Morgantown magazine October/November 2018

LIFE ON MARS

TO BENCH OR NOT TO BENCH

And exactly where to look for it

YOU

R

I NA

BOM 2019

TE

OM

ES

How to make a haunted attraction

N

FRIGHT FARM

FAVORIT

Proud.

Hardworking.

Resilient.

facebook.com/MonCountyPrevention Support by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities.

Together we can help each other ...

There is help and there is hope.

Learn what YOU can do to make a difference.

.org

.org

1-844-HELP 4 WV ONE Call.

ONE Text.

ONE Click.

INSTANT HELP.

Get connected with community-based substance abuse treatment programs and behavioral health services near you.

FACEBOOK.COM/MONCOUNTYPREVENTION

PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD h!

Do you have a painful bump near the joint of your big toe – making your shoes feel too tight?

Ouc

You may have a bunion.

Robert Santrock, MD, WVU Medicine orthopaedic surgeon, offers a variety of surgical procedures for bunions, including 3D correction with the LapiplastyTM procedure, the latest and most revolutionary procedure for bunions that will be sure to put the pep back in your step.

855-WVU-CARE • WVUMEDICINE.ORG/BUNION

volume 8

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issue 1

PUBLISHED BY

New South Media, Inc.

709 Beechurst Avenue, Suite 14A, Morgantown, WV 26505

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Nikki Bowman, nikki@newsouthmediainc.com EDITOR

Pam Kasey, pam@newsouthmediainc.com DESIGNERS

Nikki Butler, info@newsouthmediainc.com Carla Witt Ford, carla@newsouthmediainc.com Becky Moore, becky@newsouthmediainc.com

They give that personal level of attention.

It’s a relationship, and we trust them.

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Holly Leleux-Thubron, holly@newsouthmediainc.com WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Eric Palfrey, eric@newsouthmediainc.com PHOTOGRAPHERS

Zack Harold, Carla Witt Ford SALES DIRECTOR

Heather Mills, heather@newsouthmediainc.com ADVERTISING

Heather Mills, Bryson Taylor CONTRIBUTORS

Aldona Bird, Kaylyn Christopher, J. Kendall Perkinson, Kristen Uppercue

Theresa Shykind Co-owner, Downtown Piano Works

EDITORIAL INTERN

Jess Walker

The Shykinds wanted a bank that played to their same tune. First United took great care to know their business, deliver a competitive loan for their building, and educate them on ways to improve.

It’s a partnership built on loving what you do.

MyBank.com 1-888-692-2654

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MORGA NTOW N is published by New South Media, Inc. Copyright: New South Media, Inc. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of the publisher. © N EW SOU T H M EDI A, I NC. A LL R IGH TS R ESERV ED

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

Family Owned Jeweler For Over 35 Years!

5 E Main St, Uniontown, PA 15401 • 724 439 4278 • JoycesJewelry.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

L

ove it or hate it, fall in Morgantown means football. But even non-fans can enjoy a good tailgate, and this issue celebrates the pre-game party with recipes from restaurants around town and a tour of the pop-up gameweekend RV neighborhood known as the Black Lot. We have an appreciation for the many and surprising things all of us have gained from WVU’s membership in the Big 12, too.

Fall also brings us the wackiest holiday. We’ve hunted down some of the most over-the-top decorators in town to find out what makes them tick.

If you like a good-natured Halloween scare, you’ll enjoy the inside look we got at the making of Fright Farm, the wildly popular haunted attraction at Rich Farms just over the border in Pennsylvania.

And of course fall means Best of Morgantown. Always growing, BOM hit 101 categories last year, and we’re sticking here. Yet potentially good categories are still suggested all the time, so we’ve swapped some old ones out to make room for new. Here’s what you need to know going into BOM19: Nominate Use our printed ballot on pages 13 and 14 or go to morgantownmag.com to nominate your favorites. Be specific! “The guy with the crazy mustache” is a hard nomination to count.

One ballot per device as always, please. Nominations run through November 5.

Sample—this is new November 12–17, after nominations close but before final voting begins, is BOM Challenge Week. Because here’s the thing: When you go into the final ballot online, it’s your first time seeing who the finalists are.

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

Maybe you’ve been curious about some of those contenders for best brunch, best Chinese food, best bartender. But too late—you’re already voting. So this year, instead of just voting for who you know, we challenge you to check out some of your fellow readers’ favorites so you can vote with complete confidence.

We’ll be encouraging the Food + Drink finalists to offer specials during BOM Challenge Week.

Check our website and social media in the days before November 12 for more information.

Vote The final ballot will be live online November 19–December 10.

We’ve decided to let what I sometimes call the “Beast of Morgantown” continue to grow to its natural size. So rather than putting out a December / January issue as BOM unfolds and then scrambling to write the February / March BOM issue, we’re devoting ourselves to BOM. That means the next issue of Morgantown you see will be a special, expanded issue celebrating the best that Morgantown has to offer.

Finally, I want to acknowledge with sadness the departure of longtime Morgantown designer Becky Moore.

Becky’s native-daughter knowledge of town, her quirky humor, her kindness toward all creatures, and her love of typography have all shaped this magazine for the past four years. Her last touch appears in our neon BOM 2019 logo—a gift that will keep on giving, since we’ll get to enjoy it all the way through the BOM party in February. We’ve been lucky to work with Becky and we all wish her good fortune in Pittsburgh.

Happy tailgating,

PA M K ASEY,

Editor

Follow us at . . . @morgantownmagazine @morgantownmag @morgantownmag

STAFF FAVORITES

GHOSTS OF HALLOWEEN PAST Dressing up is the best. Here are some New South Media staff favorite Halloween costumes from years gone by.

In 3rd grade, in Barbour County, I decided to go as my grandfather, who worked for the West Virginia Division of Highways. I went as the stereotypical DOH boy with a green button-up work shirt, an orange vest and hard hat, work boots, and authentic black grease on my face. To top it all I had an old retired stop sign that we nailed to a tomato stake so I could flag traffic. — Bryson

My husband and I went to a party in New Iberia, Louisiana, as Venus and Cupid a few years back.

We went out on the town afterward, and everyone wanted to have their pictures taken with us. Mostly with him, because he’s wild. — Holly My best costume was when I was in college at Point Park in Pittsburgh.

I was dressed as a conehead with a latex head, an ugly blue polyester polka-dotted dress, a yellow wool cardigan sweater, and white Keds. Plus bedazzled cat-eye glasses. – Kelley

In This Issue

COURTESY OF WVU

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018

VII Years in the Big XII

The Black Lot

Where are the County Seats?

The perks of membership in a Power Five conference.

Mountaineer fans gone wild— in a motorhome sort of way.

A backgrounder on public sitting in Morgantown.

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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018

In This Issue

16 19 22

26 34

42 Departments

This Matters 13 Best of Morgantown Nominate your favorites!

16 Hear This WVU’s Mon Hills Records makes a depth of recordlabel resources available to students and musicians.

17 Read This Meredith Sue Willis’s new novel of houses and home.

17 Try This The upper part of the Deckers Creek rail-trail just got a lot more hospitable.

18 Where’s This Livingzone270 is not your typical Morgantown apartment building.

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

19 Play This Bethesda Game Studios isn’t saying, so we fantasize the Morgantown of the coming Fallout 76.

20 Try This Scholar Hotel on Chestnut caters to WVU families and fans.

21 Know This What are your chances of being called to jury duty?

22 Shop This Two local handcrafters offer up some interesting decor.

24 This Matters To Kathleen Benison knows where she’d look for signs of life on Mars.

6 Editor’s Note 26 House and Home Some people just know how to get their spook on.

30 Across County Lines This behind-the-scenes look at Fright Farm might make it even more fun.

34 Healthy Living Do some good this holiday season by helping these social service organizations.

42 Dish It Out Find out who won Morgantown magazine’s Big 12 Tailgate Chef’s Challenge.

60 Calendar 64 Then & Now

ON THE COVER Students packed Milan Puskar Stadium on September 29, 2012, for WVU's very first Big 12 game, against the Baylor Bears. The Mountaineers won, 70–63.

Allison Toffle / Courtesy of WVU

More 5-star Google reviews than any other Morgantown real estate agency.

J.S. WALKER, BROKER | JSWALKER.COM | (304) 296-0074 148 FAYETTE ST., MORGANTOWN, WV

The Best of Morgantown Nomination Round WHO’S THE BOM? What are the best shopping, services, downtime, and drinking and dining spots this year? Tell us who you love in 101 categories, 15 new this year. Be specific! “The place down that alley” is hard to count. Top contenders move on to the final round.

NAME (required)

Best Sports Bar Best Sushi Best Sweet Indulgence Best Thai Restaurant

EMAIL (required)

Best Vegetarian-Friendly

WANT TO MAIL THIS TO US? NEW SOUTH MEDIA, INC., BEST OF MORGANTOWN

Best Vietnamese Restaurant

709 BEECHURST AVENUE, SUITE 14A, MORGANTOWN, W V 26505

SUBMIT YOUR BALLOT BY 11:59 p.m., NOVEMBER 5, 2018

vote online @ morgantownmag.com/bom

Best Winery Best Wings

NOMINATE TO WIN Make nominations in 30 or more categories and be entered to win a pair of tickets to see the Mountaineers take on Texas Christian University November 10 at Mountaineer Field— winner announced November 8. If selected, you’ll be notified on November 6 and will have 48 hours to claim your tickets.

PERSONALITIES Best Artist Best Bartender

FOOD & DRINK

Best Chef

Best Bakery

Best Community Champion

Best BBQ

Best Craft Cocktail Bartender

Best Beer Selection

Best Media Personality

Best Breakfast or Brunch

Best Politician

Best Brewery

Best PreK-12 Principal

Best Burger

Best PreK-12 Teacher

Best Chinese Restaurant

SHOPPING

Best Fine Dining

Best Bookstore

Best Italian Restaurant

Best Furniture Store

Best Mexican Restaurant

Best Gift Shop

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

Best Grocery Store

Best Neighborhood Bar

Best Jewelry Store

Best Outdoor Dining

Best Local Pet Store

Best Over 30 Spot

Best Place to Buy Health Food

Best Pizza

Best Place to Buy a Wedding Dress

Best Place to Caffeinate

Best Local Recreation Store

Best Power Lunch

Best Pawn Shop

CONTINUED ON REVERSE

Best Graphic Design Services

Best Place to Buy Women’s Apparel

Best Hair Salon

Best Place to Buy Men’s Apparel

Best House Cleaning Service

Best Place to Buy Shoes

Best Hotel

Best Second-hand Clothing Store

Best Insurance Agency

Best Second-hand Furniture Store

Best Interior Designer

DOWNTIME Best Band (not a marching band) Best Dance Studio Best Family Fun Venue Best Festival Best Local Fundraising Event Best Gallery Best Gym/Fitness Facility Best Music Venue Best Radio Station Best Tattoo Shop

Best Landscaper Best Laundromat Best Law Office Best Mani/Pedi Best Martial Arts Studio Best Massage Best Mechanic (a garage) Best Personal Trainer (a person) Best Photographer Best Real Estate Agency Best Veterinary Clinic

Best Live Performance Theater

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Best Yoga Studio

Best Chiropractic Office

SERVICES Best Accounting Office Best Architectural Office Best Bank Best Barbershop Best Car Dealership Best Caterer Best Charity/Nonprofit Best Childcare Center Best Construction Contractor Best Day Spa Best Dry Cleaner Best Florist

Best Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon Best Dental Best Dermatology Office Best Health Clinic Best Ob/Gyn Clinic Best Optical Shop Best Orthodontics Office Best Pediatric Clinic Best Physical/Occupational Therapy Office

DID WE MISS ANYTHING?

WRITE IN YOUR OWN CATEGORIES AND CANDIDATES HERE FOR NEXT YEAR:

FINAL ROUND OF VOTING ONLINE ONLY NOV. 19–DEC. 10

Follow us @ morgantownmag

CUT HERE

Best Place to Buy Kids’ Apparel

EAT / LOVE / WEAR / SHOP / WATCH / KNOW / HEAR / READ / DO / WHO / WHAT

PARK(ing) Day PAM KASEY

➼ FUN AND CREATIVITY pull in once a year as people transform metered parking spaces into temporary parklets. On PARK(ing) Day this year, September 21, the WVU Student Society of Landscape Architects offered this 130 or so square feet of respite from pavement.

