Fall festivals in WV bring celebration of tradition and festival favorites

The Mountain State Forest Festival, held in Elkins, Randolph County, will run from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6 and continues to promote the beauty of the state’s mountains and valleys in their autumn glory, while serving as an opportunity to celebrate traditions as from the beginning, according to Breanna George, executive director. This year’s festival theme is “Magical Forest of Enchantment.”

The festival starts with an official opening ceremony followed by Irish road bowling, as well as competitions for strongest man and cornhole, a chili cook-off and a dance showcase.

Throughout the rest of the week, the festival features a 10K run/walk, children’s festival, pet parade and show and an educational day for students in Randolph County, George said.

“This is probably one of my favorite days of the festival because for some Randolph County students, this could be the only time they experience the festival,” she said. “During this day, students participate in a Kids Day at the Park, where we offer activities and educational programs.”

The festival affords the opportunity for the community and state to share resources and offers something for everyone to enjoy, whether they are from West Virginia or another country, officials said. That includes headline concerts and music shows, a lumberjack competition, forestry and wood exhibits, a juried art show, photography exhibit, quilt show, arts and crafts, amusement rides, three parades and the Royal Coronation of Queen Silvia.

Randolph County and the City of Elkins expect to accommodate more than 125,000 visitors each year with the Mountain State Forest Festival.

Going into the closing weekend of the festival, the Coronation of Maid Silvia LXXXIII takes place Friday afternoon after a pre-coronation music and entertainment show.

Bridgeport resident Kaitlin Marie Smith was selected as Maid Silvia by Director General Robin Miller and will be crowned as queen of the 83rd Mountain State Forest Festival during her Royal Coronation Oct. 4 at the outdoor amphitheater on the campus of Davis & Elkins College.

Attended by 40 princesses from across the state, two maids of honor and a minor court, she will receive her crown in an elaborate outdoor ceremony.

The volunteer-based festival requires a lot of work in preparation for another year’s festival, George said. With fundraising, sponsorships, securing vendors and planning the schedule of events, the Mountain State Forest Festival team works year-round to prepare.

This year’s country music show features Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives with Emi Sunshine.

In the future, George said she hopes to continue to improve the festival each year while continuing traditions along the way.

“We’re really excited for another year of the festival,” George said. “It’s like the state’s version of a homecoming. Everyone can come back to Elkins to see friends and family and participate in the festivities while enjoying the prettiest season of the year.”

The annual Italian Heritage Festival recently celebrated its 41st year, offering Italian traditions throughout Harrison County and downtown Clarksburg over Labor Day weekend.

It features a strong entertainment lineup, plus annual traditions such as the pasta cook-off, bocce tournament, golf tournament, elimination dinner and honorees banquet.

Festival Chairman Tyler Terango said festival events provide the opportunity for current family and friends to participate in events that have been taking place for over 40 years.

“We take the time every year to continue traditional events and competitions that share Italian American heritage in the area,” he said. “We have people that travel all over the state and country to attend the Italian Heritage Festival.”

Terango said he sees people at the festival that he would never see for holiday dinners, including family members.

“The festival is such a staple in the Clarksburg area and even throughout the state,” he said. “We have such a large Italian American population here, and we want to continue to share those traditions and pass them down to new generations.”

The annual festival features singing, dancing, incredible food, a parade and an outdoor Mass to conclude the festival, Terango said.

“It’s a unique set of traditions and events that have worked for all of these years and for what I hope to be many years to come,” he said.

The 35th Annual Salem Apple Butter Festival is scheduled for Oct. 3-6 and will feature its famous live apple butter demonstrations and parade.

Festival Chairman Gary Martin Sr. said it is used as a homecoming for a lot of people and tends to be the same weekend as Salem International University’s homecoming weekend.

“It’s convenient because not only can people come in for their university reunion, but they can celebrate with us here at the festival, too,” he said.

The festival includes free entertainment all day and night, live demonstrations, fireworks, a parade and various vendors, all in downtown Salem.

Martin said it tends to tie right into the other festivals as it runs the same week as the Mountain State Forest Festival.

“We have many people that will go to our festival and then travel to the Forest Festival the next day, just so they can hit the various fall festivals,” he said. “There are people that travel from all over the state and even out of the state for the reunions.”

Martin said sometimes the Apple Butter Festival is the only time many people get to see loved ones or old friends, so it continues to be a valuable piece of Salem during festival season.

The 29th annual West Virginia Black Heritage Festival is an opportunity for people around the state and country to celebrate black heritage and the many contributions of African Americans across the world, and is held in early September.

From lively entertainment and community activism to festival homestyle cooking and youth activities, the festival is designed to offer something for everyone and allows the community to gather and celebrate a culture that made a significant impact on history.

Board of Directors Chairman James Griffin said the festival opens each year with an annual golf tournament at Bel Meadow Golf Club to raise money for scholarship awards for local students.

“We take the contributions that come from the golf tournament to provide local students with scholarships for their college education,” he said. “Every year we end up giving anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 to students in awards.”

The Youth Block Party then follows the same evening in downtown Clarksburg.

Griffin said this is always a great night for youth to be with children their age while enjoying entertainment and educational activities.

The festival also features a strong entertainment lineup.

Griffin said he hopes to make the celebration even larger next year for the 30th annual WV Black Heritage Festival.

“It’s amazing how much is not known about the contribution of African Americans,” Griffin said. “There are stories to be told and to teach the younger and even some of the older generation about those contributions throughout the state and country.”

West Virginia has two other Black Heritage festival celebrations in Charleston and Charles Town, Griffin said, but neither seem to compare to the celebration held in Clarksburg.

Each year the Clarksburg festival sees anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 people come through the festival weekend, despite weather conditions.

Griffin said people use the festival as a way to return to the area for reunions and family gatherings.

“We have people from California to Massachusetts,” he said. “This festival holds a lot of value for the state and the people across the country.”

The 78th annual Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood, Preston County, is expected to see thousands of people as they bring their buckwheat cakes and sausage to festival-goers for another festival season.

“People come back every year for our buckwheat cakes and sausage dinners,” said David Brown, general chairman of this year’s festival. “We have added a lot of attractions over the years, but the buckwheat cakes are the staple of the festival.”

The festival is scheduled for Sept. 25-29 and is expected to be a bigger year than usual, according to Brown.

“This year’s coronation official is WVU rifle coach Jon Hammond,” he said. “Hunter Wade Thomas of Bruceton Mills was crowned King Buckwheat LXXVIII, while Madeline Sophia Warnick will reign as Queen Ceres LXXVIII.”

Additionally, this year’s events include an arts and craft show, exhibits for artisans, 4-H competitions, Irish road bowling and three large parades. Brown said “Parrots of the Caribbean,” a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, will be this year’s lead entertainment at the festival.

Brown said a lot of people return each year for the area high school reunions, but the majority of the time people are returning just for the festival.

“People like myself or my family have participated in this for as long as we can remember,” he added. “We have people coming from in- and out-of-state to celebrate the festival and participate in annual traditions.

“Fall festival season is a reunion for everyone and makes a great impact on our state each year,” he said.

West Virginia Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby said the fall season wouldn’t be complete without the incredible array of fall festivals throughout the state.

“From leaf peeping to pumpkins and apple butter, these fall festivals share an inside look into West Virginia’s local autumn flavors, handcrafted products and rich culture,” she said. “They’re a draw for both residents and visitors alike and play an important role in our overall tourism strategy for the season.” n