HIT THE JIM
A downtown workout with a side of gritty charm.
TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM Get to know the human stories behind the Gothic facade.
OUR TOWN AS REFUGE Morgantown welcomes a Ugandan refugee.
A GUIDE TO
PLUS
celeb
Dia drating Muere los tos
volume 7
•
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 DESIGNER
Becky Moore, becky@newsouthmediainc.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Zack Harold, zack@newsouthmediainc.com OPERATIONS MANAGER
Allison Daugherty, allison@newsouthmediainc.com WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Julian Wyant, social@newsouthmediainc.com PHOTOGRAPHER
Carla Witt Ford, carla@newsouthmediainc.com INTERNS
Demi Fuentes Ramirez, Kristen Uppercue SALES DIRECTOR
Heather Mills Berardi, heather@newsouthmediainc.com CONTRIBUTORS
Jamie Lester, Eddie Maier, Bryn Perrott, Mikenna Pierotti, Jenny Wilson
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscription rate is $20 for 6 issues. Subscribe by calling 304.413.0104. EDITORIAL INQUIRIES
Unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted. Please send a query to morgantown@newsouthmediainc.com. SCENE SUBMISSIONS
Please send photos and event information for The Scene to morgantown@newsouthmediainc.com.
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
4
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
EDITOR’S NOTE
“It’s a Castor Bean Leaf, Idiot” Leaf, found window sash Early 2000s Artist: ???
I
of originality coming up to witness and participate in. One thing I hope you’ll do this fall is nominate your favorites on the first-round Best of Morgantown ballot. BOM grows and grows—now in our seventh year, we’re breaking 100 categories, with 101. Businesses tell us being named Best Of helps them grow, so use BOM to share the love and shape the business community you want. Submit your nominations on the form on page 21 or go to morgantownmag. com. Make 30 nominations or more, and you could win one of two pairs of tickets to see the Mountaineers take on the Texas Longhorns November 18 at Mountaineer Field. The art in town makes all our lives richer. So many artists helped out with our story on collecting: Sally Deskins, Gabe DeWitt, Lisa Giuliani, Jamie Lester, Eddie “Spaghetti” Maier, Bryn Perrott, Penelyn VanOrange, Jenny Wilson, and others. If you’re buying gifts this fall, think of them and all our artists and consider buying something local and unique.
bought my very first art in Morgantown years ago after I saw it hanging in the Blue Moose. It’s a big castor bean leaf spread out against the back side of an old window. Framed in broken green bottle glass, it has texture from a distance and also up close. I called the artist after I saw his work at the café and, at the end of his month-long show, he met me in the parking lot where the downtown post office is now to sell it to me. We weren’t very good at it. He didn’t know what to charge, so I named a price and he was happy with it—astounded, I actually suspected. I asked him to sign the frame, but I didn’t keep any notes, and now I realize his signature is illegible. That’s provenance, if a little blundered. It’s the origin of the Support the arts— piece, but it’s also a personal experience, a story that connects me with places and a person— something no mass-produced “art” can ever do. Indulging in original art makes me feel rich. If you haven’t indulged before, use our guide on page 48 to get started. PA M K ASEY, This issue of Morgantown turns Editor out to be all about creativity around town, from unusual kindnesses for people in need to innovative shops Follow us at . . . and restaurants to releases of a facebook.com/morgantownmagazine card game and a podcast and lots twitter.com/morgantownmag of exuberant theater. Just have a instagram.com/morgantownmag look at the calendar—there’s plenty
6
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
FROM OUR PERSONAL COLLECTIONS You can tell a lot about a person from the art they own. Here are some staff pieces. “I’ve been in love with jazz music since I was in eighth grade. So, for my birthday a few years back, my wife, Whitney, gave me this untitled oil painting from her college friend Kat Cumberledge. I like to stare at it while I’m listening to my Cannonball Adderley records.” —Zack “I love local, handmade jewelry. I spotted this at Artworks in Bridgeport when I first moved to Harrison County in 2008. Sterling silver butterfly beads subtly adorn the turquoise and fine wire design. I store all of my prized handcrafted pieces in their original boxes so I can remember where I got them.” —Heather
“Kirsten Medlock’s pottery is my first stop when I visit local festivals and craft fairs. Each piece is more unique and more colorful than the last. These mugs are a personal favorite.” —Allison
In This Issue
COURTESY OF EDDIE “SPAGHETTI” MAIER
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017
Art for Art’s Sake
Committed
Not sure how to get started collecting local, original art? Try our guide.
Historians tell the stories of the criminally insane at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
48
55 MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
9
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017
In This Issue 42 14
26
17 33
28 This Matters 14 Eat This Lefty’s Place schools us in why Detroit-style pizza is rectangular. 16 Love This A more comforting space for interviewing victims of violence. 17 Try This How to put your kids in a Rockwell-esque Santa photograph. 18 Watch This Fall brings lots of theater to Morgantown’s stages. 21 BOM 2018 It’s first-round nomination time. You can’t complain if you don’t vote! 23 Play This Check out the rowdy new card game from Morgantown’s Hot Cardigan Games.
10
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
26 Who’s This Morgantown welcomes a Ugandan refugee. 27 Support This Women United raises money for children’s literacy. 28 What’s This The wait for the new Marriott and its Bourbon Prime restaurant was worth it. 30 Shop This Vintage, steampunk, and shabby chic for your holiday gift list. 31 Smell This Try the handmade scented products from Penn & Company. 32 Know This Brush up on your Big 12 basics. 33 Hear This Catch up on Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders before the final episodes come out.
Departments 6 Editor’s Note 34 Dish It Out Artisanal grab-and-go on the rail-trail, from River Birch Cafe. 38 Road Rage The bumpy path to more and better sidewalks. 39 Across County Lines Where in the state to stop on the way to Mountaineer Field—or on the way home. 42 The U Paddling giant pumpkins in a river race? Mountaineer Week gets better and better. 45 Healthy Living You’ve had the quesadilla— now try Jim’s Gym in person. 59 Calendar 64 Then & Now
ON THE COVER Artist and Appalachian Gallery co-owner Penelyn VanOrange loaned us her pieces “Rosy Ember,” “Come to Take You Home,” and “Waiting for the Stars” for our cover, as well as a sugar skull she decorated, on the right. Alegria Ohlinger of Hill & Hollow shared her Dia de los Muertos figurines and the sugar skull in the center. Many thanks to both for being good sports.
12
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
EAT / LOVE / WEAR / SHOP / WATCH / KNOW / HEAR / READ / DO / WHO / WHAT
s M o l u e e d r tos a i D T
he Mexican Dia de los Muertos—Day of the Dead—is celebrated on October 31 and November 1 and 2. Families clean the graves of departed family members, decorate altars with toys, flowers, and favorite foods and candies of the deceased, and tell family anecdotes. Traditions at their most elaborate include parades and graveside picnics. Morgantown will celebrate Dia de los Muertos at Garcia’s Grill on Saturday, October 28, with a dinner of tamales, pan de muerto, flan, and more. “We make it affordable for families so people can bring their kids and learn about Day of the Dead,” says Jessica Garcia. Later in the evening, Garcia’s will hold its first Day of the Dead costume contest. “As long as people dress up as any Dia de los Muertos theme, they can join the contest.” Garcia’s will also sell sugar skulls and pan de muerto, and it’ll have specials on November 1. 226 High Street, 304.241.1871, “Garcia’s Grill at the Cue” on Facebook Marion & Alegria Ohlinger offered their first Dia de los Muertos dinner at their former Solera Cafe 11 years ago. “We thought it would be different from our regular dinners, but feature the same ideas—a fusion of Appalachian and international foods,” says Ali, who is of Philippine descent but grew up in Arizona and missed the celebration. The couple will offer their 12th annual Dia de los Muertos dinner at their restaurant, Hill & Hollow, from October 27 to 31 this year. The dinner features traditional Oaxacan dishes, including tamales and mole verde, paired with single-village mescals. Don’t miss Ali’s annual altar for the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Seneca Center, 709 Beechurst Avenue, 304.241.4551, @hillandhollowwv on Facebook
Enjoy pan de muerto, or “dead bread,” a sweet, moist, yeasted loaf flavored with orange and anise, at this time of year.
The vibrant colors and scents of the Mexican marigold—cempasúchil, in the indigenous Nahuatl language— guide spirits to families’ altars.
Celebratory sugar skulls are not hard to make. Order molds and high-quality meringue powder in early October. Decorate your skulls with icing.