Did you miss PARK(ing) Day? There’s plenty coming up to celebrate

November 20

OCTOBER 17 Wear Something Gaudy Day

Absurdity

Day November 1

Men Make Dinner Day MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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THIS MATTERS

HEARTHIS

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

of artistic freedom,” Wayne says of Mon Hills. “It was really important for me, with the genre I’m recording in, for it to be entirely my material.”

At the same time, he’s been happy to turn over control of other aspects of the record-making process. Public relations, graphic design, recording technology, legal expertise—services that even established independent labels struggle to pay for, Mon Hills has at its collective fingertips.

“I know how much work I’m putting into it on my own. If I had to focus on trying to produce this album by myself, it would be a nightmare,” Wayne says.

Students get plenty from the deal, too. Swiger says working musicians teach students how difficult it can be to build a career in music—but that it’s not unachievable. “You may not have 100,000 fans. But if you have 1,000 who give you $100 a year, you’ve made $100,000,” Swiger says. monhillsrecords.com

written by zack harold

COURTESY OF MON HILLS RECORDS

Sign Here

years ago by music industry program director Darko Velichkovski, the label is a way Local musicians and music students work in for students to harmony at WVU’s student-run record label. apply what they learn about contracts, copyright law, ➼ IT’S DIFFICULT OUT THERE for a working musician. You have to deal graphic design, music publishing, public with getting gigs, getting press for those relations, and recording technology to gigs, getting paid, building an audience the city’s vibrant music scene. In turn, both in-person and on social media, Morgantown musicians get local navigating the brain-numbing access to a record label with a world of bookkeeping and depth of resources typically taxes, and sorting out found in major music towns. personality conflicts in your Although the 40 students band. Oh, and you have who work for Mon Hills usually to somehow find time and stick to their specialties— energy to create new material accounting, graphic design, and practice. public relations, recording— Josh Swiger knows what Swiger says everyone is on the it’s like. He has been a fixture of the lookout for the label’s next artist. “They Morgantown music scene for more than might be at a club, see an artist, and say, two decades, running Blues Alley Studios ‘Hey, I think this might work.’” and playing in several bands. One Unlike most small labels, Mon Hills group, The New Relics, hit the Billboard isn’t limited to one particular style of country charts in 2010 with the song music. Its roster currently includes pop “Beautiful.” Swiger is now a graduate artist Katie Sims, modern rockabilly band teaching assistant in WVU’s music Ryan Cain & The Ables, and Broadwayindustry program, which was created to opera-pop vocalist Marissa Bailey. The help students understand the business label plans to release Whiskey Stains, the side of the music business. “Just because first full-length album by Morgantown you can play an instrument doesn’t mean country singer–songwriter Jeremy Wayne, you can build a good career,” he says. in October. Wayne has been working on Swiger is also general manager of the project for most of the year, cutting Mon Hills Records, the university’s tracks at WVU’s recording studio with student-run record label. Started four local musicians. “They really gave me a lot

THIS MATTERS READTHIS

From House to Home

CARLA WITT FORD; COURTESY OF ELLA BELLING

A West Virginian author blends compelling characters, thrilling mystery, and Appalachian heritage in her new book.

AT ITS CORE, Meredith Sue Willis’ latest novel from WVU Press, Their Houses, is about three people finding homes in West Virginia. Yet, from the very first paragraph, Willis makes sure readers know this story isn’t a typical nostalgic tale of building a life in the Mountain State.

Certainly not for character Richie and his survivalist compound, which has “a helicopter pad and a safe room, an organic vegetable garden, a team of ex-militia patrolling the boundaries of his property, and a security system created by former Mossad operatives.” Seems just like the house right down the street, doesn’t it?

Their Houses expertly interweaves multiple timelines and character voices—particularly those of sisters Dinah and Grace and their childhood friend Richie. Growing up, Dinah and Grace lived in the carriage house behind Richie’s house, and the three bonded in the midst of their dysfunctional families. In fact, whether through crime, illness, or apocalypticesque preaching, every character in the novel is flawed. No one is the white knight waiting to vanquish the dragon, and that makes each of them utterly relatable.

The young sisters craft make-believe houses from shoeboxes but, even as adults, have yet to discover a place they feel at home. That’s not for lack of trying. From buying a run-down cottage with pilfered drug money to building a mountaintop fortress, the characters—like most of us— reveal they’re really just oversized kids at heart, trying to make West Virginia their shoebox.

There’s no mistaking this book for something other than West Virginian. References to hollers, hillbillies, and the Mountaineers pepper Willis’ near-poetic prose, but as effortlessly as perhaps only an author born and raised in the state can do. In one memorable scene, Dinah’s husband visits the mother he hasn’t seen in years. A true mountain mama, she berates her prodigal son, but pauses to fix his coffee and ask, “Do you prefer Sweet’N Low?” For all that realism, readers might have to suspend their disbelief to accept the ex-domestic terrorism militia and darker underpinnings that thread several characters together. The main lesson, however, is a universal one: Home isn’t found in houses but rather in the people you share it with. written by jess walker

TRYTHIS

Something Old, Something New A former coal-industry building becomes a muchneeded rest area on the Deckers Creek Trail. ➼ BIKERS AND WALKERS of the Deckers Creek Trail

discovered a new oasis—and a bit of history—this summer.

The 1907 Elkins Coal and Coke Building in Masontown, which sits at mile marker 13, became the first public restroom along the 19.5-mile-long stretch of rail-trail. The location also includes drinking fountains, vending machines, and a parking lot.

Trail users and community members had long expressed a desire for a restroom. In 2011, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia listed the Coal and Coke building as an endangered property. Its roof functioned as little better than a skylight and people left trash inside. Then, in 2013, the West Virginia Division of Highways awarded the Mon River Trails Conservancy (MRTC) a $92,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program to repurpose the building. MRTC matched 20 percent of that funding and secured donations of extra amenities like vending machines. “We were able to save the original framework and integrity of the building,” says MRTC Executive Director Ella Belling. “What we’ve done is transform it into a new use and new purpose on the rail-trail.”

The restrooms were finished this past July in time for peak rail-trail season. Too new for most maps, the rest area was a welcome surprise for weary travelers. They recorded their thanks in a guestbook, becoming part of the building’s history alongside the former coal workers whose names are etched into the century-old structure.

MRTC, along with Preston County Parks and Recreation and several additional partners, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in September. About 50 people attended, including city council members and state legislators. A group of cyclists defied rain to make the uphill trek from Morgantown for the occasion.

“I’m looking forward to seeing events take place there,” says Belling. “You’d have a great mini-park to start your group walks or host a run.” The building has been a part of the community for more than a hundred years. Now, it might continue to be useful for a hundred years more. montrails.org written by jess walker

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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THIS MATTERS

WHERE’STHIS

Living Lightly

A hidden apartment building brings a little Zen downtown. ➼ WHEN MORGANTOWN NATIVE

Michael Sodomick taught English in Japan in the early 1990s, he was struck by the efficient use of space in homes and apartments. Only the size of Montana, the island nation has almost half the population of the U.S., so space is at a high premium.

Back in Morgantown, Sodomick wanted to create living spaces with a similar feel. He owns the Morgantown Beauty College and Appalachian Gallery buildings on Walnut Street and, behind the Appalachian Gallery, a cement block building it’s easy to overlook. It used to house the Fraternal Order of Eagles but was eventually vacated. He hired BuildingLAB of Fairmont to design new apartments for that building and Pennsylvania building contractor Lou Davis to build them. The project was completed in 2011.

The six apartments in Livingzone270 are just 535 square feet each. But because of the way the space is managed, along with elements like high, open ceilings and recessed and pendant lighting, their layout feels compact but not tiny.

Space is maximized through the use of built-in furniture, countertops, and storage: everything fits perfectly in its place. Walls of finished plywood in 18

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

two tones and floors and countertops of polished concrete unify the spaces with earthy tones and textures. The few pieces of furniture that aren’t built in are supplied in a spare and modern style, and each apartment has a combined washer and dryer unit.

Livingzone270 is based on an environmentally conscious design.

Rainwater is collected for use in the toilets and laundry. Large windows on the south side of the building collect heat in winter, and light-blocking curtains

deflect the heat in summer. The use of materials more durable than the carpets and painted walls that are typical in apartments means fewer cleaning, repainting, and replacement costs between tenants.

Sodomick’s idea found a receptive community: The apartments, which rent for $875 and $975, have a waiting list through December 2019. To get on the list, email livingzone270@gmail.com. written and photographed by pam kasey

THIS MATTERS

Fallout 76, set in West Virginia, will be released

November PLAYTHIS

Duck and Cover

14

Morgantown goes nuclear in the new Fallout 76. ➼ ON MAY 30, Bethesda Game

Studios dropped the big one. The team behind the immensely popular Fallout series announced the latest installment would be set in West Virginia—with Morgantown one of the game’s main locations.

Fallout 76 will be released on November 14, and we don’t have many details about the game yet—Bethesda has been pretty tight-lipped. That hasn’t stopped us from imagining what it would be like if our hometown got turned into a nuclear wasteland.

COURTESY OF XBOX

Woodburn Hall This is the only Morgantown location we know for sure will appear in the game, since it was featured in the Fallout 76 trailer. We’re hoping this section includes a hologram Gordon Gee who hands out power-ups in the form of Flying WV cookies. Take a selfie with him to earn a magic bowtie, which enables you to use the university’s private jet.

Sunnyside The first mission is to find affordable housing. Fight hordes of undead undergrads to snag that second-floor walkup with off-street parking so you can avoid doing battle with the two-headed Morgantown Parking Authority officers.

closely resembles a Mountaineer bowl game victory. Dodge the careening, gravel-spewing tri-axle dump trucks to cross Walnut Street, and complete your mission by performing at an open mic night at The Blue Moose—if no one rolls their eyes at you, you win.

Pizza Power

Milan Puskar Stadium

Every good video game needs a way for players to boost their health and abilities. Mario had mushrooms.

Pac-Man had power pellets. Crash Bandicoot had...apricots or something.

Morgantown has Pizza Al’s.

You finally make it out of downtown, past the ruins of Ruby Memorial Hospital to the secure confines of the home of the Mountaineers. But just when you think you’re safe, a giant, nuclearized Dana Holgorsen appears, throwing flaming headsets in your direction. Defeat him by combing his hair.

High Street Burning furniture litters the street.

Stumbling, hollow-eyed frat guys lurk around every turn, and the line at The Annex still goes around the block.

There’s nowhere to hide. It’s funny how the aftermath of a nuclear bomb

written by zack harold secureus . net

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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THIS MATTERS

Let’s Stay, Mountaineers Upgrades to a downtown hotel cater especially to the WVU community. ➼ IN 2016, A GROUP OF COLLEAGUES at a national hotel chain in Philadelphia went rogue. Their new Scholar Hotel Group re-opened the former Chestnut Hotel in downtown Morgantown this fall as its third property in a university town.

Scholar Hotel Group has carefully chosen its locations to cater to students, their families, and college sports fans traveling into towns for games. The Morgantown location is within walking distance of everything downtown has to offer, particularly the downtown campus and the PRT, making it quick and easy for guests to access all things WVU. Guests of the hotel in its previous incarnation will notice some striking visual changes. The lobby is now styled 20

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

with tasteful blue and gold accents. Two photo enlargements of WVU football history adorn an exposed brick wall.

The new decor especially welcomes Mountaineer fans and alumni while remaining stylish for other business and pleasure travelers who like a downtown location.

The management team also added a variety of new amenities. The lobby now offers a bistro restaurant and bar. Guests or passersby looking for a quick bite to eat can stop in the small market—offerings include popcorn, Nutella, microwave meals, and an array of snacks. The compact but varied workout facility holds treadmills, elliptical, pulley machine, free weights, and a medicine ball rack. One

large room, never used by the previous owners, has been transformed into a spacious ADA suite, complete with a large living room, kitchenette, and king bed.

Scholar’s boutique size of just 41 rooms allows for personalized attention by general manager Shanna Biser, who previously managed the property for Chestnut. If early customer reviews are any indication, Biser and her new team are doing well: Ratings on every major review service are higher than four out of five stars.

Availability is limited during football season, so early reservations are recommended.

PRO TIP If you have friends or family coming into town for New Year celebrations, watch Scholar’s Facebook page for a seasonal discount package in the works. @ scholarwvu

written by j. kendall perkinson

COURTESY OF MILLS GROUP

TRYTHIS

THIS MATTERS KNOWTHIS

Reporting for

DUTY

Monongalia County Circuit Court Judge Russell Clawges shares his thoughts on jury service. ➼ IF AND WHEN YOU GET CALLED to jury duty in Monongalia County, your friends and co-workers will say one of two things. Some, considering themselves a little too popular with the court, “I’ve only lived in the county for 10 years, and I’ve already been called three times. What’s up with that?”

