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Fall colors

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Fall colors attract sports and nature lovers to Mountain State areas like Twin Falls State Park.

Events for October 2015

• 2015 WV Makes Festival

  October 02, 2015 — Huntington, Cabell

  The Robert C. Byrd Institute and a group of statewide partners present the 2015 West Virginia Makes Festival, a celebration of ingenuity and creativity. The Oct. 2 event will feature a Design Challenge for makers of all ages as well as special exhibits and tours.

  Join us at the 2015 WV Makes Festival in partnership with Advantage Valley, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, City of Huntington, Education Alliance, Heritage Farm Museum and Village, i-79 Development Council, Huntington Museum of Art, Marshall University, Superintendent of Cabell County Schools, the West Virginia Department of Education & the Arts, and the West Virginia Small Business Development Center.

  The celebration event, held at the Heritage Farm Museum and Village, is open to everyone. In addition to a Design Challenge, the 2015 West Virginia Makes Festival will feature 3D Printing, some of your favorite local food vendors, special exhibits and attractions, and tours. Registration details are online. Call 304-781-1675 if you need more information or any assistance in registering.

  We hope to see you at the 2015 West Virginia Makes Festival!

  http://www.rcbi.org/index.php/resources/spotlight/185-all-spotlight/788-2015-wvmake-festival
• Viking Fest

  October 03, 2015 — Ripley, Jackson

  More than 20 high school marching bands from across the region will converge on Ripley October 3 for Viking Fest. The competition begins at 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium on the campus of Ripley High School. http://VisitRipleyWV.com
• Appalachian Heritage Festival

  October 09, 2015 to October 10, 2015 — Shepherdstown, Jefferson WVHC Event

  Old-time stories from Appalachia with ballad singer and storyteller Sheila Kay Adams. October 9-10 in Shepherdstown. http://wvhumanities.org/event/event-2214/

  This project is funded in part by a West Virginia Humanities Council grant.
• Do You Believe? Ghost Walk

  October 10, 2015 — Ripley, Jackson

  Professional storyteller Granny Sue will take guests on a guided tour of historic downtown Ripley, including a stop in the town’s Early Settlers Cemetery. Learn about the legends of Harry Ripley, the town’s namesake, and John F. Morgan, the last public hanging in WV. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. This tour is not recommended for children. Call the Ripley CVB at 304-514-2609 for details. October 10.
• 12th Annual Morgan’s Kitchen Fall Festival

  October 10, 2015 — St. Albans, Kanawha

  The 12th Annual Morgan’s Kitchen Fall Festival, sponsored by the St. Albans Historical Society, will be Saturday, October 10, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at historic Morgan’s Kitchen, located along MacCorkle Avenue in St. Albans. Activities will include apple butter making, cabin tours, pioneer reenactors, the Coal River Group, arts and crafts, old time music and antique wood crafters. Baked goods and hot dogs are also available. Apple butter is available for purchase. There is no charge for this event and plenty of parking is available.

  http://www.stalbanshistory.com/morgans-kitchen.html
• Theodore Roosevelt, History Alive!

  October 10, 2015 — Beckley, Raleigh WVHC Event

  Theodore Roosevelt, History Alive!, October 10 in Beckley.

  History Alive! is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
• Harriet Tubman, History Alive!

  October 10, 2015 — Fairmont, Marion WVHC Event

  Harriet Tubman, History Alive!, October 10 in Fairmont. http://wvhumanities.org/event/event-2400/

  History Alive! is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
• Lecture - “The Normal on the Avenue: 1893-1912”

  October 11, 2015 — Fairmont, Marion WVHC Event

  Program by Drs. Alvarez and Newcome will discuss the importance of Normal Schools in the Progressive Era and their attire. 2:00 PM October 11 at Fairmont State University Folklife Center.

  http://wvhumanities.org/event/event-2253/

  This project is funded in part by a West Virginia Humanities Council grant.
• New moon

  October 12, 2015

  New moon
• Columbus Day

  October 12, 2015

  Columbus Day
• Kanawha Valley Civil War Roundtable Lecture

  October 13, 2015 — South Charleston, Kanawha WVHC Event

  Dr. Thomas Clemens will discuss the Battle of Antietam, and its effect on the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation. 7:00PM October 13 at the LaBelle Theater in South Charleston.

  http://wvhumanities.org/event/event-2412/

  This project is funded in part by a West Virginia Humanities Council grant.
• Benjamin Franklin: History Alive!

