Scores of community ramp dinners and festivals are hosted across West Virginia in March, April, and May. Most are small affairs, while others feed more than 1,000. Ramps are integral to state history. After a long winter, settlers welcomed the appearance of the wild leek or "ramp," one of the first edible plants to ripen in spring.
2025 Schedule of Ramp Dinners and Festivals
The following dinners are being hosted by nonprofit and beneficial organizations. Businesses that would like to advertise for-profit events may call 304-923-5141.
Gracepoint Ramp Dinner
April 12 (Saturday)
Beckley, West Virginia
Raleigh County
Hosted by Gracepoint Fellowship Church at 3674 Harper Road from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., this all-you-can-eat dinner will have ramp casserole, scrambled eggs with ramps, fried potatoes, pinto beans, cornbread, ramp salad, desserts, and drinks for $15. To-go dinners are available at $12 each. Kids 6 to 12 are $10, while children 5 and younger eat for free. Call Pastor Tim Brown at 304-255-3697 or Tabatha Brown at 304-237-0293 for more information.
Camp Creek Lumberjack & Ramp Feast
April 12 (Saturday)
Camp Creek, West Virginia
Mercer County
The Lumberjack Festival will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until the food runs out. The menu includes ramp casserole, brown beans, cornbread, coleslaw, nachos, hot dogs, and dessert at Camp Creek State Park. The $15 per ramp casserol will raise funds for the Camp Creek State Park & Forest Foundation. For more information, call 304-425-9481.
Feast of the Ramson
April 12 (Saturday)
Richwood, West Virginia
Nicholas County
In its 85th year, the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. festival at a new location at the Richwood Community Center (the former armory) includes crafts, live music, and a 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or until sold out) dinner with traditional ramp fare and sassafras tea. There will be a charge of $20 per adult guest and $15 per child younger than 12 years old. Tickets can be pre-purchased or purchased at the door. For more information, call 304-846-6790 or visit the website.
Weaver Church of the Nazarene Dinner
April 12 (Saturday)
Bellington, West Virginia
Barbour County
Hosted by the Men's & Women's Ministry, all proceeds will benefit outreach for the children of the community. Food will be served from 111 a.m. until the food runs out. The menu includes ham, fried potatoes (with or without ramps), white and brown beans, cornbread, dessert, and a drink. Tickets for adults are $15, and tickets for children 12 and younger are $10. Take-out orders are welcomed. The dinner address is 11 N. Weaver Road, call 330-451-9917 for more information.
Brothers-of-the-Wheel Kanawha Valley
April 12 (Saturday)
Rand, West Virginia
Kanawha County
Hosted by the Kanawha Valley Chapter of the Brothers of the Wheel, this all-you-can-eat dinner, which will be from noon until sold out, will be served at 5105 Midland Drive and includes a traditional menu of ramps, fried potatoes with ramps, scrambled eggs with ramps, fried ramps, and a variety of salads and desserts. $15 per person. Call Chapter President Herb Johnson at 304-545-2029 with any questions.
Doddridge County Ramp Dinner
April 13 (Sunday)
West Union, West Virginia
Doddridge County
The dinner will be held at Doddridge County Park from noon to 4 p.m. with a menu of ramps & potatoes, ham, green beans, applesauce, dessert, and drinks. The cost is $10 per person for eat-in or carry-out dinners. For more information, call Tracy Bonnell at 304-266-4994.
Shortline Ramp Festival
April 19 (Saturday)
Reader, West Virginia
Wetzel County
Held in a new location approximately 10 minutes from the former site in the field behind the Short Line Elementary School in Reader. A 5k run will start at 9 a.m., and the festival will kick off at 10 a.m. A full ramp dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or until the food runs out) in the school cafeteria beside the field. Outside, there will be crafters and vendors, a ramp-eating contest, live bluegrass music, ramps for sale, children's games, and a ramp cook-off with ramp foods to sample. Call 304-455-3825 or visit its Facebook page.
Berea Ramp Dinner
April 19 (Saturday)
Berea, West Virginia
Ritchie County
Held at the South Fork Grange, the dinner will start at 2 p.m. and continue until sold out. The menu includes ramps, ham, potatoes, soup beans, ramp salad, cornbread, applesauce, horseradish pickles, cake, and coffee or iced tea. Adult meals are $20, and children under 10 are $10. Carryout meals will NOT be available. Horseradish pickles will be available for sale.
