Fifth annual Appalachian Heritage Day

Fifth annual Appalachian Heritage Day to be held Oct. 10, 2007.

CONTACT: Gregg Busch, sociology instructor, 304-424-8253.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg students, staff and faculty will celebrate the uniqueness of the region's heritage on Wednesday (Oct. 10) with the fifth annual Appalachian Heritage Day.

The day will feature opportunities to learn, experience and appreciate the heritage of the region with demonstrations ranging from pottery throwing and apple butter making to blacksmithing and chain carving.

The Appalachian day's activities are free and open to the public. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Events will be held on the campus lawns and inside in various locations.

Keynote speaker for the fifth annual observance will be the Honorable Larry Starcher, justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. He will give two presentations at 11 and 11:30 a.m. in the college's community room as well as participate in question and answer sessions. His addresses are open to the public.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a variety of presenters and demonstrations will be available in the college's multipurpose room. Booths will feature Appalachian children’s literature; the Veterans Memorial Museum; the Department of Agriculture; hunting, fishing, and trapping; trains in Appalachia; candle making; fly fishing; canning and preserving; basket weaving; dulcimer music; riverboat history; Campus Martius Museum; coal mining in McDowell County; Appalachian death traditions; Appalachian literature; traditional music jam session; quilters, and service organizations of Appalachia, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, Try Again Homes, Volunteer Action Center, Family Crisis Center, WV Legal Services National Alliance on Mental Illness, Kids First, WV Children’s Home, WIC, MOV Health Department, and YMCA Head Start.

Throughout the day, various demonstrations -- including hands-on opportunities -- will be featured. In the student lounge, there will be a black diamonds' coal mining demonstration by the WV Department of Culture and History. A traditional pottery demonstration will start every half hour, limited to 10 participants, in the college's pottery/ceramics area. Rotating presentations and discussions are also planned on a variety of topics including coal mining, clogging, and ghost storytelling. Traditional Appalachian games will begin every 20 minutes on the campus front lawn. Coordinated by WVU Parkersburg sociology students, the games will include sack races, face painting, pumpkin carving, and horse shoe and skillet tosses.

Additional information is available by contacting Gregg Busch, assistant professor of sociology, who coordinates the event with his students, at the college, 424-8253.