  October 13, 2015 — Charleston, Kanawha WVHC Event

  Benjamin Franklin, History Alive!, 7:00 PM October 13 at Edgewood Summit in Charleston. http://wvhumanities.org/event/event-2422/

  History Alive! is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
• Hatfields & McCoys: American Blood Feud traveling exhibit

  October 14, 2015 to November 06, 2015 — Ashland, Kentucky WVHC Event

  Developed by the West Virginia Humanities Council and illustrated by West Virginia University graphic design students with financial support from ZMM Architects and Engineers, this traveling exhibit relates the history of the events that have become synonymous with the word feud. Highlands Museum and Discovery Center in Ashland, Kentucky, October 14-November 6.
• Downtown Charleston ArtWalk

  October 15, 2015 — Charleston, Kanawha

  Now in its 13th year, Downtown Charleston ArtWalk is a free self-guided walking tour of Charleston’s shops, galleries and businesses featuring regional art and performances. Typically held the third Thursday of each month, participating shops and organizations extend their hours for browsing, shopping and mingling.

  Participating shops are located along Quarrier, Capitol and Lee streets in Downtown Charleston and feature a variety of art – from paintings and sculptures to photography and music. Attendees can stroll along at their own pace, dip in and out of stores and stop off along the way for a bite to eat at a downtown restaurant. This well-loved family-friendly event takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. and attracts art aficionados as well as folks who just want to get out and try something new.

  The 2015 schedule:

  • March 19
  • April 16
  • May 21
  • June 25 (FestivALL)
  • July 16
  • August 20
  • September 17
  • October 15
  • Nov. 27 (Black Friday)
  • December 17

  For more information: http://www.artwalkcwv.com/
• Amicus Curiae Lecture Series on Constitutional Democracy: M.K. Gandhi

  October 15, 2015 — Huntington, Cabell WVHC Event

  Professor Charles R. DiSalvo will lecture on the topic of his book, M.K. Gandhi, Attorney at Law: The Man Before the Mahatma. Gandhi worked as an attorney in South African where he invented and experimented with his philosophy of nonviolence. 7:00 PM October 15 at Erickson Alumni Center Marshall University. http://wvhumanities.org/event/event-2273/

  This project is funded in part by a West Virginia Humanities Council grant.
• Craft Weekend

  October 16, 2015 to October 18, 2015 — Ripley, Jackson

  Three craft workshops are available at Cedar Lakes Conference Center. Pastel Unlimited, Alpaca & Llam: Fiber of the Gods and Peasants, and Carolingian Conquered are on the weekend agenda.

  October 16-18. www.cedarlakes.com for more information
• Fall Civilian Conservation Corps Jubilee Reunion

  October 17, 2015 — Quiet Dell, Harrison

  The West Virginia State CCC Museum invites the Public, all CCC alumni, CCC Family, and Friends to the Annual Fall CCC Jubilee Reunion to be held South of Clarksburg-Bridgeport, West Virginia along I79, exit 115 at the Quiet Dell United Methodist Church activity room. Reception of guests and friends at 9:am to 10:45. Displays of CCC memorabilia, 10:45 a.m. Program to honor the legacy of the CCC, their contributions to America, Moment of Silence for those ill or departed, Taps, State of the CCC Museum, National Anthem, recognition of CCC’s attending, Hall of Fame Inductions. Please RSVP ($14) for catered luncheon or for more info contact Rich Bailey at 304 842 3436, Charles Piercy at 304 363 4388, or Dr. Robert Anderson at 304 842 5194. This is not a fundraiser but a project to honor the CCC that saved America during the Great Depression. Please share this information. Also check out the West Virginia CCC Website at West Virginia CCC Museum Association.org Please preserve your family memorabilia for posterity. Sponsored by the West Virginia State CCC Museum Association, 501c3. Help preserve the memory of the CCC by joining at $20 per year.