THIS MATTERS
EATTHIS
Pizza, Detroit Style A rectangular pie isn’t the only new thing Lefty’s Place has brought to downtown. ➼ THE FOOD SCENE in Morgantown is ever-evolving. We’ve got pho, Thai, and a plethora of burger and barbeque joints. But what do you do when you’re looking for something simple, something classic, a go-to? To most, the answer is obvious: pizza. Everyone has their preferred place to snag a slice of ’za, but any change is welcome change. Enter Lefty’s Place. Located on Walnut Street, nestled beside the Blue Moose café and sporting a comfortable, clean, and friendly atmosphere, is a different type of pizza place. In fact, I hesitate to even call it a “pizza place,” because it is much more than that. Lefty’s, owned primarily by the Maryland native Amel Morris—a.k.a. “The Pizza Guy”—is Morgantown’s only Detroit-style pizza joint. Getting its name from a mashup of all the owner’s names but Morris’s, Lefty’s is 14
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
changing the Morgantown pizza scene. It’s not the name that makes the place, Morris says, but “your food, your service, your atmosphere, and what you have on tap that makes the place.” Since opening last December, Lefty’s has made a name for itself as the place for indulgent, square, cheesy goodness topped with parallel lines of homemade sauce, an assortment of fresh and delicious toppings, and a mouthwatering crust that tastes and crunches like it was baked to perfection. Though he’s not from Detroit, Morris knows the ins and outs of Detroit-style pizza. Several things make a pizza Detroit-style, according to him. “It has to be made in one of those,” he says, gesturing to a stack of rectangular trays, “that was used on the auto-assembly line in Detroit.” Known for its non-standard shape, Detroit-style pizza is baked in square trays that held small parts in the factories. Legend has it that factory workers used to take these industrial trays home with them to use for baking. “The pepperoni goes under the cheese,” Morris specifies, “the sauce goes on top, and the cheese goes all the way to the edge to caramelize.” And boy does it ever caramelize. While pizza is Lefty’s main area of expertise, its wings don’t trail far behind— which was unexpected to Morris and crew. “I was surprised how well our wings took off,” says Morris. “They’re a big seller for us. We make our own sauces; our own
ranch and bleu cheese.” Which was music to my homemade-snob ears. Made from real, fresh chicken, Lefty’s wings have soared over their competitors. On Wednesdays, they offer a special: Buy one draft beer, get any wings for seventyfive cents. That’s right, I said draft beer. They also have bottled beer, wine, and something they call the Frosé. Concocted by Morris’s fiancé, Tricia Kinnie, the Frosé is a frozen wine cocktail. Serving alcohol in a pizza place was foreign to me, but according to Morris it is something he was introduced to while growing up. Lefty’s keeps the menu short to ensure quality over quantity, but it’s packed with tempting signature items. Along with pizza and wings, it offers the Burboli, a heavenly combination of stromboli and a burrito with a range of ingredients. There are also mozzarella logs—not sticks, logs—as well as salads topped with homemade dressings and deep fried pizza dough bites with sweet toppings served as dessert. Being the hardworking, hungry journalist that I am, I had to try some food. After skimming the menu and almost ordering multiple pies, I settled on the mozzarella logs and a pizza called The Nucky, named after one of Morris’s favorite TV characters—Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi on the show Boardwalk Empire. The Nucky is smothered in cheese, chunks of Italian sausage, diced red onion, rings of cherry peppers, garlic, and pizza sauce so tasty you’ll crave it for days after. Before this pizza even landed on my table, I could feel the spicy aromas starting to tickle my nostrils. After a few bites of pure joy, my forehead started to perspire and I could feel my senses heightening—exactly the result I was looking for. Whether you’re on the hunt for Detroit-style pizza or you’ve never heard of it, Lefty’s will not leave you hanging. And with happy hour every Tuesday through Friday, the Wednesday wing special, and $10 domestic buckets all day Thursday, you have no excuse not to try this exciting new downtown restaurant. Take your friends, have some drinks, chill out in their relaxing atmosphere— accentuated by an awesome selection of music selected by Morris himself—and have some ’za that is sure to change how you see pizza from here on out. written and photographed by julian wyant
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
15
THIS MATTERS A standard interview room.
LOVETHIS
A Softer Landing Morgantown comes together to ease the experience of trauma victims.
16
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
The new soft interview room.
victim by making him or her relive the incident multiple times. Now, all of the institutions involved in a case can sit in on the main interview with the officers. “In line with changing the interview tactics, it only makes sense to also have an environment that caters to that,” Ball says. Because one in four women and one in 13 men will be victims of sexual assault while they are in college, WVU has also worked to ease the experience of trauma victims by increasing Title IX training throughout the institution—Title IX is the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in institutions that receive federal funding. WVU’s Title IX office also investigates any sexual assault case that happens on campus, if the victim
wants the university involved. “I think we are increasing awareness and creating an environment that is comfortable to report in through the cross-collaboration with the community,” says Marianna Matthews, WVU’s senior Title IX education specialist. The soft interview room is named for Judy King, longtime director of the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, to honor her service of more than 30 years. “She has put her whole life dedicated to the victims of rape and domestic violence, and we couldn’t think of a better way to honor her service than to recognize the fact that what she has done is going to continue on as a legacy,” Hasley says. written by KRISTEN UPPERCUE
KRISTA BAKER/MORGANTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT
➼ WHEN MORGANTOWN Police Officer Troy Ball heard the question, “Why do we interview survivors in the same place we interview suspects?” at a conference he attended in April 2016, it made perfect sense to him. Victims shouldn’t be subjected to the same cold, intimidating environment attackers are interrogated in. Joined by Detective Larry Hasley, Ball formed a plan for a soft interview room—a separate, warmer facility designed specifically for interviews of sexual assault victims. Ball and Hasley did not want to spend a penny of the city’s money, so they asked local businesses for donations. They were not turned down once. Businesses donated volunteers, materials, furniture, and money to help create the room. “It was completely community-funded and a total community partnership,” Ball says. “The room really belongs to the community.” The result, opened in April 2017, is a room designed to help trauma victims feel as comfortable and safe as possible. Ball and Hasley collaborated with experts to make sure every detail is physically and visually comforting, from the wall color down to the throw pillows. “This is a completely different environment, where we are trying to elicit information from the victim for them to help us identify and prosecute the suspect,” Hasley says. “The room allows for a type of conversation where the victims don’t feel like they’re being judged and are able to confide in the investigator and the interviewer.” While the police department was changing the room where it interviews victims, it was also changing the way it conducts interviews. Before, the victim would have to go through multiple interviews with different institutions, such as the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center and WVU’s Title IX office. This process re-traumatizes the
TRYTHIS
RENEE PRESTON / THE SANTA EXPERIENCE