Pickens Ramp Dinner
April 19 (Saturday)
Pickens, West Virginia
Randolph County
From 1 to 7 p.m., the annual Pickens dinner will feature ham, brown beans, ramps, coleslaw, cornbread, fried potatoes, applesauce, and dessert. Both takeout and eat-in meals with social distancing are available. Sponsored by Pickens Post 122 of the American Legion, admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children 6 to 12, children five and younger are free with a paying adult. Call 304-924-5813 for more information.
Upshur County Library Ramp Dinner
April 25 (Friday)
Buckhannon, West Virginia
Upshur County
The 30th annual dinner will be held at the library at 1150 WV-20 South Road from 5 to 8 p.m. It will include deviled eggs with pickled ramps, potato & ramp chowder, ramp & vegetable strata, spinach salad with bacon ramp vinaigrette, baked ham, asparagus, baby carrots and sugar snap peas, roasted spring potatoes, focaccia with ramps, and strawberry shortcake. Tickets are $28 per adult and $14 for children 6-12. Dine-in and curbside pickup are available. Advanced reservations are required and accepted through April 21 at 10 a.m. (include with or without ramp selections when making your reservations) via this link. Call 304-473-4219 for more information.
Hope Freewill Baptist Ramp Dinner
April 26 (Saturday)
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Wood County
Located at 916 Winding Road in Parkersburg, this traditional ramp dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hope Freewill Baptist youth center. The menu includes soup beans, ham, cornbread, fried potatoes, and salad. All items are served with or without ramps. The price is $15 per person. For more information, call Pastor Bud at 304-684-2555.
Camp Caesar Ramp Dinner
April 26 (Saturday)
Cowen, West Virginia
Webster County
Held at the dining hall at Camp Caesar, off WV-20 north of Cowen at Upper Glade, the 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or until sold out) dinner will include ramps, eggs, ham & bacon, cornbread, brown beans, fried potatoes, and dessert. Take-out orders are available. The cost is $20 for adults, $10 for children (6-12), and children five and younger are admitted free with a paying adult. Table service is provided. For more information, call 304-226-3888.
Helvetia Ramp Dinner
April 26 (Saturday)
Helvetia, West Virginia
Randolph County
The Helvetia Farm Women and the Helvetia Community Hall Association will host the community's annual ramp dinner on April 26. Food will be served from 2 to 6 p.m. or until the food runs out. Attendees will receive generous take-out portions instead of the usual eat-in dinner but are welcome to relax and eat at one of the tables provided both inside and outside the building. The menu will include ham, cornbread, ramps with bacon, beans, fried potatoes, coleslaw, applesauce, dessert, coffee, and lemonade. Plates will be $20 per adult and $10 per child. For more information, visit their website.
Leivasy Ramp Dinner
April 26 (Saturday)
Leivasy, West Virginia
Nicholas County
The annual ramp dinner at The People's Place Community Center, the former Leivasy Elementary School, is scheduled from noon until 5 p.m. and will include classic ramps fried in bacon grease, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, pinto beans, ham and bacon, cornbread, corn pone, pickled eggs, pop, water, buttermilk, coffee, homemade sassafras tea and desserts. Dinner will be served indoors in the cafeteria and outdoors on the playground. Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for children. All To-Go plates are $15. Call 304-846-6752 for more information.
Mason-Dixon Historical Park Ramp Festival
April 26 (Saturday)
Core, West Virginia
Monongalia County
Held at the Red Barn at 79 Buckeye Road, the festival will also have craft vendors and a flea market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12, and free for kids five and under with a paying adult. The menu includes ramps, fried potatoes, soup beans, ham, salad, chicken 'n' noodles, sausage-gravy biscuits, applesauce, cornbread, deviled eggs, pickled eggs, and cakes. Call 304-879-4101 for more information.
Mount Liberty Community Ramp Dinner
April 26 (Saturday)
Philippi, West Virginia
Barbour County
The Mount Liberty dinner will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will feature ham, raw and cooked ramps, potatoes fried with and without ramps, brown and white beans, cornbread or rolls, homemade applesauce, dessert and drinks, and Mount Liberty's homemade apple butter. Mount Liberty's famous apple butter will be for sale on a first-come basis. Quarts are $10, and pints are $6. The location address is 389 Jonestown Mt.-Liberty Road. Call Sherry at 304-614-6332 for directions or questions.