Others, clearly feeling left out, “I was born here, raised my own kids here, and retired here, and I’ve never been called.

What’s up with that?”

There is nothing up with any of that, according to the Honorable Russell Clawges, one of three judges for the Monongalia County Circuit Court. It’s just random.

“Our circuit clerk pulls names from a list that’s obtained from the Division of Motor Vehicles, that’s all of those people who have driver’s licenses with Monongalia County addresses, and from the voter registration list for Monongalia County,” Clawges explains. Before his time, the clerk put names on slips of paper and drew them blind from a box, he says; now a computer selects randomly.

“When I talk to jurors, I’ll sometimes say tongue in cheek, ‘If you don’t want to serve, don’t register to vote and give up your driver’s license.’” He’s betting not many people would give up their precious rights to drive and vote in order to avoid their outside chance of being summoned to jury duty.

What is the chance of being summoned? If the circuit clerk’s office summoned a higher-than-normal 300 potential jurors for each of the nine panels it calls in a year, that would be 2,700 people summoned. And if we take that as the share of the 67,000 or so registered voters in the county,

the highest chance of being called in a given year is about 4 percent. Include the licensed drivers who aren’t on the voter rolls, and the chance is actually lower than that.

“I’ve lived in Monongalia County, with the exception of the four years I was in the service, all of my life,” Clawges says. “I’ve been a registered voter and I’ve had a driver’s license—I’ve been on the master list for a long time. I’ve been called once.”

When you’re summoned, assuming you aren’t excused for reason of hardship—Clawges, who was chief justice the one time he was called to serve, did not excuse himself, and very few things get anyone excused—you’ll be accountable for a six-week period.

You’ll check a phone message once a week to find out whether you are called to show up at court as a potential juror.

You may never be called. Even if you are, you may not be selected to actually hear and help decide a case.

But supposing you are selected. If you do become a member of a sitting jury and you have to miss work, the law says your employer cannot penalize you for days away for jury service.

“They should be treated as paid days,” Clawges says, expressing his opinion, “but I don’t think the law goes so far as requiring employers to pay.” It doesn’t.

The fact is, about 60 percent of workers nationwide are paid by their employers when they’re on jury duty, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Whether your employer pays you or not, the court pays $40 a day. It’ll cover your mileage. It’ll also cover your

If you eat lunch downtown, treat anyone wearing the eye-catching blue and yellow “juror” badge gingerly. “One of the hallmarks of the system is that jurors are required to decide cases solely based on what they hear in the courtroom,” says Monongalia County Circuit Court Judge Russell Clawges. “I did a case years and years

ago where somebody walked up to jurors sitting at a table and made a comment about the case. It created a real problem.

Those badges identify the jurors in order to avoid the possibility that somebody might accidentally or intentionally talk with a juror outside the courtroom.”

parking if you park in one of the city’s gated garages.

Clawges ranks the importance of jury duty right up there with registering and taking the trouble to vote, serving in public office, and serving in the military. “Our whole system is based on this concept of cases being decided by a jury of our peers. If I can’t get enough jurors to try a case, the system grinds to a halt,” he says. “In many respects, it’s a pain. It’s an inconvenience. But it’s also a privilege. If you have a case to be tried, wouldn’t you want people like you on the jury?” written and photographed by pam kasey

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THIS MATTERS

Local Style ➼ Refresh

your home for the holidays or find unique gifts from these handcrafters in Morgantown.

Lazarus Restoration What started out as a hobby for Chris Knapp and her husband and business partner, Pete, quickly turned into a highdemand furniture restoration service.

“Almost every room of our house has something we have repainted, restored, 22

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

or repurposed,” says Knapp. “This is a hobby of ours that started in our home making items for ourselves, such as an electric fireplace and an antique fireplace mantel for our study. Our first window coffee table and several cabinets, tables, and lamps remain in use daily.”

The Knapps’ knack for restoration spread through the grapevine, and now they spend their free time repurposing vintage furniture to give it new life.

“We find items everywhere: auctions, flea markets, thrift stores, estate sales, antique stores, and from friends and family,” says Knapp. “We like to travel all over to go on picking adventures.”

The Knapps get particular enjoyment out of repurposing clients’ old furniture that has seen better days. “We like to reimagine a new use for something that would normally be thrown away,” she says. “Our dressers and bed frames turned

into benches are Lazarus Restoration some of Pete’s 724.880.1506 favorite projects.

Our old windows and doors turned into coffee tables are also quite popular, and of course our liquor bottle and black pipe lamps are fun to make.”

Lazarus Restoration does custom projects by request. Its furniture and decor sell at Eloquence Antiques and Artisans on the Mileground, and its consignment pieces are sold at Hoot and Howl on Walnut Street downtown.

Lamps range from about $50 to $300, and restored furniture pieces from up to $1,200, most from $300 to $600. In addition, the Knapp duo offers a painting basics class at Eloquence for those who want to try their own hand at restoring vintage pieces. lazarusrestoration.com

COURTESY OF LAZARUS RESTORATION

SHOPTHIS

THIS MATTERS

COURTESY OF ARTFULLY INDUSTRIAL

Artfully Industrial Designing and building modern, urban furniture that fulfills residential and commercial needs across town is the mission of one up-and-coming local business.

The pieces created by Artfully Industrial, a company that designs and builds handmade, highquality custom furniture that fits a modern motif, are not only pleasing to the eye but also durable products that can withstand the test of time.

“The style of our products is Artfully Industrial unique to the name of my company,” 304.904.1446 says the company’s owner, Josh Perry.

“I believe welding and fabrication is a form of art, and our furniture is built to last using mostly industrial materials.”

Perry sources materials locally for all of his projects, with an emphasis on local reclaimed wood and steel suppliers. Each project he takes on is unique, and he relishes the challenge and opportunity.

“I enjoy taking customers’ visions and making them happen,” he says. “I’m inspired by anything new and things that can’t be bought at a store.”

All pieces, residential and commercial alike, are custom made. “Nothing is cookie-cutter,” says Perry. “For example, if you need a table to fit a room that is a certain size, I can make it according to those specifications.” Prices range from $500 to $5,000. artfullyindustrial.com written by kaylyn christopher

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THISMATTERS TO

Kathleen Benison ➼ KATHY BENISON’S RESEARCH ON ACID SALT LAKES could help the search for life on Mars. A professor of geology at WVU,

Benison examines halite and gypsum that form in rare acid salt lakes in Chile and western Australia. As the salts grow, they trap pockets of lake water, air, and microorganisms that accurately document their environments. She and colleagues applied this knowledge to salt deposits from ancient lakes in the U.S. Great Plains and Northern Ireland to learn about conditions on Earth’s early continent Pangaea.

Take it two giant leaps farther, and the research could point to the answer to one of humanity’s biggest questions. interviewed by kristen uppercue | photographed by carla witt ford

On the thrill of geology There’s a lot of variety. I get to go to places like Chile and western Australia, but I also get to look at ancient rocks and try to compare them to modern rocks.

My favorite thing in geology may be looking at an old rock and being able to read the clues to figure out the environment that it formed in.

On the quest for Martian life These acid saline lakes are the closest terrestrial analogs of Mars’ surface environments. Going to these different environments makes you realize how different environments can be, and that can help if we want to study and search for life on Mars.

On being a science educator I think it’s important for the general public to realize that science isn’t a “done” thing.

Scientists are always learning new things, they’re always testing. We’re skeptical and we’re always looking to learn more and test how the Earth works. In training my introductory students, I think about it in terms of training the citizenship to be scientifically literate. My goal is to help train a new generation of scientists and scientists who will learn more than I know.

On travel in the name of science A lot of travel I do is for research, but some of the travel is to do professional service. I’ll be traveling to a NASA proposal panel, so I’ll convene with other experts and debate those proposals. The good thing about that is that I get to read what other people are doing for research.

I also travel to professional meetings, which is another way to communicate your research and communicate with other geologists.

When your child needs to see a doctor, you shouldn’t have to wait.

At Children’s South, you won’t have to wait months to get the expert pediatric care your child needs.

Children’s South is a short drive away and offers top pediatric experts without the wait. Kids can get an appointment quickly and receive nationally recognized care in cardiology, neurology, ENT, endocrinology, dermatology, and more from UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s experts – close to home. To learn more about Children’s South, visit CHP.edu/WestVirginia.

T he ho m e who sp owners oke wit h u s pu t t he and en ir time er g decora y into tin their ne g for ighbors ’ enjoym en If you v t. please isit, re their pr spect oper ty.

A Some people just know how to get their spook on.

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

vampire used to lurk over John DeProspero’s house in First Ward every Halloween. It flourished its cape when people walked by— terrifying. But then he and his wife had their roof replaced, and she banished the bloodsucker.

That hasn’t stopped DeProspero from having his creepy-season fun.

Of all of the holidays, Halloween enjoys the greatest range of decorating possibilities—everything from sweet to scary to stomach-turning. A person’s approach to All Hallows’ Eve says a lot about their sense of humor. It’s also practical: It helps the neighborhood kids prioritize their trick-or-treat stops on the big night.

Ask around for Halloween inspiration and, along with lots of creative and energetic decorators all over town, you’ll eventually find your way to two particular front porch frightmakers.

HOUSE AND HOME

BLOODCHILLER IN BROOKHAVEN

When George DeWeese and his wife finally settled down in about 1990, in Woodburn at the time, he remembered how much he’d liked Halloween as a kid. He started carving pumpkins every year and building up his stock of decorations. A short period in Westover after that didn’t work out as well—the street was too busy, and kids didn’t come around for treats. But then the DeWeeses bought a house in Brookhaven. “It was like, ‘Alright, it’s on again!’” DeWeese laughs. “This neighborhood is full of kids and they all come by as I start putting things out.”

Over-the-top tableaus are one of DeWeese’s specialties: a flashing-eyed figure in suit and tie emerging from the ground in a graveyard, or Linda Blair, from The Exorcist, bouncing off the side of a car covered with creepy crawlies.

He changes his display up a little every year, putting bits out starting in early October. But come Halloween night, he unleashes his full collection. It takes a stout-hearted trick-or-treater to get past the leaping spider, the ghost rising from its coffin, and the snarling half-demon writhing upside down at the garage door, only to pass under a spider web onto an eerily lit and shadowed front porch—a whole motion-activated light, sound, and animation spectacle. Still, more than 200 made it to the front door last year.

Halloween isn’t just about the scary things, DeWeese says. It’s also the funny ones. “It’s the opportunity to bring back that childhood naivety, that wonder.” It’s also not just for the kids. “I love it when the parents dress up and walk. We wave them up so they can get a little something for Halloween, too.”

BENNETT DRIVE in Westbrook Heights, off of Brookhaven Road

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HOUSE AND HOME

All Over Town

1

A walk around the block in any neighborhood is enough to get you in the mood for Halloween.

1 Fresh soil, skeletons, tombstones, and spiderwebs keep this Suncrest home in the Halloween spirit. 2 & 3 We’re not sure the inhabitants of this house were reached in time to save them. 4 The homeowner made these crafty creepies from plastic bags and Mod Podge. 5 Is it really a good idea to walk on a Ouija board? 6 Clusters of lit pumpkin smiles add Halloween cheer to a formal entry. 7 The hand-carved jack-o’-lantern always takes the prize for sinister charm.

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3 4

5 6

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7

HOUSE AND HOME

Menace on Madigan Avenue John DeProspero comes off as a regular guy, but don’t be fooled—the man has a gleefully twisted imagination. This marks his “30-and-a-halfth” year of decking his family’s First Ward house and yard out for Halloween. He counts 1987 as only half because “it was just a skeleton and a spider web.”

Since then, it’s metastasized into a yard full of grotesqueries. A crazed female mannequin in pajamas wears a T-shirt that reads “Mommy’s Little Hellspawn,” and a fetus—are those horns?—threatens to bust through her midsection. On the table in front of her, a staring head bobs in a jar of bubbling fluid. A body in a coroner’s bag wriggles where it hangs in a tree, and a skeletal, green-faced ghoul slouches in an electric chair. Zzzzt!

DeProspero loves to startle visitors.

A drum of toxic waste near the porch ejects air suddenly as a young trick-ortreater passes by, and a head explodes up through the lid.