A Better Santa Experience ➼ IT’S THE CHRISTMAS SEASON and your children can’t wait to meet Santa Claus. But when the moment arrives, they sit on his lap, tell him their wish list, smile for the camera, and that’s it. What if this year they got to spend more time with Santa, find their names on the “nice” list, eat some milk and cookies, and even talk with elves on the phone? The Santa Experience offers children an unforgettable adventure. They receive personalized invitations from the North Pole. When they arrive, Santa knows their names and all about last summer’s vacation or their new puppy. “It’s nothing like a mall photo shoot,” says co-owner and photographer Renee Preston. “It averages 30 to 40 minutes, and there are 10 to 12 activities that the kids will do with Santa while they are there.” Unlike other photo sessions, the director of this session is Santa. The studio’s setting and lighting create a home-like environment where children aren’t disturbed by camera flashes or shutters. “For the kids, it’s all bliss to have that special, dedicated time with Santa. Santa knows their names and they have his undivided attention. They love it,” Preston says. Best of all, the sessions result in paintinglike photographs that may be purchased in forms that include a personalized, hardcover storybook. The prints capture the magic of the moment and are done without digital enhancements. “That is the quality of the work we offer,” Preston says. “It is the result of topof-the-line lighting and our experience as photographers.” Parents can schedule The Santa Experience for October or November online by completing a questionnaire with children’s names, ages, clothing sizes for pajamas, and information to personalize their Santa letter and experience. santaexperiencewv.com; use coupon code “santa50” for a 50 percent discount written by DEMI FUENTES RAMIREZ MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
17
On Stage
18
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
will perform the Tony Award–winning Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins, based on John Weidman’s book. In the story, four successful and five would-be presidential assassins represent the violent ways some seek celebrity status in our culture. Assassins will play in the Metropolitan Theatre October 19–21 at 7:30 p.m. and October 22 at 2 p.m. The show Three Sisters tells the Anton Chekhov story of sisters in a small Russian town who long to return to Moscow. They are prevented by debt and oppression, but nothing can destroy their hope of one day returning. The production will play in the intimate Gladys G. Davis Theatre in the Creative Arts Center November 16–17 and 28–30 and December 1–2 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee December 3 at 2 p.m. The West Virginia Public Theatre, which is affiliated with the WVU’s Creative Arts Center, will perform Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The holiday classic will play at the Creative Arts Center December 14–16 at 7:30 p.m. and December 17 at 2 p.m. theatre.wvu.edu, wvpublictheatre.org University Arts Series WVU’s University Arts Series brings Broadway and other major national touring performances to stage at the Creative Arts Center—three of them this fall. Dirty Dancing—The Classic Story on Stage tells the passionate tale of Baby and Johnny. This production plays November 9 at 7:30 p.m., and parental discretion is advised. Elf the Musical, the comedic story of a young boy who mistakenly ends up at the North Pole and eventually has to face the fact that he is not an elf, was sold out as this magazine went to print. Finally, Moscow Ballet’s classic Great Russian Nutcracker returns to Morgantown on its 25th anniversary tour. With 40 classically trained dancers and lavish, hand-painted sets, the performance has been called magical. “It is the traditional Nutcracker story,” says Kristie StewartGale, marketing and advertising manager for WVU Arts and Entertainment. “But with the Moscow Ballet, it does have some unique things—including a giant Christmas tree that actually grows on the stage. And the Dove of Peace is performed by two of the dancers who actually create the dove, so it’s quite a spectacular part of the show.” The Great Russian Nutcracker sells out quickly—buy your tickets before it’s too late. events.wvu.edu written by KRISTEN UPPERCUE
COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
runs October 13–14 and 19–21 at 8 p.m., with a matinee performance October 25 at 2 p.m. In Neil Simon’s classic The Sunshine Boys, a pair of feuding Vaudeville performers can’t stand each other, despite working together for over 40 years. After an 11-year hiatus, the two reunite for a TV special. Directed by Seret Cole, who also directed spring’s Steel Magnolias, the play features beloved Morgantown actors Patrick Connor and Robert Wolfe. This comedy plays November 10–11 and 16–18 at 8 p.m. The matinee performance is November 12 at 2 p.m. M.T. Pockets is also preparing two December performances. High Spirits: A Variety Show takes the audience back to when traveling Vaudeville WATCHTHIS acts were the only entertainment around. This show includes a variety of entertaining comedy, song, and dance numbers. Codirected by Vickie Morgantown enjoys a wealth of theater Trickett and Nicole performances this fall. Davis and presented in collaboration with ➼ THE HOLIDAY SEASON BRINGS US Dancing Elephant Productions, High many of the best theater performances of Spirits plays December 1–2 and 7–9 at 8 p.m. with a matinee December 3 at the year, and this year, Morgantown isn’t 2 p.m. Later in the month, Ebenezer, holding back. From classics to comedy a contemporary dance production and simple to spectacular, there’s a show based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas for everyone. Here’s our guide. Carol, features original choreography by Alchemy Dance Project Director M.T. Pockets Theatre Company Angela Dennis. The family-friendly show M.T. Pockets has multiple shows this fall includes members of the Alchemy Dance and holiday season. First up is William Project and Red Stone Dance Initiative. Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Ebenezer plays December 14–16 at 8 Directed by Morgantown’s own Tracy p.m. and December 16 and 17 at 2 p.m. Lynch, the play follows two sets of twins mtpocketstheatre.com that were separated at birth, yet end up in the same city on the same day. WVU School of Theatre and Dance Mistaken identities and false accusations & West Virginia Public Theatre are just two of the slapstick situations the School of Theatre and Dance students characters find themselves in. The show
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
19
20
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
WHO’S THE BOM? Morgantown is rocking more of the shopping, services, downtime, and drinking and dining we all love than ever before. Tell us who you love. Top contenders in each category move on to a second round.
NOMINATE TO WIN Make nominations in 30 or more categories and be entered to win one of two pairs of tickets to see the Mountaineers take on the University of Texas November 18 at Mountaineer Field— winners announced November 10. Please provide your contact information for the ticket drawing. If selected, you’ll be notified on November 8 and will have 48 hours to claim your tickets.
NAME EMAIL
Best Over 30 Spot Best Pizza Best Place to Caffeinate Best Sports Bar Best Steak Best Sushi Best Sweet Indulgence Best Thai Restaurant Best Under 30 Spot Best Vegetarian-Friendly
PHONE
Best Vietnamese Restaurant
WANT TO MAIL THIS TO US?
Best Winery
NEW SOUTH MEDIA, INC. BEST OF MORGANTOWN 709 BEECHURST AVENUE, SUITE 14A MORGANTOWN, W V 26505
Best Wings PERSONALITIES
SUBMIT YOUR BALLOT BY 11:59 p.m., NOVEMBER 6, 2017
Best Artist
vote online @ morgantownmag.com/bom
Best Bartender
FOOD & DRINK Best Bakery Best BBQ Best Beer Selection
Best Chef Best Craft Cocktail Bartender Best Media Personality Best Politician
Best Breakfast
SHOPPING
Best Brewery
Best Bookstore
Best Brunch Best Burger Best Business Lunch
Best Clothing Consignment Store Best Furniture Store
Best Chinese Restaurant
Best Gift Shop
Best Fine Dining
Best Grocery Store
Best Italian Restaurant
Best Jewelry Store
Best Mexican Restaurant Best Middle Eastern Restaurant Best Neighborhood Bar
Best Local Pet Store Best Place to Buy Health Food
Best Local Restaurant New in 2017
Best Place to Buy a Wedding Dress
Best Outdoor Dining
Best Local Recreation Store
Best Florist
Best Place to Buy Kids’ Apparel
Best Hair Salon
Best Place to Buy Women’s Apparel
Best Home Inspector
Best Place to Buy Men’s Apparel
Best Laundromat
Best Place to Buy Shoes
Best Hotel
Best Second-hand Shop
Best Insurance Agency
Best Shopping Center
Best Landscaper
DOWNTIME
Best Law Office
Best Band
Best Mani/Pedi
Best Dance Studio
Best Massage
Best Festival
Best Mechanic
Best Local Fundraising Event
Best Personal Trainer
Best Gallery
Best Real Estate Agency
Best Golf Course
Best Veterinarian
Best Gym/Fitness Facility
Best Chiropractic Office
Best Museum
Best Dental/Orthodontics Office
Best Music Venue
Best Dermatologic Office
Best Radio Station
Best General Practitioner Clinic
Best Local Run/Walk
Best Ob/Gyn Clinic
Best Tattoo Shop
Best Pediatric Clinic
Best Theater
Best Physical/Occupational Therapy Office
Best Yoga Studio
BLUE & GOLD
SERVICES
Best Coach
Best Accounting Office
Best Female Student Athlete
Best Architectural Office
Best Male Student Athlete
Best Bank
Best Place for Mountaineer Gear
Best Car Dealership
Best Professor
Best Car Detailing Best Charity/Nonprofit Best Contractor Best Day Spa Best Dry Cleaner
DID WE MISS ANYTHING? FEEL FREE TO WRITE IN YOUR OWN CATEGORIES AND CANDIDATES HERE:
CUT HERE
Best Pawn Shop
THIS MATTERS
PLAYTHIS
Hit Me
COURTESY OF HOT CARDIGAN GAMES
A homegrown gaming company readies its first release: a rowdy card game called Rumpus.
