Festival
STATE FAIR OF WEST VIRGINIA
Summer isn’t summer until the best of all things agriculture and entertainment in the Mountain State are displayed and celebrated at the State Fair of West Virginia. Attend next year’s state fair already on the books for August 13–22 in 2020 in Fairlea. Now in its 167th year, the State Fair draws in folks from around the state and region. Festivities include home, arts, and garden contests, carnival rides, fair food, horse racing on the 1921-built track, and nightly grandstand concerts by big name performers. 891 Maplewood Avenue, Ronceverte, 304.645.1090, statefairofwv.com, @statefairofwv on Facebook
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BLACK WALNUT FESTIVAL
304.927.5616, wvblackwalnutfestival.org, @wv-black-walnut-festival on Facebook
FESTIVALL CHARLESTON
108 1/2 Capitol Street., Suite C, Charleston, 304.470.0489, festivallcharleston.com, @festivallcharleston on Facebook
Media Personality
TIM IRR
Few news anchors are loved like Tim Irr is loved. An anchor/reporter for nearly 20 years at WSAZTV, the NBC affiliate in Charleston/Huntington, Irr is a friend to many through his endless charity work, giant social media influence, and appreciation of the local live music scene. The Pittsburgh native anchors several shows on the network and calls Huntington home with his wife and two daughters. @wsaztimirr on Facebook and @sazirr on Twitter
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TONY CARIDI
wvmetronews.com
HOPPY KERCHEVAL
wvmetronews.com
Music Venue
123 PLEASANT STREET
123 Pleasant Street, located in Morgantown, has been a stop for rising national and international touring acts for more than 20 years. Fueled by generations of college-age music fans, 123 has also provided a home and training ground to local and regional acts such as Fletcher’s Grove, Boss Babes, Morgantown Pride, and the ACLU WV. 123 Pleasant Street, Morgantown, 304.292.0800, 123pleasantstreet.com, @123pleasantstreet on Facebook.
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THE PURPLE FIDDLE
96 East Avenue, Thomas, 304.463.4040, purplefiddle.com, @thepurplefiddle on Facebook
V CLUB
741 6th Avenue, Huntington, 304.781.0680, vclublive.com, @vclubwv on Facebook
Artist
ROSALIE HAIZLETT
Globe-trotting nature illustrator Rosalie Haizlett is an avid hiker with a warm and distinct artistic style. Haizlett draws art maps of revered wild places such as Dolly Sods, Seneca Rocks, the Appalachian Trail, and the New River Gorge. A member of the Smithsonian’s American Ginseng research team, Haizlett shares the grace and beauty of even tiny creatures like the candy darter. “One of my goals is to invite people in to learn alongside me,” Haizlett says. “Maybe together we can get better at protecting this beautiful planet that we have the privilege of sharing with all of these other beings.” See Haizlett’s work at rosaliehaizlett.com and @rosaliehaizlett on Instagram
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BRENT WOODARD
therockcriesoutstudios.com, @therockcriesoutstudios on Facebook
IAN BODE
artemporium.net/ian-bode
Theater Company
GREENBRIER VALLEY THEATRE
Two-Time Winner
Founded in 1967, the Greenbrier Valley Theatre has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a small summer repertory theatre performing in a tent by the scenic Greenbrier River. The year-round Actors Equity Association affiliated professional theater now has a staff of 15 and more than 80 volunteers. GVT keeps the artistic fires stoked in the region presenting more than 165 nights of theater and events year-round in historic Lewisburg. 1038 Washington Street E, Lewisburg, 304.645.3838, gvtheatre.org, @gvtheatre on Facebook
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CHARLESTON LIGHT OPERA GUILD
411 Tennessee Avenue, Charleston, 304.343.2287, charlestonlightoperaguild.org, @charlestonlightoperaguild on Facebook
THEATER WEST VIRGINIA
4700 Grandview Road, Beaver, 304.992.9085, theatrewestvirginia.org, @theatrewv on Facebook
Art Museum
HUNTINGTON MUSEUM OF ART
Located on 52 acres, the Huntington Museum of Art has a permanent art collection of more than 16,000 objects, 10 exhibition spaces for contemporary work, an interactive education gallery, an art reference library of nearly 27,000 volumes, a 287-seat auditorium, and the only tropical and subtropical plant conservatory in West Virginia with a coral reef aquarium, and the Dale Chihuly glass tower. Explore two outdoor sculpture courts, five studio workshops, two miles of trails, and a paved sensory trail for the visually impaired. Their Museum Making Connections program serves 28,000 children in seven counties. 2033 McCoy Road, Huntington, 304.529.2701, hmoa.org, @huntingtonmuseumofart on Facebook