  http//wva-ccc-legacy.org
• West Virginia Dance Company at Chuck Mathena Center

  October 17, 2015 — Princeton, Mercer

  The West Virginia Dance Company will perform “Reflections: An Evening of Modern Dance” at the Chuck Mathena Center at 7pm October 17. WVDC, West Virginia’s only professional touring dance company, will present their new work “The Mountains Speak” with music by champion fiddler, Jake Krack. Tickets are $18.00. For more information or to purchase tickets call 304 425-5128 or visit www.chuckmathenacenter.org. Join us for an evening of color, movement and music!
• Do You Believe? Ghost Walk

  October 17, 2015 — Ripley, Jackson

  Professional storyteller Granny Sue will take guests on a guided tour of historic downtown Ripley, including a stop in the town’s Early Settlers Cemetery. Learn about the legends of Harry Ripley, the town’s namesake, and John F. Morgan, the last public hanging in WV. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. This tour is not recommended for children. Call the Ripley CVB at 304-514-2609 for details. October 17.
• Bridge Day 2015

  October 17, 2015 — Fayetteville, Fayette

  Bridge Day, one of the largest extreme sports event in the world, is held annually on the third Saturday in October in Fayette County, West Virginia (WV), USA. Hundreds of BASE jumpers and nearly 80,000 spectators are expected to attend the event.

  This year’s Bridge Day Festival takes place on Saturday, October 17, 2015. The 876′ tall New River Gorge Bridge, serves as the launch point for six hours (9am-3pm EST) of safe, legal BASE jumps.This is the only day of the year that traffic is shut down and spectators can safely and legally walk across the world’s second longest single arch bridge. Vehicular traffic on the Bridge will be closed from 7am until approximately 5pm.

  Time is on your side—at least for six hours! Come and enjoy the view from the best overlook in the New River Gorge. Enjoy browsing through hundreds of vendor’s booths to find just the right souvenir for the day. Feeling Brave? Check out Bridge BASE Jumping or Rappel and Highline Information.

  Learn more about the New River Gorge Bridge in the WV New River Gorge Bridge Facts and History section. For the visual learner, be sure to check out our gallery for Photos of Bridge Day, to get an idea of what this festival’s all about.

  More information: http://officialbridgeday.com/
• Concerts @ St. John's presents The Montclaire Strings

  October 19, 2015 — Charleston, Kanawha

  • Mozart Oboe Quartet with Prof. Richard Kravchak of Marshall University
  • Dohnanyi String Trio, Op.10
  • Garfield Bassoon Quartet with David DeBolt, former Principal Bassoon, Kansas City Philharmonic

  Free admission

  Reception to follow concert

  Sunday, October 19 at 4:00 PM.

  St. John’s Episcopal Church

  1105 Quarrier St

  Charleston, West Virginia 25301

  Phone (304) 346-0359
• Creators Dialogue and Screening with Filmmaker Jacob Young

  October 20, 2015 — Charleston, Kanawha

  A screening of a short compilation documentary of Young’s work followed by an intimate conversation between audience and Jacob about his career in film. Jacob Young is an American screenwriter, cinematographer, film editor and filmmaker best known for creating documentary films such as Dancing Outlaw which explore the eccentric people living in his native Appalachia.

  Tuesday, October 20 at West Virginia State University Economic Development Center, 1506 Kanawha Blvd West in Charleston. The event is free. Register here.

  WVSU professor, filmmaker and WVSU EDC Artist in Residence, Daniel Boyd says, “Jacob Young is hands down the most influential West Virginia filmmaker of our generation. It would be criminal for us to not honor him through our Creators Program.”

  Jacob Young is an American screenwriter, cinematographer, film editor and filmmaker best known for creating documentary films which explore the eccentric people living in his native Appalachia.