➼ LIKE MOST OF US, Ethan Butler grew up playing board games with his family. They were fine for passing rainy days but nothing to get excited about. Then he got older and discovered the world of modern tabletop gaming, filled with games based on quirky concepts and brain-tingling strategies. “I realized, ‘Wow, these things are better than Monopoly and stuff I played as a kid.’” Butler, who has a background in web design and graphic design, was so intrigued with this that he began designing his own games. Earlier this year, he launched Hot Cardigan Games with business partners Nathan Snyder and John Hayes. Butler heads up game development, Snyder is in charge of marketing and also does
graphic design, and Hayes, who owns Comics Paradise Plus in Morgantown and Fairmont, handles the money. The company is now in the process of launching its first project, a card game called Rumpus. The game started with an image that popped into Butler’s head one day—a pair of 1920s ruffians engaging in bare-knuckle fisticuffs. “All at once, I designed a game around it,” he says. He drafted a set of rules, made up a test deck of cards, and tried it out. The game works almost like a rudimentary form of poker—except cards are separated into three suits of mustaches, top hats, and old-timey bicycles—and can accommodate three to five players. Each receives three cards and places one face-up on the table. Players then take turns picking “fights” with one of their opponents. Fighters show their hands; the one holding the most of any one symbol wins. Other players can bet on these fights— wagering one card on whoever they think will win. Each bettor who is correct takes an additional card from the draw pile. Each losing bet forfeits a card. Butler says games sometimes require lots of tweaking to ensure the rules
make sense and the gameplay walks the fine line between challenging and fun. “Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.” With Rumpus, it just worked. He started testing the game on friends and family, then on people he didn’t know. “They’ll give you a more honest opinion,” Butler says. Even the brutally honest opinions were overwhelmingly positive. “People were very happy with how simple it was to play.” The game raised almost $800 over its $8,000 goal in September through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to print the first run of Rumpus decks. Butler says he hopes the game will help the company build a following for future, more expensive endeavors. Hot Cardigan already has more card games in the pipeline, including a strategy-based game called “Stela” and another called “Moshpit,” a parody of heavy metal song titles. Butler says the company hopes to create and release a board game, too. In the meantime, the guys plan to have Rumpus on sale by November. It will be available on Amazon and at hotcardigan.com. written by ZACK HAROLD MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
23
CARLA WITT FORD
SPONSOREDCONTENT
Today, three generations work together with longtime employees to bring customers personalized Three generations at Chuck’s Furniture and service and topMattress have made this store the go-to place notch products to for furnishing area homes. outfit their homes. “At our core, our mission is to take care of our customers ➼ CHUCK’S FURNITURE AND and to provide them with the best MATTRESS is an all-American, customer service and the highest quality family-run, small business success story. affordable furniture they can find,” says What started out as a 2,500-square-foot James Prutilpac, the third generation to warehouse and showroom in 1967 has run the business. “We take more chances grown to more than 100,000 square on choosing unique products not available feet of high quality furnishings at every in the area—products like our live edge price point. Recognizing the growth of tables and industrial pieces before they a more transient and student customer base, three years ago the family expanded went mainstream. And we always want to have a wide variety of price points.” by adding PAC 5, a warehouse and Prutilpac, who grew up in the industry, showroom that carries products at a is passionate about the nuts and bolts lower price.
Live Local
1975 Moved to present location and built 7,500-sq.-ft. showroom.
of furniture-making and supporting American-made products. He is even more excited to support West Virginia companies, so when Gat Caperton bought Tom Seely’s manufacturing company in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, and modernized the style, he was ecstatic. He says, “We carried Tom Seely for a long time, but the antique reproduction-style market was going away. Gat reinvigorated it with streamlined designs that meticulously showcase the wood grain and quality craftsmanship.” Although Chuck’s carries several lines of furniture, Prutilpac always introduces customers to Gat Creek products. “We love to support other local businesses, and when clients are interested in purchasing something that will last a lifetime, you can’t beat it. The quality of the pieces speaks for itself,” he says. “When you buy a piece of Gat Creek furniture, you are buying an awesome story. The designs
1988 Connected the warehouse
1998 Built a 35,000-sq.-
with the main store, increasing showroom size to 16,500 sq. ft.
ft. addition to the back of the store.
out as 2,500-sq.-ft. destroyed entire existing building. With second story 1967 Started 1979 Fire 1992 Added warehouse that included a the help of the community, Chuck’s was able to entire store, showroom.
24
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
to resume business again after just 3 days. Rebuilt as a new 8,500-sq.-ft. building.
adding 16,000 sq. ft.
COURTESY OF GAT CREEK
Clockwise from left: Chuck Prutilpac, Christy Prutilpac, Jim Prutilpac, James Prutilpac, Bea Prutilpac
SPONSORED CONTENT
GAT CREEK
COURTESY OF GAT CREEK
Gat Creek combines handcrafted furniture-making with innovative manufacturing techniques.
are timeless and heirloom quality. People will still love it in 50 years.” The story is an important part of Gat Creek. “We are so proud of what they do,” Prutilpac says. “They employ West Virginians who take pride in building quality furniture, many of whom have been there for more than 15 years. Each piece of furniture has touched a lot of West Virginians—from the trees when they are cut down, to the sawmill where they are planed, to the builder at Gat Creek, to the person who delivers it to our showroom. When you buy Gat Creek, it might be a bit more expensive than something that is made in Asia, but it will last you a lifetime, and you will have supported a long chain of West Virginia jobs. That makes us and our customers feel good.”
Visit chucksfurniture.com; pac5furniture.com
2002 Built a 35,000-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art, fully racked warehouse, enabling them to carry 10 times the inventory.
Pac 5 2014 Built Furniture
Gat Caperton is a self-proclaimed “manufacturing geek.” When he purchased a small furniture manufacturing facility in Berkeley Springs in 1996, he transformed a traditional industry with innovative and lean manufacturing techniques. Since 2010, his company, Gat Creek, has grown almost 10 percent a year and it now employs 140 people. “I love the fact that I can have a business in my home state, and that I’m a manufacturer in West Virginia. We create good jobs and have an incredible work force, which produces quality products in a sustainable way,” Caperton says. Gat Creek has made a name for itself internationally. “We make real furniture. So much today is fake—90 percent of furniture isn’t made with solid wood and 70 percent is made in Asia. Gat Creek is made from solid wood, sourced from West Virginia hardwoods, and built right. The process is as important as the product,” he says. The process begins with sourcing West Virginia lumber. “Frank E. Wilson Lumber Company in Elkins, a fifth-generation lumber company, provides us with the absolute best wood—beautiful Appalachian hardwoods—that is sustainable,” Caperton says. “The best furniture comes from the best wood. And this is the best wood in the world.” Sustainability is an important hallmark of Gat Greek. He says, “After I bought the business, I woke up in the middle of the night panicked in a cold sweat thinking, ‘Am I the guy cutting down all the trees I played on as a kid?’” He did his research and found that West Virginia is regrowing trees 2.4 times faster than it is taking trees out. In fact, he says, our state has the same amount of trees as we did in 1907. After learning how well Appalachia’s forests are managed, he slept better, but he was determined to be on the forefront of sustainable furniture manufacturing. “Thanks to our locally sourced material and production, we avoid oil-intensive shipping, deforestation, and the unmitigated pollution that’s allowed with overseas production,” Caperton explains. “We formally track 100 percent of our waste streams—everything coming into and going out of our facility, from wood to water to AA batteries, to assure all materials are used wisely and disposed of properly.” Once the lumber is delivered to the factory, a person builds each piece of furniture on a workbench, not an assembly line. “The connection to the customer is very important. Each piece is made custom for them. Our builders send the customer a postcard with a picture of them telling the customer that they are excited to be creating this one-of-a-kind piece for them,” says Caperton. “It takes us a month to produce a piece of furniture. When it’s finished, our builders sign their names and date each piece. And our customers often write letters of appreciation back to our builders.” Caperton has worked hard to expand his distribution network—he exports to 28 nations, but is particularly fond of his local markets. “Morgantown is really growing and is a great market for us,” he says. “And I love working with Chuck’s. It’s another multi-generational success story. I’m really impressed with James. He is sharp and is getting things done. He is going to carry on the traditions started by his grandfather and father and make his family business successful for decades.”
