according to organizers who say they’re expecting traffic to double during this, its second year. Set for four weekends in June in the Greenbrier Valley near Lewisburg, West Virginia, the 2019 festival is set in an … Read more