Using everything from West Virginia glass to West Virginia bluegrass, exhibitors, re-enactors, storytellers, musicians and historians will blend entertainment and education into a celebration of West Virginia culture and history during two events Saturday, June 1, at WVU Jacksons Mill near Weston.
The celebration opens at noon with concurrent tours and presentations. The day begins to wind down at 7:30 p.m. when Appalachian musicians and storytellers invite Mountaineers of all ages to pull up a chairor spread out a blanketand”sit and listen for a spell”under the stars down by the old mill in the Historic Area.
The two”joined”June events are Friends Day 2002 and West Virginia Saturday Night. They are organized, respectively, by the Friends of Jacksons Mill and the Jacksons Mill Heritage Foundation.
The two volunteer groups sponsor programs and raise funds to preserve the buildings and the history of WVU Jacksons Mill Center for Lifelong Learning, the site of the boyhood home of Civil War General Thomas”Stonewall”Jackson and the site of the nations first state 4-H camp.
The days noon to 6 p.m. attractions include gristmill demonstrations, heritage craft demonstrations, childrens games, Taste of West Virginia food samples, cottage tours, trail tours, musical performances, West Virginia Glass Exhibit (with scheduled presentations), Civil War re-enactorsencampment, and antique engines and farm equipment. Two historic observances this year are the rededication of the newly renovated Lewis Cottage and the celebration of the 100th anniversary of 4-H in America.
The evenings musical program celebrates West Virginias birthday, June 20, 1863. A tribute in West Virginia stories and songs, the program opens at 7:30 p.m. It features the Lewis County Blues (a high school group), performing bluegrass; Sonya Hatfield Hall, telling stories about her ancestors, the Hatfields and McCoys; Denton King, Family and Friends, performing traditional Appalachian-style music; Cinda Jamison, pianist, performing show tunes and contemporary music; and Bill Hairston, sharing the Appalachian songs he learned in his youth.
Friends Day activities are free. Some vendors will sell West Virginia crafts, honey, herbs and other products. The Generals Store also will sell its heritage goods. The Mount Vernon Dining Hall will replenish its Pasta and Dessert Buffet from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Buffet tickets are $10 for teens and adults; $5 for children, 4 to 12 years; free admission for children 3 years old and younger.
West Virginia Saturday Night, the evening program, has a $5 fee for participants 13 years old and older. The donation helps defray the costs of staging the mountain music and storytelling historical experience.
For more information about Friends Day, call WVU Jacksons Mill at 1-800-287-8206 or visit www.ext.wvu.edu/friends/ for program details and times.