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
25
THIS MATTERS
to escalate, he and his husband rented an apartment. They were becoming known and soon found themselves arrested three times. “We had to bribe the police.” A friend advised Bossa to flee the country and, soon after the anti-gay legislation was signed in February 2014, he crossed the border. Kenya turned out to be a fire little better than the frying pan. Somalians in the refugee camps there ostracized the new gay Ugandan asylum seekers, and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kenya wasn’t even aware yet that hundreds of Ugandans were fleeing their home. Bossa, only 20 but resourceful and a good communicator, quickly came to be relied upon by the UNHCR as one of a small number of semi-official liaisons between the UN and groups of gay asylum seekers. “After all the challenges and the difficulties I passed in Uganda, that made me brave to stand up and advocate for LGBTQ members and for the refugees,” he says. He took his leadership role seriously. He used a group he’d started, Youth Uplift Uganda, to raise awareness and funds. He rented a house as a safe place for some of the more vulnerable members of his group. “In Kenya, they don’t allow same sex, so you can’t even find a job— you have to be in the house, or the police keep disturbing you.” He bought chicks so the residents could keep the hens and sell eggs as a small source of income. He family members in to WHO’STHIS helped those who got arrested get out of the government and jail. And he worked the UNHCR process carried a penalty of life by which each asylum seeker in his group imprisonment. Bossa’s problems started would earn official refugee status and be resettled in a host country. right after he graduated In the course of all that, Bossa met from high school in 2011. Morgantown resident Dave Saville. That’s when his father Saville visits Kenya every year for learned he was gay and pleasure and to do humanitarian work. kicked him out of the Morgantown welcomes a Ugandan refugee. house. He lived in his They became acquainted when Bossa helped a friend of Saville’s. mother’s shop for a while, It was a frustrating and sometimes but homophobic sentiment was heating up. ➼ WHEN HYDARY BOSSA sees that dangerous period, Bossa remembers. But the “The relatives of my dad started attacking a resident of Mapleshire Nursing and my mom, appearing at the shop, assaulting resettled refugees weren’t all having an easy Rehabilitation Center could use some her, abusing her,” Bossa recalls. “It was too time either, he knew. “Standards of living, cheer, he goes a little further than some much for her to handle.” She sent him away integration—everyone was complaining,” nursing assistants would. He might sing he recalls. Many were isolated in their new in July 2012 for her own safety. He crashed a song. He might even do a little dance. communities in Pennsylvania, California, for a while with this friend and that friend. It’s in this graceful young man’s nature Meanwhile, he’d secretly gotten married. and elsewhere, without support systems. to take care of the people around him. So when Bossa’s own asylum process was His husband, a student at Makerere One has to wonder where he finds University still living with his family, told his nearing completion in the fall of 2016, he the cheer to give. A year ago, Bossa parents Bossa was a classmate who had fallen asked Saville to serve as his “tie” to West was in Nairobi, Kenya, seeking asylum: Virginia. Then Catholic Charities of West on hard times so they would allow him to a gay Ugandan driven from his home live with them. But “you can’t hide the truth Virginia (CCWV) became his needed country in March 2014 by Uganda’s organizational sponsor. CCWV resettles a forever,” Bossa says from hard experience. Anti-Homosexuality Act. The legislation couple dozen refugees in West Virginia each As anti-gay political rhetoric continued required citizens to turn friends and
Our Home as Refuge
26
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
written by PAM KASEY | photographed by CARLA WITT FORD
SUPPORTTHIS
Uniting for Education The Women United affinity group of the local United Way is targeting early-childhood literacy. ➼ IT’S A SAD FACT THAT children from low-income families don’t start school with the same size vocabulary as children from high-income families. They have fewer books, and they’re read to less often. By the time they start school, research shows, they’ve heard 30 million fewer words than children from high-income families. To help, the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties (UWMPC) Women United affinity group has joined forces with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The program provides free, age-appropriate books for children every month from birth to age 5. Forty West Virginia counties participate in this program. In Preston County, about 70 percent of children are part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Women United has partnered with Preston County to help increase the number of children registered, and it will start a Monongalia County program in January 2018. “We hope to provide the opportunity for children to be read to and to address early childhood preparation,” says Lydotta Taylor, co-chair of the UWMPC’s Women United affinity group. “We think it’s extremely important to provide this to children in our communities.” An affinity group steering committee of 25 women from Monongalia and Preston counties is recruiting members and raising money for the project. “We try to get women in our communities interested in doing something above and beyond to support education efforts through the United Way,” Taylor says. So far, they have recruited 170 members and raised more than $11,000. “We just hope to continue to advance educational opportunities that we can offer.” To donate, call the UWMPC or, online, select “Get Involved” and “Women United.” Every dollar raised goes to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program in Monongalia and Preston counties. 304.296.7525, unitedwaympc.org written by DEMI FUENTES RAMIREZ
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
27
COURTESY OF WOMEN UNITED
year on average, according to Case Manager Elizabeth Ramsey. The U.S. Department of State cleared Bossa for resettlement in West Virginia in December 2016. He felt relieved but also sad to leave people he loves behind without an advocate like himself to stand up for them. His trip was heavily orchestrated—a refugee surrenders his native citizenship and does not have a passport, so resettlement is a series of hand-offs. “The International Organization for Migration (IOM) had made my travel arrangements, and they took me to Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi,” he explains. “Newark was my port of entry. An IOM worker there escorted me through.” He was flown to Charleston the next day. Ramsey met him at the airport and drove him to Morgantown. Since Bossa’s arrangements had come up suddenly and Saville was still in Kenya, she delivered him to a group Bossa has come to call “the mums”—Saville’s friend Susan Eason and a welcoming group of Morgantown supporters. The mums helped Bossa navigate the overwhelm of being a refugee in the U.S.: applying for a social security number, finding an apartment, getting a job, understanding transportation, making a longer-term plan. All along, they’ve included him in social gatherings and made themselves available to brainstorm and deal with emergencies. “This is a whole new culture,” says Eason, his biggest supporter. “It takes a lot of time and care if you really want a refugee to be successful and not flounder and eventually be on the streets.” Today, Bossa and a fellow refugee who has joined him from California rent an apartment in Morgantown. Bossa stocked shelves part-time at Kroger on Patteson Drive while he studied to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). In June he accepted a full-time position at Mapleshire. “I bring the residents food,” he says. “I feed those who can’t feed themselves. Sometimes I bathe them. I like talking to them and sometimes I sing or dance because they are my residents—I have to make sure they are happy.” He devotes his free time to helping the Ugandan asylum seekers remotely and to LGBTQ activism. He still raises and sends money to Nairobi for rent and chicken feed. “And I keep on doing my advocacy work with cases before the UNHCR.” Part of what motivates him is the hope of getting his fiance— the turmoil of the past several years brought an end to his previous marriage—and his best friend out of Kenya and into Morgantown. In September, they had finally received refugee status, but Ramsey said next steps will depend on the fate of the U.S.’s 120-day refugee travel ban, which the U.S. Supreme Court may affirm or may allow to expire in late October. Uganda’s anti-gay legislation was overturned on a technicality in August 2014, although anti-gay sentiment continues to run high. If the act is not revived, the flow of refugees may end. Bossa can apply for a U.S. green card, or permanent residency, when he’s been here a year, Ramsey says, and after five years he can apply for U.S. citizenship. Meanwhile, he remains a refugee: a man without a passport. But for the first time in a long time, he has a home. Asked whether he has felt welcome in Morgantown, he does not hesitate. “So welcome,” he says with a big smile. “I’ve never had any difficulty, I’ve never been in need of anything. If I contact Mum Susan, even if she’s far out from me, she reaches out to someone. So I’ve had everything good.” youthupliftuganda.org
THIS MATTERS
But when the hotel’s ownership changed hands in 2014, Morgantown didn’t bat an eyelash. Transformation is common—and essential— in this university city. And with the tourist demographic shifting toward younger, more affluent travelers, the hotel had to change to stay relevant, says The new Morgantown Marriott at Jennifer Millstone, director Waterfront Place aims to engage with a of sales and marketing. “We wanted to capture that millennial demographic as well as with millennial traveler. That’s an the community it calls home. inventive customer, a business customer. It’s a new class with a little higher expectations. They don’t THE SLEEK BRICK-AND-GLASS ➼ tower with its modern silhouette and pristine just come for business, they want to do different things and have experiences.” landscaping perched on Morgantown’s Walk into the hotel tonight and revitalized Wharf District has become something of an icon. For parents and new WVU you’ll be greeted at the door by prompt, courteous valets—and yes, valet service students, tailgaters and tourists, natives is complementary, even if you’re only and transplants traveling on Don Knotts coming for a cocktail. The lobby is crisp Boulevard, the former Waterfront Place and subdued with dark wood, earth tones, Hotel has been a landmark symbolizing and plenty of natural light from windows Morgantown’s growing and ever-evolving overlooking the riverfront. If it’s busy, you business and tourism economy. WHAT’STHIS
A New Infusion
28
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
might be treated to a free bourbon tasting right there. A new Starbucks beckons with the smell of coffee and pastries to your left, but to your right, a flickering fire encased in glass, cozy seating, and a rustic wooden bar are too tempting to pass up. The warm glow of backlit bourbon bottles reminds you of the hotel’s new restaurant theme and name: Bourbon Prime. If you aren’t staying the night, you’ll want to by the time you tuck into an appetizer and drinks. We recommend their unique twist on pepperoni rolls, wood-fired pizza, or the Snakebite Chili, with chunks of prime rib, sharp cheddar cheese, and scallions served with a dollop of sour cream. The hotel’s new look is all about comfort, convenience, and a memorable experience, one that’s both familiar and unique, from the modern rooms with high-speed internet, 55inch flat screens that can connect to all your streaming services, floating end tables, and luxurious laminate floors, to the outlets and purse hooks under every seat in the bar area and Bluetooth-enabled exercise equipment in the fitness center, to the posh hotel salon and spa, Olexa.