  Young was a producer at WNPB-TV in Morgantown, West Virginia, when he conceived Appalachian Junkumentary (1986), a film eventually purchased by over 90 PBS stations and winning a 1988 PBS Special Achievement Award. It became one of 15 U.S. television shows later selected for an international screening conference. Young was also producer for two seasons of the documentary series Different Drummer, broadcast by the BBC and Public TV. His film Dancing Outlaw (1992) received both a 1992 Emmy Award and a 1993 American Film Institute Award for ’Best Documentary.] In 1998 Young revealed that he was considering creating a feature film using Dancing Outlaw star Jesco White.
• The Shamrock Shore

  October 20, 2015 to October 25, 2015 — Cedar Lakes Conference Center, Jackson

  Dr. Mick Moloney of New York University will lead this week-long workshop about the folklore and myths of the Emerald Isle. Sessions will include the musical tributes to politics and peace. Cedar Lakes offers a year-round schedule or craft workshops. Contact Gloria Gregorich at 304-372-7860 for details. www.cedarlakes.com
• Orionids Meteor Shower

  October 21, 2015 to October 22, 2015

  The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley, which has been known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from October 2 to November 7. It peaks this year on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22. The first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight leaving fairly dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
• After Coal: Welsh and Appalachian Mining Communities

  October 21, 2015 — South Charleston, Kanawha WVHC Event

  The Humanities Council sponsored documentary, “After Coal: Welsh and Appalachian Mining Communities” will be shown at the LaBelle Theater in South Charleston on Wednesday, October 21 at 6 p.m. Director Tom Hansell will attend the event for a questions and answers.

  This project is funded in part by a West Virginia Humanities Council grant.
• Yom Kippur begins

  October 22, 2015

  Yom Kippur
• McCreight Lecture in the Humanities: Eric Foner

  October 22, 2015 — Charleston, Kanawha WVHC Event

  Historian Eric Foner to Deliver McCreight Lecture in the Humanities, 7:30PM October 22 at the University of Charleston

  The West Virginia Humanities Council announces that Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Eric Foner will present the annual McCreight Lecture in the Humanities on Thursday, October 22, at the University of Charleston. The 7:30 p.m. program “Civil War to Civil Rights: The Politics of History” takes place in the Geary Auditorium of Riggleman Hall. It is free and open to the public. Following the program, the speaker will sign copies of his books that will be available for purchase.

  Eric Foner is DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University and one of the country’s most prominent historians. He is one of only two people to serve as president of the Organization of American Historians, American Historical Association, and the Society of American Historians. He is also one of a few to win the Bancroft Prize and Pulitzer Prize in the same year. In a recent book review, University of Pennsylvania professor Steven Hahn wrote of Foner, “he has had an enormous influence on how other historians, as well as a good cut of the general reading public, have come to think about American history.”

  Foner’s publications have concentrated on the intersection of intellectual, political, and social history, and the history of American race relations. His best-known books include Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877, winner of the Bancroft Prize; and The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, which received the Pulitzer Prize for History, the Bancroft Prize, and the Lincoln Prize. His latest book, Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad was published early in 2015. Foner is the third Pulitzer Prize winner among the last five McCreight Lecturers.

  He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the British Academy. He has taught at Oxford University, Cambridge University, Moscow State University, and Queen Mary, University of London. Foner serves on the editorial boards of Past and Present and The Nation. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and London Review of Books among many other publications. He has appeared on numerous television and radio shows including Charlie Rose, Book Notes, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Bill Moyers Journal, Fresh Air, and All Things Considered, and also in historical documentaries on PBS and the History Channel. Foner is a highly sought speaker for both academic and public audiences.

  The McCreight Lecture is a program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information contact the Humanities Council at 304-346-8500 or visit www.wvhumanities.org.
• Archives and History Thursday Lecture: "When Sadie Hawkins Went to College"

  October 22, 2015 — Charleston, Kanawha

  On Thursday, October 22, 2015, Mary Johnson will discuss “When Sadie Hawkins Went to College” in the Archives and History Library of the Culture Center in Charleston. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

  In November 1937, Sadie Hawkins Day was introduced in Al Capp’s popular comic strip Li’l Abner. According to the comic strip, in an effort to marry off his daughter, Sadie’s father held a foot race that involved Sadie chasing after men to catch a husband. Thus inspired, the other unmarried women decided the day should become an annual event.

  A year after Capp introduced the event, a few colleges turned the fictional event into a campus activity, and Sadie Hawkins Day quickly spread to campuses across the United States and into Canada. One of the first colleges in the country to hold Sadie Hawkins Day activities was Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston), which began its annual Sadie Hawkins Day on November 11, 1938. Johnson will discuss Morris Harvey’s Sadie Hawkins Day activities between 1938 and the late 1950s, which included serving as the featured college for a Paramount short film on the event that was produced in 1951. She also will include some discussion of how other colleges in West Virginia celebrated Sadie Hawkins Day.

