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.
The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office is reminding residents and visitors to buy and use consumer fireworks in a safe manner. Fireworks can be dangerous, causing serious burn and eye injuries. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, on average, 280 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the … Read more
Organizers of the 57th annual art and craft fair at Ripley, West Virginia, have returned the landmark event to the July 4 weekend, during which the town and fairground become one of the most celebrated destinations in the Mountain State.After a two-year experiment during which the fair was held in September—a move intended to avoid … Read more
It may have been more than 200 years since the thunder of native drums echoed across the vale of the Cheat River in the Allegheny Mountains.That will change October 5-6 when organizers of the “We Are Still Here” pow-wow welcome what they expect to be hundreds of guests to celebrate West Virginia’s Native American heritage.Festival … Read more
West Virginia Day is being celebrated this coming week, and Governor Jim Justice and state Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby are encouraging West Virginians and those who love the state to celebrate and help build tourism on social media.“It’s time to celebrate America’s best-kept secret with seven days of wall-to-wall West Virginia on social media,” Ruby … Read more
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 and … Read more
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 imaginary … Read more
It’s hardly surprising Sutton Lake is attracting attention among bigfoot hunters. Amid one of the most forested regions in West Virginia, the rumor of sightings has been making the rounds on the Internet wherever bigfoot hunters gather.Now the owners of the lake’s marina say they’re open to guiding bigfoot tours into the lake’s remote reaches … Read more
Wandering an old cemetery, Shirley Stewart Burns considers the stories that headstones tell. And it occurs to her that birth and death dates aren’t as important as the days between—represented by a line drawn between the dates. And that becomes a song.The LineThere’s a line that’s etched in graniteWith two dates on either side.It don’t … Read more
On May 9, Wheeling Heritage will host an opening reception for “Learning to See,” an exhibit featuring the works of artist Rosalie Haizlett, whose watercolor paintings focus on various aspects of nature.This exhibit features pieces she has painted throughout the last year, including plants and wildlife from the Kanawha County in West Virginia the Great … Read more
The Easter Bunny will work overtime Sunday morning in Weston hiding more than 12,000 eggs on the lawn of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a museum and tourist attraction that’s gained national notoriety as a classroom for the history of U.S. healthcare. More than 400 children from six states are expected to attend the 12th annual … Read more