Ramp-&-Rails Festival
April 26 (Saturday)
Elkins, West Virginia
Randolph County
Next to the Elkins Depot, the FREE 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. festival includes crafts, live entertainment, and a favorite ramp-dish contest. Vendors have designed delicious ramp-themed foods such as ramp chili, ramp burgers, ramperoni rolls, and ramp risotto with shrimp. The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad will host train rides. For more information, call 304-635-7803 or visit the Elkins Welcome Center website.
Stinkfest
April 26 (Saturday)
Huntington, West Virginia
Cabell County
Held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the festival features a menu prepared by Chef Nick Atkins that includes ramp cornbread, ham, fried potatoes, fried ramps, potatoes, and beans sourced from local farmers. The event will feature art and produce vendors, live music, and kids' activities. Admission is free. The Wild Ramp is at 555 14th St., West (Central City Antiques District), Huntington. For the most up-to-date information, check out the events calendar on the Wild Ramp website or call 304-523-7267.
Erbacon Ramp Dinner
May 3 (Saturday)
Cowen, West Virginia
Webster County
This all-you-can-eat dinner will last from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with ramps, fried potatoes, cornbread, desserts, and drinks. Tickets are $14 per adult, 10 for kids 7 to 12, and kids six and younger eat free with a paying adult. Call 304-226-3220 for more information.
Quick Community Ramp Dinner
May 3 (Saturday)
Quick, West Virginia
Kanawha County
A fundraiser to benefit the Quick Community Center will be held from 10:30 a.m. until sold out. Admission for dinner is $17 per adult, children $12.50. It includes a traditional menu of ramps with bacon, ham, pinto beans, fried potatoes, cooked cabbage with smoked sausage, scrambled eggs, dessert, and a drink (Pepsi products, water, or sassafras tea.) Weather permitting, there will be live music. The event is at 23 Lucy Lane in Quick, six miles past the Pinch-Quick intersection. Call 304-965-9008 for more information.
Brooke Hills Park Ramp Dinner
May 3 (Saturday)
Wellsburg, West Virginia
Brooke County
This 6 p.m. gourmet ramp dinner at the Brooke Hills Park Clubhouse is a fundraiser for Brooke Hills Park. Chef Brian Magliochette will prepare the menu, which includes ramp fritters with ramp creme fraiche as an appetizer, a salad of mixed greens with charred ramp vinaigrette, ramp pasta with ramp arugula pesto creme sauce as the entree, and mint chocolate mousse as dessert. Fifty percent of the $45 dinner will benefit the park. For more information, call 304-737-1236 or visit BrookeHillsPark.com. Space is limited.
Frametown Fire Department Ramp Dinner
May 4 (Sunday)
Frametown, West Virginia
Braxton County
Frametown Fire Department will host the dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu includes ramps, fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, brown or white beans, drinks, and homemade desserts. Adults are $18, children ages 5 to 12 are $10, and those under five are free. For additional information, call 304-644-1993.
Ramp Fest at Mountain Table
In Season
Renick, West Virginia
Greenbrier County
The annual feast will be rescheduled for 2026, but ramp-pepperoni rolls will still be available by order at 304-646-8400.
Do you know of West Virginia ramp feasts we need to include?
Please contact the offices of West Virginia Explorer at 304-575-7390 or use our request for ramp festival information to inform us of ramp feasts we've not included here.
Ramp Dinner Menus
Traditional ramp dinners usually include ramps fried in bacon grease served alongside ham and fried potatoes, often with cornbread and beans, and eggs scrambled with ramps. Raw ramps are often served as a salad, and dessert selections are usually provided.
In recent years, however, ramp fans have begun experimenting with menus and recipes. Some dinner venues now serve ramp chili, ramp burgers, and "ramp-peroni rolls," a variation on West Virginia pepperoni rolls. Most dinners also offer ramp-free alternatives and fresh bagged ramps to take home. Some provide take-out service.
Will ramps cause body odor? Chemical compounds in ramps, onions, and garlic eaten in significant quantities can all be exuded in sweat and on the breath. However, ramps consumed in moderation are not likely to have a noticeable effect.
Roadside Ramp Stands
Hundreds of harvesters set up roadside ramp stands in March, April, and May, allowing motorists to grab a bag or bundle.