COURTESY OF MORGANTOWN MARRIOTT AT WATERFRONT PLACE
THIS MATTERS
COURTESY OF MORGANTOWN MARRIOTT AT WATERFRONT PLACE
THIS MATTERS
General Manager Neil Buffington says the hotel’s new owners, Stonebridge Companies near Denver, decided to go with a familiar brand as a base for the hotel’s transformation. “Stonebridge Companies has a long relationship with Marriott Hotels and, when they purchased the hotel, Marriott seemed liked the perfect fit for both North Central West Virginia and the Morgantown community.” The consensus was that Marriott’s new look and feel, with great room–style lobbies, modern room designs, hyperconnectivity, and unique dining experiences fit Morgantown’s esthetic perfectly. Although renovations of the rooms and lobby didn’t fully begin until 2016, the planning and execution of the restaurant’s evolution, what would be the heart of the hotel, began almost right away. Its new concept, bourbon-infused, would completely rewrite the look, feel, and flavor of what was once the Regatta Bar and Grille and turn the culinary experience of the restaurant into something that stands out. “The entire menu has been a two-year
process,” says Tom Hawkins, director of food and beverage. What started as a steakhouse concept quickly evolved into something more open-ended that would speak to both the business traveler and the local looking for a bite. “The original concept was going to be Bourbon Prime Steakhouse, but we worried that, with the ‘steakhouse’ title attached to the name, it would be perceived as stuffy— white tablecloths and high costs.” Now, fun appetizers, hand-crafted sandwiches, and steaks complement an extensive bourbon, scotch, and whiskey menu—all at reasonable prices. The menu also needed to capture the millennial customer who, Hawkins says, is often concerned about not only flavor and presentation—essential when a meal can be snapped, tweeted, or posted to the world in a matter of seconds—but also where it comes from, its story and culture. To answer that need, the restaurant turned to local farms, working with small producers like J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works of Charleston, Rising Creek Bakery just over the border in Pennsylvania, and ThistleDew Farm
in Proctor to supply ingredients for what Hawkins calls a menu based on “100 years of Appalachian flair.” From blending their own bourbon in partnership with Woodford Reserve in Kentucky, the first establishment in the state to do so, to training their bartenders in the art of mixology, the new owners refused to skimp on details. That new bourbon flavor? It’s called Country Roads, of course. And the signature cocktail? Almost Heaven, a blend of Country Roads bourbon, cardamom bitters, and simple syrup, served in a smoked decanter. Although the menu is still being refined, with a new executive chef soon to start, Hawkins says the focus on local food and seasonal items, along with bourbon infusion and the flavors of Appalachia, will remain the guiding principles. The local community, culture, and flair will remain up-front for guests to experience, too. “A key mission of each of associate, whether they are working at the front desk, Starbucks, or restaurant, is to engage the customer. We are their host. We want to ensure that their stay is memorable,” Millstone says. Beyond the more obvious changes, one of the biggest transformations the hotel underwent was the training of the team. “Everyone worked tirelessly before the opening participating in self-paced computer training, facilitator-led webinars, and countless hours of in-person training and trial runs for the restaurant team,” Millstone says. “It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, the undertaking has been worth it. The comments we receive from guests are wonderful and very much appreciated.” Unlike many chain hotels, she says, the newly redesigned hotel wants to be part of the community. That includes hosting community events and meetings, developing special dinners, and partnering with the WVU College of Business and Economics to bring hospitality and tourism management students in for internships and part-time jobs. This new culture is making an impact, and the largely millennial vote already seems to be in: Out of 369 full-service Marriott hotels worldwide, the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place is now ranked third for customer service. 2 Waterfront Place, 304.296.1700, marriott.com/mgwmc written by MIKENNA PIEROTTI MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
29
THIS MATTERS
SHOPTHIS
It’s About to Feel a Lot Like Christmas In early November, Christmas at the Barn outside Masontown hosts one of the biggest, most stunning holiday shows and sales in the state. ➼ I KNOW —Christmas seems to come earlier every year. But trust me when I say, this three-day shopping event a half-hour east of Morgantown will put you in the spirit. Imagine a working farm transformed into a vintage Christmas wonderland by the American Pickers guys or Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines—and everything is for sale. Barns, corn cribs, outbuildings, and hay sheds are creatively converted into miniature shops filled with folk art, tattered treasures, shabby chic decor, handmade jewelry, and steampunk tchotchkes. There’s even a restaurant, The Feed Sack, to keep you fueled during your shopping adventure. This 20-year-old event, originally known 30
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
as Christmas at the Cabin, was founded by Joyce McCune, Deb Umble, and Deb McCort. It started in Pennsylvania but outgrew its original venue. Then Brenda Street, who had been a vendor at the show for three years, offered her farm outside Masontown as a possible location for 2016. “I told everyone they could try our farm, but I warned them that it’s pretty rural,” Street says. “And it is really rural. We were worried but operated on the premise, ‘If we build it, they will come.’ We sure are glad they came.” Any time a tried-and-true event changes location, it risks the chance of losing devotees. But the move to B.R. Farms proved a good decision. That first
year, around 4,000 people made the trek to Masontown for the renamed Christmas at the Barn over three days. “We were tickled to provide the venue,” Brenda says. “We worked really hard all summer to make the farm more shoppable. We cleaned the barns, put up shelving, built a farmers’ market around an old box trailer, painted walls, and strung hundreds of lights.” Work on each year’s show begins immediately after the previous one is completed. Vendors, who are juried by a committee to ensure a diverse collection, begin bringing items to the farm and setting up six weeks before opening day. This group of creative souls, decorators, antique collectors, artists, craftspeople, and pickers fills the farm with a wide range of one-of-a-kind items. You’ll find unexpected treasures like a mounted turquoise deer, oversized floor candelabras, and vintage signs. There’s a shed filled to the brim with only white items—from milk glass and painted Victorian furniture to shabby chic chandeliers and distressed benches. There’s artwork, antique tools, and stained glass. And everything is thoughtfully curated and staged. You won’t leave empty handed. And don’t be surprised if you return again and again with a friend or two.
THIS MATTERS
SMELLTHIS
At night, Christmas at the Barn feels even more magical. The farm twinkles with Christmas lights, candlelit luminaries, and holiday music. People gather around an outdoor fire pit to warm their hands. It’s like the living version of a Norman Rockwell illustration. The event is expanding for 2017, its second year in Masontown. “We are going bigger and better,” Street says. “We are adding an additional building and trying to have everything under cover so, if the weather is bad, you don’t have to stand in rain. We are adding more antiques and flea market finds, and we have someone who is doing pallet art. We also have a new dessert vendor—Modern Homestead of Reedsville is going to provide seasonal desserts in the Sugar Shack.” Getting to the farm is half the fun. Be forewarned—it is a bit of a jaunt on a very rough country road that is often one lane. Bring the four-wheel drive. Follow the directions on the website. Don’t follow Google’s directions or GPS, or you just might end up in Texas. There is signage, but you will think you are going in the wrong direction. About the time you decide to turn around, you are almost there. If driving on narrow country roads makes you nervous, go during the day. And leave the credit cards at home; only cash and checks are accepted. The 2017 show will take place on Thursday and Friday, November 2 and 3, noon to 9 p.m. and Saturday, November 4, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 7268 Herring Road, Masontown, christmasatthebarn.com, “Christmas at the Barn” on Facebook written by nikki bowman | photographed by carla witt ford
Where Hearth Meets Home
New fragrance shop opens in Westover just in time for the holidays. ➼ CHUCK PENN WAS devastated when his favorite scent company went out of business and took his beloved Orange and Clove fragrance down with it. He decided to learn how to combine his own scents for himself and his friends. “I practiced and practiced until I came up with our first six fragrances, and my friends loved them,” he says. “I figured, if I can do that, I can make any.” Penn and his business partner, Phillip Donnelly, established Penn & Company, and Penn left his day job as a social worker to run it. Already known for its scented room sprays and candles, Penn and Company now also sells warmers and the accompanying wax tarts and pods, sprinkled with botanicals to enhance the scents. The company also sells essential oils, potpourri, incense, and room sprays. The fragrance shop makes more than 60 scents for each season and all year long. While Penn’s favorite scent is still Orange and Clove because it’s the one that started it all, the customers’ favorite is Sleigh Ride. “We initially rolled it out three years ago as a Christmas scent, and it was so popular and successful we have not been able to discontinue it,” Penn says. Penn & Company sells items reminiscent of specific times in life to take customers back to good times. “I’m a firm believer that scent has this amazing ability to transport you to any place and time in your memory,” Penn says. The company’s slogan, “Where Hearth Meets Home,” reflects the homey atmosphere of the store, which opened September 1 in a former antique shop in Westover. “When I saw the structure of the building, I thought, ‘There isn’t a better thing than to sell Penn & Company out of a house.’” 1 Fairmor Drive, Westover, 304.319.5234, pennandcompany. com, @pennandcompany on Facebook written and photographed by kristen uppercue MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
31
THIS MATTERS
played, fans stand together and raise their index fingers in the air as a show of unity.
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Fort Worth, Texas Team: The Horned Frogs Mascot: The Horned Frog TCU fans raise their Horned Frog hand sign—a “V” with the fingers crooked—to show their team spirit.
