Where would one find people preparing apple butter, enjoying a plateful of vittles and clogging to bluegrass tunes while a horse-drawn buggy with smiling faces goes by?

Try the West Virginia University Mountainlair during Mountaineer Week.

The Universitys 56th annual celebration of all things Appalachian gets under way Friday, Nov. 7, with a demonstration of apple butter making and concludes Sunday, Nov. 16, with a gospel sing. Numerous other activitiesfrom a craft fair and quilt show to wool-making, fiddling and clogging contestswill take place within those 10 days.

“Mountaineer Week is the Universitys way of paying tribute to West Virginias heritage and traditions,”said Sonja Wilson, coordinator.”We are pleased again to include among our activities such standard and popular fare as the quilt show, craft fair and country vittles dinner buffet. We are also offering several new events, including two programs made possible by grants from the West Virginia Humanities Council.”

Wilson said organizers are preparing for a larger turnout this year after the Southeast Tourism Society included Mountaineer Week among its top 20 events for October, November and December. The society, which covers 11 states from West Virginia to Florida, has been touting travel to the region since 1983 and publishing its top 20 events since 1985.

“I have had numerous phone calls from people as far away as Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee wanting to confirm events,”she said.”Attracting tourists from out of state has always been a goal for Mountaineer Week, and we have worked closely with the Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau to make that happen.”

Mountaineer Week began in 1948 as a weekend event to build school spirit around the WVU -Kentucky football game. Activities included a pep rally and parade before the game and a dance requiring mountaineer garb afterward.

The event evolved over the years into a week-long extravaganza with expanded programming.

Several of the added events have become mainstays:

• Beard-growing Competition. The first beard-growing competition was held the second year and has been one of the more popular events since. Participants, usually men, shave the same day, then dont take a razor to their chins again until judges compare their facial fur during Mountaineer Week. This years 30 contestants scraped the stubble from their faces Oct. 13; judging will be noon Wednesday, Nov. 12.

• Mr. and Ms. Mountaineer Contest. The winners of this contest, to be announced during halftime of the WVU -Pitt football game Nov. 15, epitomize the blue-and-gold spirit of a true WVU Mountaineer. The contest has been a part of Mountaineer Week since 1962.

Along with the announcement of Mr. and Ms. Mountaineer is the naming of Most Loyal West Virginian, Most Loyal Alumni and Most Loyal Faculty and Staff for their contributions to the state and WVU .

• Craft Fair. First held in 1972, the craft fair showcases handcrafted items by 59 artisans from West Virginia and neighboring states. Handwoven baskets, stained glass, pottery, handcrafted jewelry, homemade brooms and wood products are among the crafts that will be on display in the Mountainlair Ballrooms 1-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, and noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9.

• Quilt Show. A popular tradition dating back to 1977, the quilt show features colorful handmade quilts loved by generations. Sponsored by Country Roads Quilt Guild, the show will be in the Mountaineer Room and Ballroom stage the same days as the craft fair, with judging on Sunday, Nov. 9. Those who have a family quilt they would like to display can contact Carolyn Gibson (296-7870) or Jane Fleming (292-8041) from the Country Roads Quilt Guild or call the Mountainlair administrative offices at 293-2702. This years show will be in memory of Missy Wolfe, the late Morgantown Ronald McDonald House director and supporter of the event.

• Country Vittles Dinner Buffet. A part of Mountaineer Week since 1972, the country vittles dinner buffet is a down-home meal like your grandmother used to make. Hungry mountaineers can enjoy a feast that includes turkey a la drummond, chef-carved ham, beef stew, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, sweet potato casserole, green beans, soup beans with cornbread, tossed salad, biscuits, pie and drinks. This years dinner will be 5-7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in Hatfields. Prices are $11.50 for adults, $9 for WVU students and $6.70 for children 12 and under.

• * PRT Cram.* Students learn what it feels like to be sardines as they squeeze into an idle Personal Rapid Transit car. The record for the number of students crammed into the PRT car is 97, set in 2000. The average number of people who can ride a working PRT car is 12-16. This years PRT Cram is 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in front of the Mountainlair.

The two new Humanities Council programs enhance the educational component of Mountaineer Week, an ongoing programming goal, Wilson said.

“Sounds from the Hills,”scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 in the Gluck Theater, features Gerry Milnes of Davis&Elkins Colleges Augusta Heritage Center explaining traditional Appalachian music and jamming with Mountaineer Week regulars Chris Haddox and Ray Hicks. Meanwhile, actress-writer Karen Vuranch will portray West Virginia-born author Pearl Buck in”History Alive,”set for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Blue Ballroom.

Other events include horse-and-buggy rides from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Nov. 8, a square dance from 8-10:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Marilla Center, and lots of food and live music throughout the week.

A detailed schedule of events is available online. Go tohttp://www.wvu.eduand click on the Mountaineer Week icon.