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West Virginia culture is a captivating blend of rich Appalachian traditions and vibrant high culture infused with the jazz of surrounding U.S. cities like Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The state is renowned for its deep-rooted Appalachian heritage, which is showcased through folk music, storytelling, and traditional crafts such as quilting and woodcarving. Visitors can experience this authentic culture at local festivals and heritage museums throughout the Mountain State. At the same time, West Virginia also embraces high culture, with world-class performances at the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed theater productions at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, and art exhibitions at the Huntington Museum of Art. This unique mix of mountain traditions and refined artistic offerings makes West Virginia a true cultural gem in the heart of Appalachia.

This year marks the launch of the First Lady’s inaugural Gingerbread House Competition, open to K-12 classrooms and adult participants statewide.
Culture

First Lady invites community for gingerbread contest, mansion tree decorating

by Bianca Bosworth

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia First Lady Denise Morrisey is inviting students, educators, and artisans from across the state to help celebrate the holiday season through two creative initiatives hosted at the state culture center.This year marks the launch of the First Lady’s inaugural Gingerbread House Competition, open to K-12 classrooms and adult participants statewide.Public, … Read more

David Sibray and Amanda Hinchman visit the Criel Mound in South Charleston, West Virginia.
Culture

Prehistoric burial mound in West Virginia contains remarkable secret

by Amanda Larch Hinchman

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rising above the end of this city’s central avenue, the prehistoric Criel Mound—one of the largest burial mounds in West Virginia—has long captivated both onlookers and archaeologists alike. Over the years, its origins have sparked countless theories—ranging from tales of mythic giants to speculation about a lost tribe of Israelites. In … Read more

From cult classics to indie horror debuts, here’s a look at some of the cinematic highlights scaring up excitement across West Virginia this Halloween.
Culture

Friday Night frights and delights light up West Virginia this Halloween season

by David Sibray

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Film fans across West Virginia are in for a frightfully fun weekend as Halloween-themed screenings, premieres, and film festivals take over theaters and community spaces from Huntington to Saint Albans.From cult classics to indie horror debuts, here’s a look at some of the cinematic highlights scaring up excitement across the Mountain State … Read more

In "Self Help, Landry Bender plays a college student who infiltrates a self-actualization group after her mother becomes entangled with its enigmatic anti-cult leader.
Culture

Horror film shot in West Virginia, ‘Self Help’ to hit theaters nationwide on Halloween

by Clyde Craig

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A horror-thriller filmed in Huntington in 2024, “Self Help” is set for a nationwide theatrical release on Halloween through Mainframe Pictures.The rollout will include “Mischief Night Sneak Previews” on Thursday, Oct. 30, followed by a digital release from Cineverse in early 2026, according to Dave Lavender, director of the West Virginia Film … Read more

In the wooded hills of northern West Virginia, Vegetable Main appeared in 1968.
Culture

The legend of the Vegetable Man: How a bloodsucking alien left its mark on West Virginia

by Amanda Larch Hinchman

FAIRMONT, W.Va. — A lesser-known encounter with an extraordinary Mountain State cryptid is still capturing the imagination of West Virginians a half century later.On a warm July day in 1968, in the hills near Grant Town, West Virginia, Jennings Frederick was hunting for groundhogs when he heard a high-pitched noise that morphed into a telepathic … Read more

Fayetteville Creates: Kristin Carroll paints a storefront window in Fayetteville on the edge of the New River Gorge.
Culture

Fayetteville Creates turns town into a living arts studio for the New River Gorge

by Bianca Bosworth

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — This winter, the small mountain town of Fayetteville, perched at the edge of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, will swap its usual crowd of rock climbers and whitewater paddlers for a different kind of adventurer—artists.In January 2026, Fayetteville will launch “Fayetteville Creates,” a month-long, town-wide artist residency inviting painters, … Read more

Woodburn Hall at West Virginia University looms over a Halloween scene.
Culture

Professors at WVU trace Halloween through ancient, cross-cultural traditions

by David Sibray

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — From cauldrons to candy corn, favorite Halloween traditions in the U.S. have been brewing for thousands of years, according to two West Virginia University religious scholars.Aaron Gale and Alex Snow, associate professors of religious studies in the university’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in Morgantown, West Virginia, say that modern Halloween … Read more