DeProspero creates his own animations. In one that’s been retired, the wriggling legs of a man trapped under a lawnmower were driven by a windshield wiper motor. It’s all a lot of work, but he gets a kick out of it. “I love the kids. They have such fun,” he says. “My grandkids— they’re 14 and 10—don’t even go trickor-treating anymore because they want to stay home and run the equipment and scare the kids.”

The long-running Madigan Avenue Halloween House draws gawkers from as far away as Grafton. In 2017, it welcomed more than 600 trick-or-treaters. It’s up just two weekends a year, ending on Halloween.

628 Madigan Avenue @madiganavehalloweenhouse on Facebook

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ACROSS COUNTY LINES

A Harvest B of Horror The annual making of Fright Farm.

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ack in 1990, Tom Rich’s brother Michael had an idea for putting an old house on the family’s Smithfield, Pennsylvania, farm to fun and productive use. Friends and family helped out. “We all worked together and picked a theme and put together a haunted house,” Rich recalls.

The first weekend Fright Farm was open, 30 visitors paid to be scared. The family thought it was a great start.

ACROSS COUNTY LINES

The second weekend, 1,500 people showed up.

“We were overwhelmed in every possible way,” Rich says. They borrowed tractors from neighbors to pull the hay rides and rushed out to buy supplies to accommodate the crowd.

The following year, Rich Farms recruited local high school students to help brainstorm spooky ideas. But three decades later, this little family venture has become a big business, employing 300 people for the Halloween season.

Just 20 minutes’ drive away through pretty country, Fright Farm has long been a favorite part of fall for Morgantown residents. It’s a family enterprise on a couple of levels—not just the Riches, but also the core group of those who assemble each year to create new chills and thrills. “It’s kind of a dysfunctional family, but it is a family,” laughs Dana Oglesby, a longtime member of the Fright Farm creative team. While many families gather to cook and eat, the cast and crew of this Halloween-season attraction come together to create things that make your stomach churn.

Cultivating suspense Work on Fright Farm starts long before 160 actors and hundreds of employees arrive on-site in the weeks before the attraction opens in late September. The creative team of makeup artists, costume designer, acting coaches, security officers, and building crew work year-round.

Physical creation of eerie, hair-raising scenes starts in April as the crew begins thinking about how to reuse props and materials from previous years. Come June, the farm holds actor auditions.

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ACROSS COUNTY LINES

Westley Loukota has worked for eight years as a scene builder at Fright Farm and devotes extended time to individual scenes. “It’s been pieces and parts, but it’s probably been about two weeks,” he says of his work on a small, dual-story room that includes an animatronic dummy strung to dangle by its feet.

On busier nights, it takes 101 actors to stage the full Fright Farm experience— slower nights require 80 actors. Because multiple actors play the same parts, costumer Erin Snyder made about 150 costumes for this season’s run. She takes special pride in a ball gown she created for a scene that brings a painting to life in a spooky way.

The subject matter is creepy, but the creative family at Fright Farm has fun with it. “We try to stay joyful in our work,” Oglesby says.

Reaping fear and fun

“Every year we change our themes completely,” says Rich, now president of Fright Farm, to keep the experience fresh and exciting for visitors. As the team considers ideas for both the overall theme and elements within it, they steer clear of anything too crude, he says. They also stay away from extreme violence, including guns. Instead, they use animatronics, custom soundtracks, fogs, scents, and lighting to evoke fear.

“We want to make sure people are entertained—not terrified,” he says.

This year’s theme, “abandoned,” plays out in five separate areas in and around the haunted house. “It’s dark and it’s scary,” Oglesby says. She says the theme allowed them to imagine and 32

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Fright Farm’s one and a half-to-two-hour tour takes visitors through household settings, a swampy graveyard, woods with creepy clowns, a creature den, and a town full of tricks rather than treats.

This year, the team is replacing long ticket lines—hours long, on the busiest nights—with a festival midway where people can have fun until it’s their turn to be frightened. “It’s the same wait, but people will be entertained,” says creative team member Deniro Leoni. Live music, mini–escape rooms, paintball, ax throwing, and concessions will keep visitors busy until a hayride takes them through the woods and past recreations of historic buildings that include a local oneroom schoolhouse and coke ovens.

Fright Farm runs Wednesday through Sunday evenings through Halloween night. The whole experience ranges from $20 with student ID on Wednesdays to $60 for “Xpress” admission on Fridays and Saturdays.

“None of this would have been started if it weren’t for Mike Rich,” costumer Snyder says of the man who started it all.

Since he passed away a few years ago, she likes to remember him each October.

“He definitely has a legacy that lives on,” says Oglesby. It is a legacy that hundreds of enthusiastic people carry out and thousands of people enjoy each year.

2043 Springhill Furnace Road, Smithfield, Pennsylvania, 724.564.7644, frightfarm.com

create “all kinds of things living there, all kinds of things creeping around corners.”

One creature who will be creeping around a corner is a blood- and greasecovered pig wielding a chainsaw played

by P.J. Turner, an 11-year veteran of acting at haunts, four of those with Fright Farm. Turner joined the building crew and creative team earlier in the year than most actors to help put together a barn space designed just for his chosen costume and character.

An actor who Oglesby says plays serial killers exceptionally well has been with Fright Farm for 15 years. This year they created rooms in the haunted house just written and photographed by aldona for his persona.

bird

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’Tis the Season to be Giving

These organizations lift Morgantown up through their compassion and dedication.

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M

organtown has a huge roster of organizations that harness volunteer and donor generosity for the benefit of the less fortunate. Nonprofits across town direct financial, manpower, and professional resources where they’re needed most. Fall is a great time to consider sharing your own resources as you’re able—here are just a few of our favorite organizations and the ways you can help.

COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN HELP

HEALTHY LIVING

HEALTHY LIVING

COURTESY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER; COURTESY OF ELEANOR GREEN

Responding to need All through the year, but especially as the holiday season approaches, the mission of Christian Help is to respond to need with immediacy and simplicity.

“The genuine commitment and compassion of this team is contagious,” says the organization’s executive director, Colleen Lankford. “They are called to and extremely qualified for their roles.”

Serving Monongalia County since 1977 and voted Best Charity/Nonprofit

by Morgantown readers in 2016, 2017, and 2018, Christian Help seeks to help those in need through donations that are distributed on a first-come, firstserved basis.

Those donations come in many forms.

“Aid was and continues to be provided through financial assistance; in-kind support such as clothing, infant needs, food, housewares, and linens; and job readiness and financial educational services to improve outcomes,” says Lankford. “All products and services are given with no charge to the person receiving them in order to facilitate their financial stability.”

No matter their background or predicament, no person in need is turned away. “All are welcomed at Christian Help,” says Lankford. “Our services and products are available to everyone, as they are available, without regard to income, personal demographics, religious or other affiliations.”

Christian Help also offers a financial sustainability course as well as nutrition classes to help its client base find its way to a more solid footing. “It’s about neighbors helping neighbors, in whatever way that may be,” says Lankford.

Christian Help is located at 219 Walnut Street downtown. Donations of time, talent, and treasure are all appreciated. motownchristianhelp.com

Improving the lives of children Many programs provide services for adults who struggle with substance use.

But the Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center goes to the need for comprehensive, family-centered treatment that addresses the impact of parental substance abuse on children.

“Our vision is for every child in our community to be happy, healthy, and safe from abuse and violence,” says Marissa Russell, the program’s director of awareness.

Growing its expertise since 2005, the MCCAC provides forensic interviews, therapy, and support groups for abused children and their nonoffending family members. Its broad range of services include and go well beyond mental health screenings, parent training, advocacy for abused children, and crisis intervention.

The organization provides case review, prepares children to testify in court, coordinates the multidisciplinary teams of professionals who work together on child abuse cases, and offers referral to needed services for child abuse victims.

It also provides consultation to schools on creating trauma-informed environments.

Now, to help the growing population of children in out-of-home placement due to a parent’s or caregiver’s substance abuse, the MCCAC is launching its Drug Endangered Children Project. “The DEC will expand access to comprehensive, family-centered treatment and provide direct services to drug-impacted families that are both evidence-based and traumainformed,” Russell says.

MCCAC services are available at no cost to any family in Monongalia County where a child has suffered abuse, neglect, or other trauma. Families can access the MCCAC’s services by calling 304.598.0344. To support the MCCAC’s mission, send a donation to 909 Greenbag Road or donate online at moncocac.org.

Winterizing seniors’ homes Each fall, as cold temperatures and snowfall approach, a group of volunteers fans out across Morgantown and Monongalia County to weatherize senior citizens’ homes.

“Everything we do is at no cost to the senior,” says Eleanor Green, the founder and organizer of the Winter Weather Posse. “We bring all of the supplies and certainly the manpower. It’s an all-volunteer force of people ages three to 83.”

Just over a decade ago, Green challenged herself to find a way to give back to her community. Her first hopeful call for help identified 15 households in need and drew 45 volunteers to the task; through word of mouth alone, it’s become a huge annual pop-up event that weatherizes more than 100 homes through the industry of more than 400 volunteers.

Posse volunteers rake and bag leaves, trim shrubs, weed flower beds, clean gutters, and weatherstrip doors and windows for residents over 65 who need the help. The event is only “pop-up” in the sense that it emerges suddenly one fall morning and is done by nightfall—in fact, it’s a major operation coordinated through several months’ effort. “In my wildest dreams, never did I ever have an expectation that we’d keep on doing it, but it’s become such a huge blessing,” says Green. “Nothing is better to me. If we have kept a senior citizen in her home for an extra year or two or five, that means everything.”

This year, the Winter Weather Posse rides on November 3. Those needing assistance next fall can email Green by early October; willing volunteers can still join this year’s posse by contacting her at eig6@comcast.net. written by kaylyn christopher MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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7 YEARS — IN THE —

written by Pam Kasey

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

How are WVU, Morgantown, and West Virginia benefitting from the university’s membership in the Big 12?

In more ways than you know.

O

n the morning of Monday, October 24, 2011, then–WVU President Jim Clements sat in his wood-paneled office in Stewart Hall, waiting for a call. It’s easy to picture him: always in a collar and tie, always with an upbeat, restless energy.

Clements was confident, but nervous. But excited. The Big East had gradually been coming unraveled, and WVU needed to make a move. “My view was, WVU could fit well within the Big 12 or the ACC or the SEC, but we had to get into a Power Five conference for the future of the university,” he recalls.

“If we fell to a smaller conference, it would really hurt not just athletics, but academics and research.”

Now–WVU President Gordon Gee, who headed up The Ohio State University at the time and was also a past president of WVU in the 1980s, had a strong interest in the progress. “I was the chairman of the Big 10 efforts to admit Rutgers and Maryland around that time, so I was on the other end of this thing. Dr. Clements and I talked a great deal,” he recalls. “I would have loved to have seen WVU in the Big 10, but that was not to be.”

It was an open secret that the University of Louisville was also making a strong bid for the Big 12’s one open spot. Clements and others with an interest in WVU’s future, especially Athletic Director Oliver Luck, were working every channel.

“Most people think it’s the athletic directors who vote,” Clements says, “but it’s actually the presidents.” So in the days leading up to the meeting, right through Sunday and deep into the night, while Luck was calling the Big 12 athletic directors to persuade them to advocate for WVU, Clements had been calling the schools’ presidents and chancellors to make WVU’s case.

Now it was Monday morning, and the Big 12’s board of directors was meeting in Dallas. “I knew they were meeting that day. I knew the time they were meeting. I knew who was in that meeting, and I’d worked hard on every president and chancellor in that group,” Clements says.

Finally the call came. It was Interim Big 12 Commissioner Chuck Neinas. “He said, ‘Mr. President, the Big 12 would like to extend an invitation to WVU to join the conference.’ It’s a call I’ll never forget.”

Seven years in, it’s easy to appreciate the boost Big 12 membership has given athletics at WVU. What Clements foresaw but isn’t obvious to the rest of us is how that membership has also elevated the university’s academics and research. Morgantown magazine talked with some insiders about seven things the university, the town, and the state have gained over these seven years.

I

MORE EXCITING COMPETITION

This, for many, is the point. “Across the board, for each of the sports, the Big 12 is better competition than the Big East was.

That’s what you want—to be with the best,” says Luck.

“There are only 65 institutions that make up the Power Five conferences,” says WVU Athletic Director Shane Lyons of the exclusive club that is the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac12, and SEC. “Being in the Big 12 has stepped up our level of competition.”

And that lets WVU recruit a higher-caliber athlete.