  Johnson holds a master’s degree from West Virginia University and has been a historian at Archives and History since 2000. She has written for West Virginia History and The West Virginia Encyclopedia. She currently is the editor of the semi-annual publication of the West Virginia Historical Society, which earlier this year published her article “When Sadie Went to College: Morris Harvey College and Sadie Hawkins Day.” Johnson also serves as the society’s secretary and sits on the Commission on Archives and History, West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

  Lecture attendees may park behind the Culture Center after 5:00 p.m. on September 17 and enter the building at the back.

  For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
• Taking the Waters: An Archaeological View of Mineral Springs Resorts in West Virginia

  October 22, 2015 — Moundsville, Marshall

  Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will continue its monthly lecture and film series on Thursday, October 22 at 7 p.m. with a program titled “Taking the Waters: An Archaeological View of Mineral Springs Resorts in West Virginia.” Nancy O’Malley, assistant director at the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology in Lexington, Ky., will present the lecture. The program is free and open to the public.

  Mineral springs resorts were the playgrounds of the Southern elite and other affluent people prior to the Civil War. West Virginia resorts were part of the Virginia Springs circuit that attracted thousands of visitors who came to drink and bathe in the therapeutic waters, socialize and reaffirm their elite social status. The evening’s talk summarizes the results of surveys conducted at six of West Virginia’s mineral springs resorts: Barger Springs, Summers County; Blue Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County; Pence Springs, Summers County; and Red Sulphur Springs, Salt Sulphur Springs, and Sweet Springs, all in Monroe County.

  O’Malley has served as assistant director of the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology since 2000. The museum, founded in 1931, acquires and maintains anthropological collections, supports anthropological research and disseminates anthropological knowledge. Its extensive holdings serve to link the past, present and future.

  “This project is an excellent example of historic archaeology conducted within the State of West Virginia,” said Jeremy Kohus, Grave Creek site manager. “Many people equate archaeology with prehistoric archaeology, especially here at the mound, which is a prehistoric site. In West Virginia, historic archaeologists study frontier forts, early settlements and industrial sites like coal and salt mines.”

  For more information about activities and programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or andrea.k.keller@wv.gov or visit www.facebook.com/gravecreekmound and www.twitter.com/gravecreekmound.
• West Virginia Symphony: Orchestral Sweets

  October 24, 2015 — Charleston, Kanawha

  Part of the Capitol Conference Center Symphonic Series. October 24 at 8:00pm at the Clay Center

  • Respighi: The Birds
  • Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
  • Hahn: Le Bal de Beatrice d’Este
  • Mozart: Symphony No. 40

  http://wvsymphony.org/concerts-tickets/classical/
• West Virginia Symphony: Orchestral Sweets

  October 25, 2015 — Parkersburg, Wood

  Part of the WVSO-P season featuring the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. 3:00 PM October 25 at Blennerhassett School in Parkersburg.

  • Respighi: The Birds
  • Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
  • Hahn: Le Bal de Beatrice d’Este
  • Mozart: Symphony No. 40

  http://wvsymphony.org/concerts-tickets/classical/
• Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter

  October 26, 2015

  Conjunctions are rare events where two or more objects will appear extremely close together in the night sky. The two bright planets will be visible within 1 degree of each other in the early morning sky. Look to the east just before sunrise.
• West Virginia Symphony: Orchestral Sweets

  October 26, 2015 — Fairmont, Marion

  West Virginia Symphony travels to Fairmont State University, 7:30 PM October 26

  • Respighi: The Birds
  • Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
  • Hahn: Le Bal de Beatrice d’Este
  • Mozart: Symphony No. 40

  http://wvsymphony.org/concerts-tickets/classical/
• Full moon

  October 27, 2015

  Full moon
• Conjunction of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter

  October 28, 2015

  Conjunctions are rare events where two or more objects will appear extremely close together in the night sky. The three planets will form a tight 1-degree triangle in the early morning sky. Look to the east just before sunrise.
• Halloween

  October 31, 2015

  Halloween