KNOW THIS
Know Your
Big 12 Teams BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Waco, Texas Team: The Bears Mascot: American Black Bear Baylor’s official hand sign is the Bear Claw. Two bears live in a comfortable habitat right on campus: Judge Joy Reynolds, called “Joy,” and Judge Sue Sloan, known as “Lady.”
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Ames, Iowa Team: The Cyclones Mascot: Cy the Cardinal At the beginning of its pregame shows, the Iowa State Varsity Marching Band storms onto the field and spins in clockwise and counterclockwise circles. Iowa State fires its Touchdown Cannon after field goals, touchdowns, and kick-offs.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas Team: The Wildcats Mascot: Willie the Wildcat
by giving the official touchdown hand signal and shouting: “Good for a Wildcat first down!”
TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas Team: The Jayhawks Mascots: Big Jay and Baby Jay
Jayhawks celebrate in the stands by “waving the wheat”: They raise both arms in the air and wave them from side to side, resembling a field of grain blowing in the wind. Since 2012, win or lose, the team faces the student section of the stadium and sings the alma mater, “Crimson and the Blue.”
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY Stillwater, Oklahoma Team: The Cowboys Mascot: Pistol Pete Pistol Pete was inspired by real-life gunslinger and former lawman Frank Eaton, who embodied the Old West and the pioneer spirit. After every touchdown, the black quarter horse Bullet bolts from the end zone and gallops through Boone Pickens Stadium while his rider waves a huge orange OSU flag.
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA Norman, Oklahoma Team: The Sooners Mascot: The Sooner Schooner, a covered wagon
K-State’s unofficial fight song, “Wabash Cannonball,” is a symbol of perseverance.
After every score, the Sooner Schooner is pulled onto Owen Field by a pair of white ponies, escorted by a band of spirit leaders called Ruf/Neks.
After a first down, fans join the announcer
When their alma mater, The OU Chant, is
32
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
The Frog Horn, a purple, car-sized horned frog with a 120-decibel train horn, bellows every time the team scores.
Lubbock, Texas Team: The Red Raiders Mascot: Raider Red Raider Red shoots two 12-gauge shotguns every time the team scores. His identity is a secret until the annual Passing of Guns ceremony. Before the players and coaches run onto the field, they touch the Double T Saddle Monument.
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN Austin, Texas Team: The Longhorns Mascot: Bevo, a longhorn steer UT claims the world’s largest bass drum, the world’s largest state flag, and the largest HD video screen in college football. The UT hand sign of Longhorn pride, pinky and index finger extended, is called the Hook ’em Horns.
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY Morgantown, West Virginia Team: The Mountaineers Mascot: The Mountaineer Before each home game, the team, coaching staff, band, and cheerleaders walk the Mountaineer Mantrip, touching a 350-pound block of coal in tribute to West Virginia’s 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. To participate in the first-down cheer, pump your arms up and down three times, clap, and make the first down signal with the corresponding words, “W-V-U! First down!”
THIS MATTERS
HEARTHIS
True Detectives
A podcast revisits Morgantown’s most infamous murders—and the questions that still surround the case.
COURTESY OF KROMATIC MEDIA
➼ IT WAS A SHOT IN THE DARK. Kendall Perkinson, Geoff Fuller, and Sarah Gibbons didn’t know each other that well, and none of them had made a podcast before. Yet, in September 2016, the trio set out to make a multi-part audio documentary series about a 47-year-old cold case. “It could’ve been a disaster. And it wasn’t. At all,” Gibbons says. Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders, which debuted in June 2017, is both gripping and gruesome as it unravels the story of Mared Malarik and Karen Ferrell—two young hitchhikers murdered and decapitated in 1970—with deep research and razor-sharp writing and production skills. Fuller had been interested in the story for decades, having grown up in Morgantown at the time of the murders. He even skipped high school to attend the trial of the man
who later confessed—probably falsely— to the crime. His research began in earnest years later, after he met a state trooper who’d helped investigate the case and was still haunted by it. He and Gibbons first connected online. She was researching the coed murders, came across a decade-old post Fuller had made on an online message board, tracked him down, and started sharing notes. Gibbons met Perkinson not long after. She told him about the murders while drinking on his porch one night. Perkinson, who had volunteered at a community radio station in Richmond, Virginia, suggested they turn the whole thing into a podcast. The relationship immediately clicked. “Both Geoff and I are obsessed with the case and Kendall’s obsessed with storytelling,” Gibbons says. They began recording in early fall 2016. Fuller and
Gibbons had already amassed much of the research, but they also began interviewing people who were around at the time, to bring more voices into the story. Perkinson, who released the project through his company Kromatic Media, scored the episodes with music from Morgantown-area bands. “They didn’t know us that well. They just thought the idea of the podcast was cool,” he says. “That really says something about Morgantown.” The first time Fuller heard what Perkinson had created, with music and narration all woven together, he thought, “Oh this is going to be good. He’s got a good ear.” The podcast was originally supposed to run for five episodes, but Perkinson, Fuller, and Gibbons expanded that to eight once they realized the scope of the story. As of this writing, six of the episodes have been released. The remaining two, which should be released around the end of the year, will delve into who might have committed the crimes—since many believe the man convicted for the crimes did not actually kill the women. As a result of his own investigation, Fuller now has his own prime suspect. “But Sarah doesn’t entirely agree with that. We’ll talk about that,” he says. Lots of people await the completion of the story. The podcast earned a devoted listenership, enjoying a five-star rating on the Apple Podcasts app at this writing, with more than 100 individual reviews. That’s all but unheard-of—even the best podcasts inevitably draw negative reviews—but Mared & Karen seems to have developed a relationship with listeners that few other projects have managed. It all has to do with a sense of place. For older listeners, the podcast stirs up longforgotten memories. Perkinson says many people have gotten in touch to express their own theories of the case, or just to offer their recollections of the time. “Lots of raw emotion,” he says. Younger listeners are captivated, too. Mared & Karen provides a look at a Morgantown that doesn’t exist anymore— a smaller place with no interstates and no public transportation, where hitchhiking was commonplace and women’s dorms still had curfews. “I think people like having a history to connect to their geography,” Perkinson says. http://kromatic.media written by ZACK HAROLD MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
33
Artisanal Grab-and-Go
River Birch Cafe brings fresh convenience to diners on the move.
I
t’s 7:45 a.m. and the Caperton rail-trail along Morgantown’s Wharf District is already filling up. A pair of women jogging with strollers, a line of ROTC students running in camo fatigues, businessmen and -women in sharp suits and shoulder bags hustling to their offices in one of the 34
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
district’s sleek high-rises—this pristine section of walking trail is nearly always bustling on a crisp fall morning. Even with the revitalization of this riverside commercial district, places to eat, talk, and relax have been slow to follow. The latest venture will be a welcome addition: a convenient, artisanal grab-and-
go concept aptly named River Birch Cafe, opened in August. Located in Marina Tower on Donley Street, home to WVU administration offices, law firms, and even an office of Senator Shelley Moore Capito, the café is seated in the heart of the Wharf District’s premier office spaces. It aims to satisfy Morgantown’s evolving foodie mindset as well as its growing young professional crowd. “The mission for River Birch Cafe is to offer guests artisan food and premium coffee that are convenient to an on-the-go lifestyle, without losing the vibe of your favorite local coffee shop,” says Dom Guillermo, director of operations. Partnering with two other beloved local eateries, Sargasso and Terra Cafe, River Birch is looking to fill a specific niche, says café manager Ricardo Soler. “What we are trying to do with this place is be fast and
COURTESY OF RIVER BIRCH CAFE
DISH IT OUT
DISH IT OUT
Ricardo Soler dishes it out
REVITALIZE SMOOTHIE 1 ripe banana, peeled 10 mint leaves, whole 1 teaspoon black chia seeds
COURTESY OF RIVER BIRCH CAFE
2 cups fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
convenient. Our schedule is just Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m, so we are targeting the offices here but also people on the rail-trail and those coming to work looking for something healthy.” The décor at River Birch has a warm, almost Zen aesthetic. Although situated on the ground floor of a corporate space, the café welcomes diners off the trail—or the elevator—with cozy wood details and greenery in planters, a living wall, and pots of succulents scattered throughout the simple, industrial seating options. Café-goers can eat in at one of two bars, a smattering of tables, or outside when the weather is nice, or they can grab their meal from the coolers and get back to their 12:30 meeting. A pair of sandwich boards by each of River Birch’s two entries declares the specials and highlights for the day with a bit
of whimsy (“Despresso: that feeling you get when you run out of coffee.”) Soler says the menu was crafted with modern Morgantown patrons in mind, with fresh, raw, and often local ingredients meant to feed the hungry, health-conscious commuter. “It’s all about convenience. We have coolers with veggie cups and hummus or ranch, fruit cups—everything is freshly cut here.” That focus on freshness and flavor is essential to the River Birch theme. “I will invite anyone to check our recipes, and you will see that everything is natural and healthy with no artificial ingredients,” he says. “I don’t see myself competing with the fast-food chains of the area. We are aiming for people who really want to take care of their bodies; they care what they are ingesting. And we keep our stock fresh, so the flavor remains on-point.”