“You’ve got unbelievable athletes in the conference, so we needed to rise to the occasion to be competitive, and I think MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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SHANE LYONS, WVU ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

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II

LOTS MORE MONEY

We heard a lot about the monstrous piles of money to come when the Big 12 deal was in the works in 2011. They are indeed monstrous.

“Some things don’t necessarily change much—like how many Mountaineer tickets are sold for a football or basketball game, that may have gone up 10 or 15 percent,” Luck says. Those revenues are real and they support the athletic programs, but they’re not the big money.

“What moves the needle is the television payout. You have to be in a big conference for that—the networks pay lots of money to broadcast Big 12 games.”

How much? “Last year, I believe we were around $35 million, our share as a member of the Big 12,” Lyons says. “In

COURTESY OF: WEST VIRGINIA BLACK BEARS; MYLAN PARK AND PARADIGM ARCHITECTURE; WVU

Athletics is the front porch to the university.

by and large we have,” Luck says. His enduring attachment to WVU shows in the way, almost four years after he left for the NCAA, he still says “we.” “The Mountaineers opened their season on national television—it used to be regional television. Athletes know they’re going to be on TV every week. Those little differences, they’re not so little. They do make an overall impact on the quality of student athlete you’re recruiting.”

Take the example of men’s basketball, Lyons says. “Three of the last four years in the Sweet 16—you’re in one of the best basketball leagues in the country, with Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and down the line. Same with football, competing with the likes of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and so on,” he says. “In the recruiting process you find that athletes, they want exposure, they want to compete at the highest level.”

the Big East, at our high we were at about $8 million.” Those big new revenues cover more than a third of the $93 million athletic budget that covers travel, scholarships, and operating expenses.

Also, bigger and better athletic facilities— more on that below.

There’s another level to the money.

Big 12 home games bring a new cadre of people to Morgantown and West Virginia, eating meals and staying in hotels. That’s an immediate economic boost, and it can also spin up into a larger, longerterm one. “I would hope that by having people from Texas and Oklahoma and Kansas and Iowa coming and visiting West Virginia and seeing our university, that they get a better understanding of what a wonderful place this is, what an opportunity it would be for business and industry to locate and invest here,” says Gee. This goes to the economic development aspect of WVU’s land grant mission. “Any time you get people outside your region coming and seeing you and leaving and saying, ‘Wow, that’s a neat place,’ then we have made progress.”

COURTESY OF WVU

III

BEAUTIFUL NEW FACILITIES

It’s a good thing the Big 12 brings money, because there are standards to be met.

“The teams that we’re competing against, we have to make sure that our facilities are comparable to theirs, to some degree, to attract the best recruits—as well as to retain and recruit coaching staff,” Lyons says. He uses the example of baseball. “When WVU joined the Big 12, the vision was to build a brand new stadium. The Monongalia County Ballpark has helped us be competitive in the Big 12, a solid baseball conference.”

Football, too. “When competing with the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU, obviously we have to continue making improvements in our own stadium and other football facilities.”

This extends to all of the Big 12 sports.

Currently under construction is The Aquatic and Track Center at Mylan Park.

And in August, Lyons unveiled a five-year, $100 million athletic facilities plan for the Puskar Center football complex, the Coliseum basketball complex, the Cary gymnastics facility, and a new WVU golf facility. This plan leverages the drive to compete into a $100 million Climbing Higher capital campaign.

The benefits of facilities improvements ripple out. Athletes, teams, and fans benefit directly. Morgantown benefits from the construction jobs, and residents also enjoy use of many of these resources—the opportunity to host the minor league West Virginia Black Bears at the Monongalia County Ballpark has been a great addition to sports entertainment in town, for example, and the new aquatic center and track will have public-use components. And both Morgantown and West Virginia will benefit from the ability to host Big 12 swimming championships and other events the facilities draw.

IV

NATIONAL CRED

“Think about this,” says Clements, savoring the memory of WVU’s explosion in 2012 onto the national stage.

“The Mountaineers’ first Big 12 game was against Baylor, at home, and we won 70 to 63.” The fun didn’t stop there.

“The first away game was in Austin, Texas. WVU travelled in full force, as the Mountaineers always do, and we beat

Texas—in Texas—in front of the largest crowd the Mountaineers had ever had. It was a Saturday night, prime time, huge national exposure, and the game went down to the last minute. The football team was making a statement on the field—and then, during the commercials, we were stressing academics. It was a wonderful thing.” A triumphal thing, a thing a university president remembers six years later like it was yesterday.

Why does that matter? “Athletics is the front porch to the university,” Lyons says. “There are studies showing a correlation between the success of your athletics program and applications for admission to your institution. It’s no different than the marketing aspect of any product: When you’re getting a basketball or football game on ESPN, it’s putting you in 85 to 90 million homes.” It’s the kind of exposure WVU used to get from a major bowl game, but multiple times every year.

And growing awareness of the WVU brand deepens the pool of talent the university can draw from. “That increased exposure helps us with diversity in our enrollment, whether it’s geographic diversity, interest-area diversity, racial MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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JOYCE MCCONNELL, WVU PROVOST

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

V

A LARGER ACADEMIC FAMILY

The Big 12 schools are a lot more like WVU than the Big East schools were.

“Six look just like us,” Luck says: “Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech. I remember making the rounds with various people and saying things like, ‘Once you get to know people from Oklahoma State, you’re going to love them. They’re just like us.’”

It sounds feel-good, and fans can and do enjoy the collegial feelings—but the value of it goes much deeper than is apparent.

It turns out, the Big 12 uses its platform of athletics to support academics in a big way. “This is not something that they’re just pretending. They really put it into action,” says McConnell. As head of

academics at WVU, she puts a provost’s spin on what Luck said: “WVU is a land grant, flagship, Carnegie Research 1, full–medical complex university. There are other land grant, Research 1 flagships in the Big 12, and the fact that we can share with them the scope of what we do and the kinds of complex questions that we face is huge.”

All of the Big 12 provosts get together twice a year. “It’s an incredible meeting,” McConnell says. “We share issues of curriculum, enrollment, the most pressing issues facing higher education and how we’ve been approaching them; we also might share something as small as a particular piece of academic software that has helped us.”

Most of WVU’s fellow Big 12 members are large, and among them they’ve tried a wide range of approaches to, for example, personalizing the student experience to help retain students. “So, we did not have a lot of living-learning communities where students were living together in residence halls focused on particular disciplines or issues,” McConnell says.

“Our Big 12 colleagues have really helped us understand how those help students feel more connected to one another and to the institution, and so we’ve been creating more of them.”

COURTESY OF: OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY; BAYLOR UNIVERSITY; TEXAS TECH ATHLETICS; TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY; TY RUSSELL/UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA; KU MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS; WVU; K-STATE ATHLETICS; CAMILLE CLAUDIO

Reaching into the Big 12 and being able to share resources and funding and knowledge is incredible.

diversity, or ethnic diversity,” says WVU Provost Joyce McConnell. “Also, if you look at the quality of the schools that are in the Big 12, we’re in a really excellent group of universities. It distinguishes us as being part of a conference that has some academic power, and that makes a huge difference in terms of the faculty we attract and the opportunities for research funding.”

COURTESY OF WVU

Faculty get in on it, too. Each year, 10 or 15 professors at WVU and some at the other Big 12 schools get fellowships that enable them to visit other Big 12 member campuses for intense collegial exchanges related to their teaching and research. Fellowships at WVU in 2017–18 included work in areas as diverse as the use of sensors in infrastructure and collaboration on an opera. And beyond fellowships, the Big 12 network opens up other possibilities. “Let’s say some scientists at WVU want to find a partner university to do some high-level research,” McConnell says. “Reaching into the Big 12 and being able to share resources and funding and knowledge is incredible.”

Gee points out another level the Big 12 works at when it comes to research.

“Federal support for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation are very important for Research 1 institutions,” he says. “We have to constantly make sure, for our research stability and opportunities, that Congress is funding them. West Virginia has three congressmen and two senators, and they do a great job, but when we develop common cause in the Big 12 on an issue like this—there’s power in numbers.”

VI

A HUGE OPERATIONS LABORATORY

The educational enterprise, especially at a large, complex institution with graduate programs and research centers, encompasses areas as diverse as parking, food service, and Greek life. So while the Big 12 provosts get together to talk about the academic side, others meet around operational issues—the chief diversity officers, the development officers who do fundraising, the alumni CEOs. Big 12 student government leaders get together, too. An issue they discussed when they assembled in Morgantown in 2016 was Title IX compliance and sexual assault. The students made a one-minute video titled We Believe You as part of the nationwide It’s On Us movement to end sexual assault.

Operations and academics overlap a lot, and McConnell finds help with both.

“Some states, like Texas and Kansas, have laws that allow students and faculty and staff to carry weapons on campus,” McConnell says. “West Virginia’s Legislature has been contemplating that over the past two legislative sessions, so learning from their experiences has been very helpful in understanding what it would mean for our campuses.”

Any time you get people outside your region coming and seeing you and leaving and saying, ‘Wow, that’s a neat place,’ then we have made progress.

GORDON GEE, PRESIDENT OF WVU

VII

A HIGHER-VALUE EDUCATION

Does all of this result in a better education? People who understand the bigger picture say it does.

Their response is based on this: The value of an education is grounded in what a student learns in the classroom, but it isn’t only that. It’s exposure to surprising ideas, to people from challenging backgrounds, to inquiry down unexpected paths. It’s residency in a vibrant setting. It’s engagement with a proud local academic community and a proud larger academic family. It’s the attitude that future potential friends, colleagues, funders, publishers, and employers have toward that education.

“Any time you can be with interesting, excellent institutions, it does improve your ability to do things on your own campus,” Gee says, “if you’re willing to learn and change.”

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DISH IT OUT

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MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

T

CARLA WIT FORD

Big 12 Tailgate Chef ’s Challenge

he Big 12 brings a welcome southern plains influence into all our lives. In fall 2017, Morgantown challenged some of our favorite restaurants around town to craft tailgate dishes that celebrate the five Big 12 states. We tailgated with all of the dishes before the Oklahoma State game and took votes on the favorite.

Here are their recipes—try them for your next tailgate.

DISH IT OUT Chicharrones, pork rinds, cracklins—no food could be more appropriate for football than crispy pig skins. A variety of roasted vegetables and a piquante salsa verde made Hill & Hollow’s presentation pretty and tasty.

OKLAHOMA

FA

N

TE

1 BIG 2 FAVORI

It’s no surprise Oliverio’s Mountaineer Mac & Cheese was the favorite at our Big 12 Tailgate Chef’s Challenge. Tender brisket and a creamy cheese sauce—another helping, please.

Hill & Hollow DISHES IT OUT

CHICHARRONES WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES AND SALSA VERDE

WEST VIRGINIA

FOR THE ROASTED VEGETABLES

Cherry tomatoes Serrano peppers Jalapeño peppers Olive oil Good quality ready-made cracklins or pork rinds, or rendered pork skin from a butcher FOR THE SALSA VERDE

2 cups of tomatillos 1 cup cooked lima beans Juice from two lemons Large sprig of cilantro Jalapeño peppers to taste: 1 for mild, 6 to 8 for really spicy A fat pinch of sea salt FOR GARNISH

Plain or smoked cheddar or Mexican queso Chihuahua, shredded Chopped scallions Preheat oven to 500˚. Toss the vegetables, including tomatillos, in oil, then roast until charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

If you’re preparing the pork rinds yourself, cut them into strips and deep fry: 2 to 3 minutes for cracklins or 5 to 6 minutes to puff them all the way up. Remove from oil, drain, and cool.

CARLA WIT FORD

Combine salsa ingredients in blender and pulse to desired texture.

Arrange chicharrones on a platter. Top with roasted vegetables, shredded cheese, and chopped scallions. Serve with salsa verde.

Oliverio's on the Wharf DISHES IT OUT

MOUNTAINEER MAC & CHEESE ¼ cup butter 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 2½ quarts heavy cream 1 cup each cheddar and white American cheeses, shredded 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, divided 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon white pepper 2 pounds cooked cavatappi, penne, or noodle of choice 2 pounds slow-roasted brisket, pulled 1 tablespoon horseradish (optional) Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large, heavy pot on medium heat, combine butter and green onion until tender and aromatic, then add garlic and stir. Pour in heavy cream, reduce heat to low, and stir until warm. Add cheddar and American cheeses, continuing to stir until cheeses are melted.

Add 3/4 cup grated parmesan and stir. Add salt and white pepper, remove from heat, and continue to stir. More parmesan may be added to reach desired thickness.

