Monday, April 21, 2014

West Virginia Fall Festivals Make Great Destinations

By Essie Osborn


If you're looking for ways to make memories with vacation days or week-ends, consider visiting the Mountain State in the autumn, when the leaves are turning and the air is crisp. West Virginia fall festivals fill the months with music, dance, art, crafts, and more for your enjoyment. Some events last two or more days, so you can schedule a mini-vacation to take in everything. Others are one-day events, some of them small town celebrations and others huge events.


One thing is sure: there's a festival for almost any interest. Go online to the WV official website for the list of upcoming events. Music is a big deal in this Appalachian region, as are arts and crafts. You can find Bluegrass, jazz, classical music, rock, and country bands. Arts and crafts are represented at juried shows and at street parties in downtown areas.

The calendar lists everything from Civil War reenactments to street fairs. You can eat roast pig, taste wine, stomp grapes, find out about the Mothman, buy an authentically-made Civil War reproduction, and learn how to make apple butter. You will find hundreds of artisans at craft shows in some of the most scenic parts of the state.

There are so many events that you'll have to pick and choose. Maybe geography will help. Those who live in the DC area are within easy driving distance of the eastern panhandle of WV. People in Pennsylvania or Maryland can just cross the state line for fun and educational experiences. The western counties are even more mountainous than the eastern part of the state, so visitors can add in extreme whitewater rafting, hunting and fishing, and hiking if they want to go for a special event and stay a few days.

September is filled with one, two, and three-day events, as are the spring, summer, and fall months. Culturefest 2014 in early September features music, dance, ethnic foods, and art, and is a great reason to visit Pipestem, WV. It goes all day September 4th to the 7th.

The Mercer County Heritage Festival in Princeton is a living history event that goes for three days. There are story tellers, Civil War reenactments, and many vendors, period sutlers, and crafts demonstrations and sales.

Small-town revelry is found at the Nicholas County Potato Festival in downtown Summersville. Enjoy a per pageant, the Fireman's Parade, and activities like a Corn Hole tournament. This town is near the Kirkwood Winery, which later in the month hosts a wine tasting with two-days of craft exhibits, live music, and the chance to stomp grapes in a big pit.

Point Pleasant is the place to find out about the Mothman. This is the WV version of a seldom-seen but convincing apparition that may or may not be real. To learn more, go to the source for documentaries, eye-witness accounts, a pageant, and Mothman Band performances.

Enjoy a pig roast, see apple butter in the making, buy an authentically hand-made Civil War Reproduction, see hundreds of juried crafts and art exhibits, learn to clog, and see antique steam engines. Attend a roadkill cook-off (a major annual draw) and try to cram almost one hundred activities into one day at the Mountain State Forest Festival, the oldest and one of the biggest events of all.




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