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WVU ART MUSEUM
2 Fine Arts Drive, Morgantown, 304.293.2141, artmuseum.wvu.edu, @artmuseumofwvu on Facebook
CLAY CENTER FOR THE ARTS AND SCIENCES
1 Clay Square, Charleston, 304.561.3570, the claycenter.org, @claycenter on Facebook
Non Profit or Charity
WARDENSVILLE GARDEN MARKET
The Wardensville Garden Market is growing for good. A bakery, market, farm, and soon-to-launch restaurant and production kitchen all provide life experiences for area students and generate income for the nonprofit. Today, the certified organic farm has 70 employees 40 of whom attend the local high school. 28813 State Route 55, Wardensville, 304.897.2083, wardensvillegardenmarket.org
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YWCA CHARLESTON
ywcacharleston.org, @ywcacharleston on Facebook
GREATER KANAWHA VALLEY FOUNDATION
tgkvf.org, @tgkvf on Facebook
Environmental Organization
WEST VIRGINIA LAND TRUST
In November, the West Virginia Land Trust celebrated 25 years of conservation in West Virginia with a Special Places Celebration at the Clay Center. It is the only statewide non-profit land protection organization that works with landowners and communities to protect lands of scenic, recreational, agricultural, cultural, or ecological importance. The group also focuses on protecting land along streams, creeks, and rivers. 2019 projects included the Tom’s Run Preserve in Morgantown, the “Moon Rocks” campaign, and the openings of the Camp Bartow Historic Site in Pocahontas County, Yellow Creek Preserve in Davis, and Needleseye Park in Oak Hill. PO Box 304, Morgantown, 304.413.0945 and PO Box 11823, Charleston, 304.346.7788, www.wvlandtrust.org, @wvlandtrust on Facebook
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FRIENDS OF THE CHEAT
304.329.3621, cheat.org, @friendsofthecheat on Facebook
FRIENDS OF DECKERS CREEK
205 Parsons Street, Morgantown, 304.292.3970, deckerscreek.org, @deckerscreek on Facebook
Musician/Band
CREEK DON’T RISE
The Appalachian soul and blues rock unit Creek Don’t Rise formed when Marcus Oglesby—vocals, guitar, and harmonica—met guitarist Jerry Lee Brooks at a Huntington Blues Society jam in 2013. The pair formed the group the following year and has since been one of the hardest working indie bands, averaging nearly 20 shows a month around the state and region. The band name was inspired by an Oglesby song about devastating West Virginia floods. creekdontriseband.com, @creekdontrise.band on Facebook
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DAVISSON BROTHERS BAND
davissonbrothersband.com, @davissonbros on Facebook
FLETCHER’S GROVE
fletchersgrove.com, @fletchersgrove on Facebook
Addiction Recovery Resource
RECOVERY POINT
Recovery Point West Virginia offers three large, long-term residential recovery programs including 100 beds in Huntington, 92 beds in Charleston, and 62 beds in Bluefield. The organization also operates the HER Place drop-in recovery resource center and a newly-opened recovery residence for women, both in Huntington. Recovery Point West Virginia’s long-term recovery program graduates maintain a 68 percent sobriety rate one year after completing the program offered at no cost to clients. 900 20th Street, Huntington, 304.523.4673, recoverypointwv.org, @recoverypointwv on Facebook
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ASCENSION RECOVERY SERVICES
304.241.4585, ascensionrs.com, @ascensionrecoveryservices on Facebook
BRIAN’S SAFEHOUSE
304.763.7655, brianssafehouse.org, @brianssafehouse on Facebook
Author
DENISE GIARDINA
One of West Virginia’s most impactful novelists, Denise Giardina is a profilic writer. She has a unique voice from which she tells of West Virginia’s “it’s complicated” relationship with coal, and draws upon her experiences growing up in the Black Wolf mining camp to tell the powerful coal-tattooed history of mining towns in the region. Her acclaimed works include: Storming Heaven, The Unquiet Earth, Good King Harry, and Saints and Villians. Get a copy of her works at penguinrandomhouse.com/ authors/9973/denise-giardina
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RAJIA HASSIB
rajiahassib.com
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