Place cooked and cooled pasta in a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour desired amount of cheese sauce over pasta and stir. Fold in desired amount of pulled brisket to noodles and cheese. More sauce, salt, or pepper may be added to taste. Sprinkle top with remaining grated parmesan and optional horseradish.

Bake until bubbling and golden brown.

Yield: 20 servings

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DISH IT OUT

TEXAS

Black Bear Burritos DISHES IT OUT

TAILGATE TACOS TEXAS-STYLE IOWA

River Birch Cafe DISHES IT OUT

CYCLONE PASTA SALAD

2 pounds rotini or penne 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered 1 medium cucumber, diced 2 yellow bell peppers, diced ½ cup cilantro, chopped ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 cups Italian dressing 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled Boil pasta according to directions on box. While it’s cooking, mix all other ingredients but dressing and cheese in a large bowl. Drain pasta and, when it’s cooled, combine into mixed ingredients, stirring dressing and cheese in last.

Refrigerate at least one hour to meld flavors; adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Yield: 16–20 servings

44

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

FOR THE BRISKET

6-pound brisket ⅛ cup kosher salt 1½ tablespoons black pepper ½ tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

FOR THE LONE STAR HOT BBQ SAUCE

4 tablespoons butter 1 small yellow onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, roasted until dark brown, smashed 1 habanero, roasted and seeded 1½ cups ketchup 2 tablespoons yellow mustard 1/ cup molasses 3 ¼ cup brown sugar FOR ASSEMBLY

24 warmed flour taco shells 24 ounces shredded Longhorn or sharp cheddar cheese 24 fried eggs

1 tablespoon roasted red pepper flakes 1/ cup apple cider 3 1 tablespoon chili powder ¼ tablespoon salt ¼ tablespoon black pepper ¼ tablespoon cayenne ½ bottle Lone Star or Bud heavy beer

Pulled brisket Lone Star Hot BBQ Sauce Pork cracklins (optional)

Night before: Trim brisket fat cap to about ¼ inch. Coat brisket with salt, wrap in foil or large sealable plastic bag, rest overnight in refrigerator.

Day of: Mix remaining seasoning, coat brisket. Preheat smoker to 225°. Place brisket over water pan. Smoke 3 hours over constant smoke—do not let water pan dry out. Flip brisket, smoke 1 additional hour. When temperature is between 150° and 170°, wrap TIGHTLY with foil, place back in smoker until internal temperature is 195°. Pull brisket from smoker, keep wrapped in foil, and place in an empty cooler lined with towels. Let rest one hour before pulling.

While the brisket is cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine butter, onion, and salt and pepper in large saucepan and saute until onions are translucent. Add beer, reduce by half. Add remaining ingredients and cook until thickened slightly—it will thicken more once cooled. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Assemble tacos. For added crispiness, place a couple strips of pork cracklins on each taco.

Yield: 24 tacos

CARLA WIT FORD

The pepper and tomatoes in River Birch Cafe’s pasta salad give it the gold and burnt cardinal colors of the Iowa State Cyclones.

DISH IT OUT

KANSAS

Atomic Grill DISHES IT OUT

SUNFLOWER STATE

BBQ SAUCE STAGE 1

Barq’s Root Beer Orange Juice Apple cider vinegar Gluten-free beer

HOME STATE SWEETS Whether you’re celebrating on the pavement or in your own backyard, Mountaineer-themed sweets from Bonnie Belle’s Pastries will make your tailgate spread the envy of the neighborhood. They taste great, too.

Mountaineer Cup-A-Cakes

STAGE 2

Brown sugar Onion powder Kosher salt Ground black pepper Sugar Garlic powder Crushed red pepper flakes STAGE 3

If you don’t have a smoker, cook a brisket your favorite way and dress your tacos in this spicy Texas-tribute BBQ sauce from Black Bear Burritos.

We’ve all grown to love barbeque even more since Kansas came into our lives.

Atomic Grill shared the ingredients and method for its signature BBQ sauce— they left all of us to experiment with only the measures for the sauce that wins Best of Morgantown year after year.

Ketchup Applesauce

Blue and Gold Petit Fours

In a heavy bottom pan, bring Stage 1 ingredients to a boil. Reduce by half. Add Stage 2 Ingredients, bring back to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 30 minutes. Add Stage 3 ingredients, cook down for 4 hours, until thick. Remove from heat and place in an ice bath. Stir every hour until cool.

Flying WV Cookies

1520 Buckhannon Pike, Nutter Fort, 304.622.7471; 20 Shaner Drive, Bridgeport, 304. 848.1100; bonniebellespastries.com

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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CHAR-GRILLED SRIRACHA GOODNESS! Morgantown, WV 1002 Suncrest Towne Centre 304-777-4749

Open Daily for Lunch & Dinner! www.PIESandPINTS.net

THE BLACK LOT A different party every game-day weekend. written by Pam Kasey | photographed by Zack Harold and Carla Witt Ford

RVers are the all-in fans of Mountaineerdom.

Not content to make just a day of a game, not willing to worry about hotel availability, they drive their beds to Morgantown with them. And their kitchens. And their front porches.

They are the hosts of the two-day tailgate.

Lots where these pavement partiers have paid many hundreds of dollars for season permits—Blue, Light Blue, Red, and Green—become their own neighborhoods, some with little turnover from season to season.

But the Black Lot beside the Coliseum—$80 for a singlegame pass—is a different party every game-day weekend.

Zealous fans who bought their RVs just for this purpose unfurl their outdoor rugs beside longtime KOAers who trundle into town once every few years. The rumble of generators competes with the Pride of West Virginia’s Friday evening marching practice, exhaust mingles with the scents of grilling steaks and shrimp, and temporary neighbors challenge each other to games of cornhole into the night.

The 109 RVs chocked here for the September 22 Kansas State game was a Black Lot record. Morgantown magazine dropped by before the Youngstown State and Kansas State games to meet some of these mobile Mountaineers.

A cornhole in one.

48

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

Terry & Joe Gilbert Terry Gilbert and her husband, Joe, have been driving from Orlean, Virginia, to attend WVU football games since their daughter started school here in 2009. “When we first came here we said, ‘It’s like a family,’” Gilbert says. “The school, the campus, the people—it’s no lie.” The drive takes them about four hours—the opening of Corridor H has saved them an hour and a half over the earlier drive time.

How much have these “East Virginians” become Mountaineers? “Our 4-yearold granddaughter can sing ‘Country Roads,’” Gilbert says.

The Gilberts used to tailgate in the Blue Lot, then the Purple Lot. This is their first year in the Black Lot. “We’re moving up in the world,” Joe Gilbert jokes. They like to drive in on Friday morning and take time Friday

Brian Hoban & Rosenberth Lopez

afternoon for a bike ride on the Mon River rail-trail.

The evening before the September 8 game against Youngstown State, they were cooking Asian chicken thighs with broccoli for dinner on

their pull-out kitchen, with their “special secret spinach salad.” They both laughed at that. Inside joke.

When it rained as we were walking around meeting RVers, they loaned us an umbrella. Thanks, Gilberts!

Keyser native Brian Hoban graduated from WVU at Potomac State in Keyser, and his youngest daughter recently graduated from WVU in Morgantown.

Rosenberth Lopez is dating Hoban’s eldest daughter, and he hung out in the Black Lot with Hoban Friday night before the Youngstown State game.

Hoban’s been coming to Morgantown to watch the Mountaineers his whole life.

He used to set up in the Blue Lot and drive home after the game. He hated the traffic.

Now he’s in his second year kicking back in the Black Lot with his Fleetwood Bounder motorhome. “No traffic in and out,” he says. “Makes it more relaxed.”

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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bruce fowler Bruce Fowler grew up in Charleston and attended Fairmont State. He almost became a graduate student at WVU but, by the time things were falling into place for that, he’d moved to Charleston instead. His first WVU football game was against the University of Kentucky in the late 1960s, when he was a junior in high school. But he’d already been a Mountaineers fan for years by then—he’d seen Jerry West play basketball at the Charleston Civic Center when he was 5.

Fowler remembers when I-79 opened between Charleston and Morgantown— he and a friend drove up in his friend’s red Corvette in a very quick two and a half hours. He used to stay in motels when he came to WVU games. After that, he had a smaller RV. He says the one he has now is the biggest one he’s going to get. We’ll see.

Russ Hagy 1980 alum Russ Hagy drove in from Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his brand new TAG teardrop trailer for the September 22 game against Kansas State.

His trailer is pretty much all bed inside, with air conditioning and a flat screen TV. Out back—get it?—it opens into a surprisingly complete little kitchen.

Hagy is loving life.

50

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

Tim & Steven Cowie Suzy Stafford Suzy Stafford graduated from WVU and has two sons attending WVU. Her friend Anita Morgan has a granddaughter here, and the Youngstown State game was Morgan’s first tailgate. The friends drove up from Oceana, in southern West Virginia, for the game—about a fourhour drive. Stafford used to stay in hotels game-day weekends but, three years ago, she bought her 30-foot

Palomino Puma travel trailer. She stores the RV in town and doesn’t have to deal with hotels anymore. “Saves money, more convenient, more fun,” she says.

If the Youngstown State and Kansas State games are an indication, Stafford brings blueberry and banana-pineapple Jell-O shooters made with Myers’s rum every time. They’re tasty—we know, because she shared. It’s her tradition to grill steaks on Friday as a treat for her sons. The night before Youngstown State, she also cooked shrimp and garlic bread and served a salad.

Steven Cowie is a senior in accounting, and it’s hard to imagine a prouder Mountaineer—he’s only missed two home games his entire time in school. “I live and breathe this university,” he says.

His father, Tim, is from Charleston, and he’s been a Mountaineer fan his whole life. They made a father-son weekend of the Youngstown State game. Their Friday night feast included a Morgantown favorite—chicken wings from Mario’s— and they were looking forward to a gourmet game-day breakfast of biscuits and sausage.

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A Morgantown Gem

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“We

are in the business of making people happy,” says Tom Licciardi, owner of Jacqueline’s Fine Jewelry. “So shopping for jewelry should be fun. We aren’t aggressive sales people. We are like family and we treat our customers like family.”

And when Licciardi says that, he means it. His longest employee is his mother. Even the jewelry store itself is named after a family member—Licciardi’s aunt Jacqueline. This family-owned and -operated store prides itself on creating a comfortable, laid-back atmosphere paired with highly trained professionals that can help anyone who walks through the door find what they are looking for.

Licciardi himself worked in the wholesale jewelry business in Las Vegas for many years before returning home.

“We have an incredible team—the best customer service in the region,” says Licciardi. “If you have a question or a request, we can help you.”

Jacqueline’s offers many lines of jewelry, such as Gurhan, Roberto Coin, and

Stephen Webster, that are exclusive to the region, if not West Virginia. “I travel all over trying to find new brands and unique gems that we can bring back that Morgantown hasn’t seen before,” Licciardi says. When curating a new collection, he focuses on the quality of the gemstone.

“I look for pieces that are well made and finished by hand. The quality of design and workmanship is very important.”

National jewelry chain stores have the same exact items in every location, but this local establishment has one-of-a-kind pieces that have gained it a reputation for stunning engagement rings, bands, and bridal jewelry. If you purchase from Jacqueline’s, you won’t run into someone else wearing the same ring.

Jacqueline’s also has a large selection of watches, including the Breitling, Tag Heuer, and Towson Watch Co. brands.

The shop also stocks jewelry at all price points. And check out their many unique gift items, notably, a collection of William Henry pocket knives made from unusual materials such as dinosaur bones and woolly mammoth tusks. And if you are looking for an elegant wedding gift, you can also order china and silver patterns or find items like cheese platters,

Tom Licciardi, owner of Jacqueline’s Fine Jewelry, offers customers a relaxed browsing experience with knowledgeable, personalized service.

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Jacqueline’s will help you get it right and score some serious sentimental points.

for her

This classic diamond cluster necklace comes in five sizes to suit anyone’s taste. From a casual day around town to an elegant evening, the versatility of this piece will quickly make it her go-to.

Stackable bracelets can be mixed and matched to create a custom look and to match any outfit.

An essential for the fashion-forward lady.

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William Henry hand crafts collectible knives, pens, cufflinks, and jewelry in the U.S.A. Featuring D amascus steel blades and a variety of rare inlays, these limited-edition pieces are sure to be the star of anyone’s collection.

With the largest selection of watches in West Virginia, Jacqueline’s has something for every wrist. The Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 01 is always a favorite.

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Jacqueline's offers the perfect gifts for party hosts, grads, and newlyweds. Michael Aram handcrafted items range from candles and napkin holders to sculptures and furniture.

candlesticks, and sterling silver picture frames. You can even personalize your items—whether you bought them at Jacqueline’s or not—with their full engraving services.

Jacqueline’s has also become the go-to spot in town for custom jewelry design. If you have a collection of gemstones, the staff can design a piece and show you a 3D rendering. Or peruse their large loose diamond and gemstone collection and design your own unique piece.

Licciardi takes pride not only in the quality of Jacqueline’s jewelry, but also in the quality of their service. He says, “Each customer is a part of our family.

We get to know our customers, and we ask important questions that will help them identify the perfect piece.

Questions like, ‘Is this a ring for a nurse who is pulling gloves on and off all day?’

If so, you’ll want to keep it low profile and avoid sharp edges. ‘Does he work in the construction field?’ Then you’ll want to avoid something that can’t be removed in the event of an emergency. ‘Does she have an active lifestyle?’ Then avoid soft stones like emeralds or tanzanite, because they’ll chip. By getting to know our customers, we can ensure that the piece they are purchasing will be perfect for their loved one.”

To better serve their clientele, Jacqueline’s is growing into a second location, in Uniontown. Opening in early November, this second store will introduce a new interior concept. “We are excited to open this new location with a new non-traditional look and feel,” says Licciardi. “But we will still have the same great customer service.”

1070 Suncrest Towne Centre Morgantown, 304.599.6981 30 South Mt.Vernon Avenue Uniontown, PA

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Attentive and very customer focused. Always a great experience from the time you walk in the door, and their products are of exceptional quality.” — JARED SEATON, Google Review

Where are the County Seats?

A backgrounder on public sitting in Morgantown. written and photographed by Pam

Kasey

P

icture a downtown bench.

A bench on a sidewalk.

Maybe it sits in the midday shade of a tree—a place a person might stop to sip a coffee, chat on the phone with a friend, tie a shoe.

Such a simple pleasure, a bench.

It can also be very complicated.

If you’ve noticed a lack of benches in downtown Morgantown, that’s not an oversight. Talk about seating, it turns out, can quickly devolve to awkward conversations about panhandling and vagrancy. Downtown’s benchlessness is the result of years of pessimistic thinking on the parts of both city and county leadership—a defeatist response to issues cities everywhere face.

It’s been a foot-weary time in Morgantown, to be sure. But that’s about to change.

Getting to the bottom of it Visitors to the refreshed courthouse square, dedicated in May, enjoy the artful celebration of our history, our geography, and our veterans—all while standing.

This was the design preference of the Monongalia County Commission.

“When I came on the commission, the commissioners were adamantly opposed to any sort of benches,” says Tom Bloom, elected to the commission in 2012. “I wanted benches. But the more I saw what they were talking about, I saw that they were correct.”

People who complain that there are no benches don’t know the whole story, Bloom says. “They don’t see the problems the benches cause at certain times of day.

In the evenings, for example, workers in the courthouse would go out and be confronted and harassed on a daily basis by people hanging out in the square. It

became a concern for safety when they were leaving work.”

Complaints about benches—loitering, harassment—are a symptom of a deepseated problem, in Bloom’s mind. “The reason people think we have a lot of homeless, which we really don’t, is because there aren’t a lot of other people downtown at certain hours. We need to resolve the true thing that’s causing that impression, which is that we need more people downtown, especially 4 to 8 p.m.—we need shops, we need a grocery store, we need more events.”

Benches, Bloom says cheekily, are the last step. “If we had all these people coming downtown and didn’t have enough benches, that would be a good problem. Putting benches in now is assbackwards.” The county commission updated the courthouse square for the safety and enjoyment of the public, but MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

57

felt the time was not right to include benches. “We have spaces available if we want to add them at a later date.”

Butt out The county commission’s anti-bench sentiment is in line with some other cities’ struggles to minimize loitering and all that can come with it. Street seating has disappeared in recent years in parts of Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and other places, according to urban design news outlet CityLab. Not everyone sees eliminating benches as the best approach.

“It sends a message of fear,” Ethan Kent, senior vice president of the nonprofit Project for Public Spaces, told CityLab last fall. The most effective way to deal with undesirable activity, Kent said, is to make a place friendlier and more inviting for everyone else.

“The bench becomes the battle line, the turning point for cities either welcoming people or designing out of fear.”

It also becomes a gauge of a community’s attitudes: its tolerance for loitering and panhandling, which are completely legal, and its willingness to 58

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

crack down on aggressive solicitation, which has been a fineable offense in Morgantown since 2012.

Sit city City leadership, for its part, is scooching over to Kent’s view.

“We’ve received numerous complaints from people who want to sit,” says longtime Morgantown City Council member Jenny Selin. “They want to sit for their lunch, watch people go by, feel at home in their downtown.”

A healthy downtown, she says, has lots of seating. “It’s considered welcoming and useful to have places to sit. The way you do that is to have lots of benches all over downtown, so whoever wants to sit downtown has a place. Seating for all.”

Where the city has removed seating in the past—Wall Street between High and Spruce, for example—it was because it was poorly placed. “That bench was in an alley, and it was too tight when you had a bunch of people congregating around the bench. It made people who wanted to pass by there uncomfortable.

Benches need to be placed carefully.”

Downtown benches are part of the “third place” in community building, says City Manager Paul Brake. “‘First place’ is our home, ‘second place’ is where we work, but ‘third place’ is places that we choose to visit, hang out, have that experienced connection with the community.” Benches contribute to that. And in Brake’s observation, a small amount of loitering doesn’t necessarily turn people off. “I was on vacation recently in Santa Monica, a beautiful suburb outside of Los Angeles. Lot of hustle and bustle and also vagrants and loitering. But it didn’t discourage anyone from being in the downtown area.”

While Bloom wants to see more kinds of businesses and activities downtown before the county would install benches, Selin thinks the many people who visit the downtown we have now would appreciate seating. “We have specialty stores, gift shops, clothing stores—we still have a lot of retail. We also have late-night bars and other venues, we have restaurants, we have significant offices, legal and other offices, and our court system and municipal system. And the library. And all of that brings a lot of people downtown who might want to sit and wait for an appointment or stop and eat an ice cream.”

While she acknowledges that the addition of a department store or a music or bookstore might draw a different set of shoppers and diners downtown at a different time of day, Brake says the developer behind any such enterprise would have to approach the city—the city doesn’t have a person whose job it is to recruit businesses.

What the city can do, he says, channeling Kent, is work to make the downtown welcoming. He notes the city’s recent upgrade to LED streetlights downtown and a facade improvement program on offer now in conjunction with Main Street Morgantown. He also mentions the tax credit city council passed last winter for anyone who would make an investment of $5 million or more—though many have noted that that would be an extraordinarily large investment for Morgantown.

Hindquarters headquarters And he cites benches.

Bolstered by positive experience with the bench-height walls included in the 2016 renovation of the Public Safety Building plaza—people sit on those all the time—the city applied for and received a grant from the AARP over the summer to place nine benches downtown. The benches the city had ordered at the time this publication went to print are up to eight feet long with armrests at the ends, for comfort, and central armrests to encourage sitting— not lying.

Selin expects that it may not go perfectly.

“There probably will be some issues where people congregate, like a large number of people in an area. There may be issues with aggressive panhandling.

Some of that we can handle with policing, and some we’ll probably handle by moving benches. We’re going to have to figure out how to address those problems appropriately and separately, because each issue has its own set of solutions.”

The placement of the benches hadn’t yet been decided in September, according to city spokesman Andrew Stacy, but most would likely be placed on High Street with possibly at least one on Pleasant. They’re scheduled to be installed in December.

There Ain't No Public Seating on the Courthouse Square These Days

By Morgantown musician Chris Haddox I went down to the courthouse To rest my bones a while Catch up with my friends Maybe find a little smile I heard they’d polished up the square I heard it looked real neat I looked up, down, everywhere But I could not find a seat ’Cause there ain’t no public seating On the courthouse square these days They cut down all the big trees Got rid of all the shade Seems the singers and the lingerers Were gettin’ in the way And there ain’t no public seating On the courthouse square these days.

...

Now I don’t have much money But what I have I share I’ll make a contribution to A fund to buy some chairs This new design is nice enough But it seems they took a broom And swept out all the stuff they didn’t Want in the living room There ain’t no public seating On the courthouse square these days They cut down all the big trees Got rid of all the shade Seems the singers and the lingerers Were gettin’ in the way And there ain’t no public seating On the courthouse square these days. goo.gl/egVgCQ

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Your local guide to life, art, culture, & more OCT–DEC 18

OCTOBER 5 WVU Homecoming Parade High Street, Fri. 6:30 p.m.

Best chance to see the Pride of West Virginia up close.

WVU Women’s Soccer vs. Baylor Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Fri. 7 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers take on the Baylor Bears. $5 OCTOBER 6 Morgantown Farmers Market Market Place pavilion, Spruce Street, Sat. 8:30 a.m.–noon, morgantownfarmersmarket.org Local produce, fresh breads, meats, cheeses, crafts, and more Saturdays through November, when winter market kicks in.

Women of Appalachia Speak WVU Downtown Library, Sat. 1–3 p.m. womenofappalachia.com Spoken-word artists—poets, storytellers, and musicians—living in or connected with Appalachia will perform their works. Free Women of Appalachia Project Art Exhibition Opening Reception Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High Street, Sat. 6–8 p.m., womenofappalachia.com 10th Annual exhibition featuring female artists living in or with strong ties to Appalachia from across Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Many of the artists will be on hand at the reception. The exhibition will be on display at the MAC until October 27. Free Mountaineers Football vs. Kansas Mountaineer Field, Sat. time TBA, wvusports.com Cheer the WVU Mountaineers on for homecoming as they take on the Kansas Jayhawks.

OCTOBER 7 Tenth annual Fall Children’s Festival West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Sun. 1–4 p.m., wvbg.org Fairy house building, pumpkin painting, crafts, special guests, and seasonal refreshments. All ages. Free; donations encouraged WVU Women’s Soccer vs. Texas Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Sun. 1 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers take on the Longhorns.

Dollar Day: $1

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PHOTO CREDIT

October

OCTOBER 14 Five Sax has been called one of the craziest and most exciting saxophone ensembles in the world.

It got its start on the streets of Vienna in 2012—running from police, surviving freezing temperatures, dealing with angry shopkeepers. Its current choreographed performance ranges from the Mediterranean to Brazil to Hollywood and is packed with surprises. $35, students and seniors $30 The Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center, 444 West Pike Street, Clarksburg, Sun. 2 p.m.

304.624.1500, therobinsongrand.com

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo: A Very Intimate Acoustic Evening WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Sun. 7:30 p.m, 304.293.7469, events.wvu.edu Pat Benatar’s staggering vocal range and Neil Giraldo’s trailblazing artistry as a guitarist, producer, songwriter, and arranger created some of rock’s most memorable hits, including the signature “Promises in The Dark.”

More than 30 million albums sold and an unprecedented four consecutive Grammys. $54 and up; students $39 OCTOBER 10 WVU Festival of Ideas: Rebuilding America Through Civility and Civic Engagement WVU Mountainlair Ballrooms, Wed. 7:30 p.m. festivalofideas.wvu.edu Called “one of the stars of his generation” by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman writes a weekly column for Bloomberg News, specializing in realtime analysis of today’s big legal cases. Free OCTOBER 11 Tabletop Game Night Morgantown Public Library, 373 Spruce Street Thursdays 4:30–8 p.m., morgantown.lib.wv.us Board games, Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and more. Free

OCTOBER 13 NEARBY Fall Craft Show and Festival 18 Q Road, Arthurdale, Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. arthurdaleheritage.org Hay rides, ghost stories, demonstrations by the Appalachian Blacksmiths, and handmade items from West Virginia artisans. Free; donations appreciated

OCTOBER 14 Birders Walk West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road Sun. 10 a.m., wvbg.org Its never too early to become a birder. This walk will introduce children of all ages and their parents to the wonder of birds and bird watching. Take binoculars and a bird guide if you have them. Led by Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia Director Katie Fallon. All ages. Free.

West Virginia Women’s Extravaganza Mylan Park Ruby Community Center, Sun. 11 a.m.–4 p.m., wvwomensexpo.com More than 100 vendor booths, arts and crafts corner, health screenings, and wine and chocolate tasting, plus free massages, makeovers, and manicures and a silent auction.

Prizes include lottery tickets, a getaway weekend, and a $1,000 gift basket. $9

COURTESY OF WVU COLLEGE OF CREATIVE ARTS CURIOSITY SERIES

OCTOBER 23 The International Bluegrass Music Association’s most awarded Male Vocalist of the Year, Russell Moore, is at the top of his game. Fronting one of the most popular bands in bluegrass history, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out are also one of the genre’s most awarded and influential groups in modern-day bluegrass. $20 WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Tues. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu OCTOBER 18–21 The Diary of Anne Frank Metropolitan Theatre, 371 High Street, Thurs.– Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., theatre.wvu.edu Newly discovered writings from the diary of Anne Frank and survivor accounts are interwoven to create a contemporary impassioned story of the lives of people persecuted under Nazi rule in this gripping new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman, from the original stage play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. $11–$21 OCTOBER 19 West Virginia Symphony Orchestra with Lee Greenwood: Salute to America WVU Creative Arts Center, One Fine Arts Drive Fri. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood is best known for his patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA,” a three-time Top 5 country single. Greenwood joins the WVSO for the evening. $39 and up WORTH THE DRIVE Soul Inscribed Bridgeport Conference Center, I-79 Exit 124, Bridgeport, 7 p.m., 304.808.3000 wvjazzsociety.com West Virginia Jazz Society favorite Sean Nowell returns with New York City’s Soul Inscribed. $20

OCTOBER 20 Walk for Wishes WVU Student Rec Center, Sat., registration 9 a.m., walk 10 a.m., walkforwisheswv.com Run or walk the family-friendly course. Sponsored

by Generation Morgantown in conjunction with Make-A-Wish. Register online; free Out of the Darkness Morgantown Community Walk WVU Coliseum, Sat. 10:30 a.m., 304.381.4831 afsp.org/morgantown Raise money to fund advocacy, survivor support, and education about suicide. Supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s local and national education and advocacy and its goal to reduce the suicide rate 20 percent by 2025.

Landscape Painting with Watercolors West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Sat. 1 p.m., wvbg.org With a focus on process and self-expression, learn how to choose a subject, make preliminary sketches, and create a watercolor painting. West Virginia artist John C. Clovis will demonstrate techniques and offer one-to-one guidance. Intermediate skill level, ages 16+. $55, members $40

Halloween Drag Show Mainstage Morgantown, 444 Chestnut Street Thurs. 9 p.m., mainstagewv.com Hosted by Molly Belle Cummings. Costume contest. 18+. $5 OCTOBER 27

Honda Raffle benefiting SteppingStones Mylan Park Event Center, Sat. 6–9 p.m.

304.983.7837, steppingstoneswv.org In celebration of its new dealership at The Gateway, Joe Romeo’s I-79 Honda is raffling two new Honda vehicles. Cash and prizes will be given away every 15 minutes. Proceeds benefit SteppingStones of Morgantown. Tickets $50 each

Hops on the Mon Ruby Community Center at Mylan Park, 111 Mylan Park Lane, Sat. 2–7 p.m. hopsonthemon.com Sample more than 175 offerings from 70-plus local, regional, national, and international breweries. Food vendors, plus help choose the winner of our Motown Taco Throwdown and the best brewery—recipient of the Hops Cup for 2018. $45; designated driver $20

OCTOBER 22

OCTOBER 28

“Double Vision” WVU Downtown Library Milano Reading Room Mon. 7 p.m., humanitiescenter.wvu.edu/events A talk by WVU Writer-in-residence Ann Pancake. Free

The Wizard of Oz WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive, Sun. 6 p.m., events.wvu.edu The entire family will be captivated as they travel down the yellow brick road and beyond with Dorothy, Toto, and their friends the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow. Don’t miss the chance to travel “over the rainbow” and experience this national treasure on stage. $49 and up

OCTOBER 24–27, OCTOBER 29–NOVEMBER 3 Early Voting Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Greenbag Road, and Westover Community Building, 399 Crowl Street, Westover, Mon.–Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. monongaliacountyclerk.com Vote early and avoid the rush. Sample ballots on county clerk’s website. Take your student ID card, driver’s license, or other current form of identification.

OCTOBER 25 WVU Women’s Soccer vs. Kansas Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Thurs. 7 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers take on the Jayhawks. $5 Mountaineers Football vs. Baylor Mountaineer Field, Thurs. 7 p.m. wvusports.com Cheer the WVU Mountaineers on as they take on the Baylor Bears. The game will air on FS1.

OCTOBER 31 Trick or Treat Wed. 6–8 p.m.

November NOVEMBER 1–4 AND 8–10 Next to Normal Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High Street Thurs.—Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., 304.292.3325 monartscenter.com A mother struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that her illness and its management have on her family. This haunting and darkly funny musical addresses issues MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

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COURTESY OF METROPOLITAN THEATRE

of suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life—all set to a soaring and heart-wrenching score. $15 NOVEMBER 6 Election Day Your polling place, Tues. 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. monongaliacountyclerk.com Last chance to be heard in this midterm election. Check the website for your polling place. Remember to take your ID. Doyle 123 Pleasant Street, Tues. 7 p.m.

304.292.0800, 123pleasantstreet.com With Ghost Road and Children of October. $13 The Simon & Garfunkel Story WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Tues. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu This immersive concert-style show chronicles the journey shared by the folk-rock duo. Huge projection photos, original film footage, and a full live band with all the hits. $39 and up NOVEMBER 8 WVU Festival of Ideas: Hate: Why We Should Resist it with Free Speech, Not Censorship WVU Mountainlair ballrooms, Thurs. 7:30 p.m. festivalofideas.wvu.edu Nadine Strossen expertly dissects Constitutional law to stimulate thoughtful consideration of democratic ideals. She explains the context behind policies that curtail civil liberties such as freedom of speech. Free NOVEMBER 9 Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Metropolitan Theatre, 371 High Street, Fri. 8 p.m., morgantownmet.com Don’t miss this multi-platinum artist. $38–$58 NOVEMBER 9–11 AND 16–18 A Midsummer Night’s Dream MT Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., 304.284.0049 mtpocketstheatre.com The classic Shakespeare play.

NOVEMBER 10 Mountaineers Football vs. TCU Mountaineer Field, Sat. Time TBD. wvusports.com The Mountaineers take on the Horned Frogs.

NOVEMBER 12–17 BOM Challenge Week All over town, morgantownmag.com Check our Food + Drink finalist list, find something you’ve never tried, then visit before you vote November 19–December 10.

NOVEMBER 15–16, 27–30, DECEMBER 1–2 Cloud 9 WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive 62

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018

NOVEMBER 17 Steven Van Zandt—Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band—is touring with his band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul to benefit The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s TeachRock program. TeachRock creates educational materials that use the history of popular music to create engaging, multicultural lesson plans for history, social studies, language arts, music, and science classrooms, all available to educators at no cost. $25 and up Metropolitan Theatre, 371 High Street, Sat. 8 p.m., morgantownmet.com

7:30 p.m. except Sun. 2 p.m., theatre.wvu.edu Past meets present in this mixed-up satire about sexual and gender politics, identity, and repression. The play examines sexuality and gender through the lenses of British Colonial Africa and 1970s London. Four decades after its premiere, Cloud 9 still resonates when it comes to sexual politics. $17–$22 NOVEMBER 17 Owl Walk West Virginia Botanic Garden, Sat. 7 p.m., wvbg.org Learn to identify owls on sight or by calls. Led

by Mountaineer Audubon field trip coordinator David Daniels. Wear warm clothing and walking shoes and take a flashlight. Free for WVBG and Audubon members, $15 for non-members NOVEMBER 23 Mountaineers Football vs. Oklahoma Mountaineer Field, Fri. 8 p.m., wvusports.com Cheer on the WVU Mountaineers as they face the Sooners. Airs on ESPN.

NOVEMBER 25 AND DECEMBER 2 The World War II Radio Christmas: A Live Radio Play MT Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Suns.

2 p.m., 304.284.0049, mtpocketstheatre.com Attend a recording of a 1940s radio show broadcast on Christmas Eve during World War II. Period songs and stories inspired by actual veterans transport the audience to another time, brought to you by sponsors like Vaseline Hair Tonic. This play is a reminder of the importance of coming together for the holidays. Ticket price TBA NOVEMBER 26 Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Mon. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu The beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family once again thrills audiences with its Tony-, Grammy-, and Academy Award–winning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss” and the title song. The film version marked its 50th anniversary in 2015. $49 and up

COURTESY OF MOSCOW BALLET

DECEMBER 4 Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker “Dove of Peace Tour” is the perfect start to the holiday season. Forty classically trained dancers deliver an unforgettable performance set to Tchaikovsky’s complete score. In the second act, a unique two-performer Dove of Peace with a breathtaking 20-foot wing span takes Masha (Clara) on a worldwide journey in search of peace and harmony. Hand-painted sets and lavish costumes add wonder to an experience The New York Times says leaves kids “wide-eyed with delight!” $50 and up WVU Creative Arts Center, One Fine Arts Drive, Tues. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu

NOVEMBER 27 “Why Race Still Matters” Location TBA, Tues. 7 p.m. humanitiescenter.wvu.edu/events A talk by George Yancy, professor of philosophy at Emory University in Atlanta Georgia and editor of Lexington Books’ “Philosophy of Race” book series.

Sponsored by WVU’s Humanities Center. Free NOVEMBER 30 AND DECEMBER 1 Semi-Annual Pottery Sale WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Fri. 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Pieces from students in the nationally recognized Ceramics Program in WVU’s School of Art and Design make great gifts.

December DECEMBER 6 WVU Festival of Ideas: WVU Presidents Panel WVU Mountainlair ballrooms, Thurs. 3 p.m. festivalofideas.wvu.edu WVU President Gordon Gee will welcome former WVU presidents for a wide-ranging discussion about the future of higher education. Featuring a panel with a wealth of

leadership experience around the country, this discussion will provide a fascinating look at changes in higher education and how WVU fits into this landscape. Free

George Bailey wishes he had never been born.

When his guardian angel grants his wish, the consequences are devastating. It’s a Wonderful Life reminds us of the great value of each human life. $10 and up

DECEMBER 7–9 AND 13–15

Upcoming

The Santaland Diaries and Season’s Greetings MT Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Thurs.–Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m.

304.284.0049, mtpocketstheatre.com Join MT Pockets for a heartwarming afternoon or evening of holiday-season theater. Check the website in November for show and ticket price details.

DECEMBER 8 NEARBY Feast of the Seven Fishes Corner of Monroe and Adams streets Fairmont, Sat. 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Celebrate the season Italian-style with this annual street fair. Live music, artisan market, authentic Italian cuisine.

DECEMBER 14–16 AND 19–20 It’s a Wonderful Life WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Fri. and Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., Wed. and Thurs. 7:30 p.m., wvpublictheatre.org

JANUARY 13 STOMP WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Sun. 6 p.m., events.wvu.edu This international percussion sensation has garnered armfuls of awards and rave reviews and has appeared on numerous national television shows. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments— matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps—to fill the stage with rhythm. $45 and up

Submit your event!

Send your events to place in our calendar to morgantown@newsouthmediainc.com with the subject line “calendar.”

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THEN & NOW & NOW Tibbs Run, a Deckers Creek tributary in the hills east of town, augmented the Mon River as drinking water supply for Morgantown from 1889 until 1970.

COURTESY OF MORG ANTO

WN UTILIT Y BOARD

NIKKI BOWMAN

The Cobun Creek Reservoir at White Park, formed by a 1958 dam, gradually took the job over.

The July 2018 groundbreaking for the coming George B. Flegal Dam and Reservoir included Flegal’s son and daughter-in-law, third and fourth from the left.

Big Dam Project Soon after the Morgantown Water Commission built the dam that created the Cobun Creek Reservoir in 1958, it took the prudent step of buying 100 acres farther up Cobun Creek in case a time should come when more water storage would be needed. Now is that time: Cobun Creek Reservoir holds just three days’ backup supply for the population served with drinking water by today’s Morgantown Utility Board.

In July, MUB broke ground on the George B. Flegal Dam and Reservoir, named for the man who spearheaded the purchase of the upstream land in 1960. Our headline is a

gratuitous pun, but the big new dam will be almost as tall as Woodburn Hall and a sixth of a mile long and will retain 370 million gallons of water—that’s five Coliseums full, or 30 days’ supply. After the reservoir is filled in 2020, Morgantown will be able to stay safely hydrated through a significant contaminant spill in the Monongahela River or an unusually long dry spell.

Then & Now is published in partnership with WVU Libraries’ West Virginia & Regional History Center. wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu

written by pam kasey 64

MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2018