1/2 cup coconut water, chilled Transfer all ingredients into a blender and blend on medium speed until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy or chill and enjoy the same day. Serves one.
Born and raised in Colombia by parents who own their own restaurant, Soler grew up with a love of local food culture. Even after earning his marketing degree at Davis & Elkins College, he found himself drawn back into the restaurant business, becoming the culinary manager for a large chain before joining the River Birch team in summer 2017. He’s already put his stamp on the place, creating unique madeMORGANTOWNMAG.COM
35
DISH IT OUT
a delectable treat, with roasted chicken, bacon, red onions, fresh avocado slices, and a creamy sriracha drizzle. That fun, street-food mentality carries into the café’s mode of operation, where everything is made as fresh as possible as quickly as possible. “You can be walking the rail-trail and, in a few steps, you can be inside getting a smoothie or coffee and be back on the trail in a matter of minutes,” Soler says. For those who don’t work or commute along the rail-trail, River Birch has several free parking spaces just to the left of its Donley Street entrance. A few weeks in, local reception was overwhelmingly positive. “We just opened the doors and people have been responding very well already,” Soler says. “Our Facebook page is getting lots of five-star reviews. They are saying it is delicious, healthy, and fresh—convenient, artisan food. That is really what we are trying to do.” Sister Restaurant Updates Terra Cafe and Sargasso, sister restaurants to the newly opened River Birch Cafe, are serving up their own updates to satisfy Morgantown’s evolving palate. Here are the highlights:
from-scratch salad dressings like cilantro lime vinaigrette and adding Colombian fare like mango twists with lime, a popular street food in his home country. For breakfast at River Birch, diners will find gourmet coffees, espressos, and lattes; pastries from Terra Cafe; oatmeal and granola cups; fresh fruit cups; and bagels piled with everything from smoked salmon to eggs to roasted turkey. So far, the most sought-after breakfasts are the steel-cut overnight oatmeal mixed with coconut milk, chia, local honey, and blueberries, and the Waterfront Bagel with roasted turkey, spinach, tomato, and red onion, accented with the café’s savory signature feta spread. Fresh smoothies make for a great grab-andgo meal for rail-trailers, and they’re made 36
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
• As part of Sargasso’s 2017 10-Year Celebration, the chefs have created a new dinner menu format to better accommodate modern dining preferences, with more small plates and shareable items. This gives guests the ability to create a meal that fits their party’s mood or occasion and opens the menu up to diners with no sugar added. The Bananut, a mix looking for something more casual that a of blueberries, banana, peanut butter, and four-course meal. “Sargasso has always coconut milk, tastes like dessert but won’t been known as a special occasion restauput calorie-counters in the red for the day. rant, but we would like people to know Lunches are just as much fun, with that they can come in on a Tuesday and artisan flatbreads, paninis, Buddha bowls, enjoy a great meal without breaking the and an assortment of sides, including bank,” Guillermo says. house-made pasta salad and a soupof-the-day fresh from the kitchen at • Terra Cafe recently built a new bar to Sargasso. Soler recommends a Buddha create a more welcoming hangout for bowl at the end of a rail-trail run for the evening crowd in the Star City area. a filling meal packed with energy and • Terra carries a selection of local and flavor. The Smoked Salmon Bowl, with craft brews, offers a half-off wine Ducktrap smoked salmon, cucumbers, and beer happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. cherry tomatoes, corn, and red quinoa Monday through Saturday, and serves served with choice of dressing—we food until 8 p.m. recommend the avocado—is a great pick-me-up. And the RBC Flatbread is written by MIKENNA PIEROTTI
COURTESY OF RIVER BIRCH CAFE
• Sargasso’s kitchen has undergone a transformation in the past several years and is now led by a trio of chefs—Chef Thomas Metzler, who has been with the Sargasso team since 2007, Chef Dave Halterman, and Chef Michael Saffron.
ROAD RAGE A wheelchair-goer who takes the invitation of this ADA ramp on Beechurst Avenue, new in 2016, has rough going beyond. Beechurst is part of the network of first-priority sidewalks proposed in 2010 by the Pedestrian Safety Board.
Act accessibility. “In the past two years, we’ve paved 20 miles of roadway,” Davis says. “With that project, we are required, when we’re maintaining our streets, to upgrade the ADA ramps. We’ve probably done 350 ADA ramps in the past two years.”
Yet to be Figured Out Sidewalks aren’t cheap: $100 per linear foot of four-foot-wide sidewalk, by 2010 estimate. So the question everyone trips over is how to reverse the lax sidewalk commitment of the past in a way that is fair and viable. Many ideas have been laid out. The PSB suggested in 2010 that the city institute an annual fee on residents of $1 per foot of frontage—$60 or $80 for the typical property—to be used for sidewalks and other pedestrian amenities. That proposal was not well received. The city has some tens of thousands of dollars in a sidewalk account, Davis says. Ideas include using it as a match to apply for grants or offering it directly as matching funds for residents who fix their sidewalks. Alternatively, he says, it could be treated as a rotating fund the city would use to fix sidewalks where residents won’t, and then charge them for the work. One approach would be to contact residents who need to improve sidewalks two years in advance of planned paving of their streets to give them a year to address it. The city’s of improvement. Not every property has to paving contractors could take care of any have a sidewalk in order for the system to unaddressed sidewalks with paving, and be minimally safe and functional, the PSB suggested in its 2010 Pedestrian Safety Plan. the city would bill the residents. There was discussion at one point of The board mapped a proposed network of using city sidewalk funds to encourage arterial sidewalks. Quieter streets might not entire blocks of neighbors to improve their be fully sidewalked, but those would feed sidewalks all at one time, which would cut into a reasonably dense network of good construction costs. “That discussion is still sidewalks on more heavily traveled streets. going on,” says PSB Chairman Cross. That proposal is yet to be acted on. Another cost-cutting idea is to create a Pedestrian Safety Board Chairman Matthew city sidewalk crew rather than contracting. Cross says he’s raised the issue with the current city administration. “They are now “I think it’s fair to consider that,” Cross says. This is all behind-the-scenes talk— looking to move forward with the previous there’s no firm proposal or timeline. Davis sidewalk code that has been neglected references the 2010 Pedestrian Safety Plan as for decades,” he says. Meanwhile, the average rate of about two pedestrian-related a worthwhile first target. “When we figure out what we want to do with sidewalks, we accidents reported per month for the past want to look at those main arterials first and 20 years continues. then the back streets after that.” Residents can raise sidewalk issues at So Far their neighborhood association meetings There has been some progress. Many and contact council members about them. fewer sidewalk waivers are granted, for They can also attend the meetings of the example. “It’s got to be a hardship,” says Pedestrian Safety Board, first Mondays of City Engineer Damien Davis. “Like if the month at 4:30 p.m. in the Public Safety it’s on a hillside where you’d also need a Building at Walnut and Spruce streets. retaining wall.” The city has also put a big emphasis recently on improving American Disabilities written and photographed by pam kasey
Sidestepping The sidewalk problem—who pays and how does it get enforced?—is yet to be resolved.
I
t’s been two years since we last bemoaned the condition of city sidewalks in these pages. For such a foot-happy community— 12th among cities under 100,000 in 2012, with more than 18 percent of residents walking to work—Morgantown has terrible sidewalks. Since a new city manager came on in February 2017 and the city seated a new council in July, we wondered: any progress? Answer: It’s under discussion. Here’s the origin of the problem. Paving and construction of new homes are supposed to kick in sidewalk construction and repair, according to the city’s 1967 sidewalk ordinance and a 1979 amendment. But the city has handed waivers out liberally, leaving many gaps and stretches of disrepair. A provision that makes property owners responsible for the condition of their sidewalks has also been unenforced. The last real focus on the issue was in 2010. A city survey showed that only about half of properties in the city had sidewalks at that time, and only about half of those were in good condition. Also at that time, the Pedestrian Safety Board suggested a common-sense first level 38
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
Double Your Fun Make the most of your game-weekend road trips.
W
hen it’s football season, all roads lead to Mountaineer Field. But there’s lots to see and do just off West Virginia’s interstates. You can pick up some of the best tailgating food there is on the way to the stadium. Better yet, build extra time into your trip and double your fun. Many of these destinations are open evenings and Sundays, but hours can vary; as always, confirm your plans in advance.
Heading north on I-79 Exit 9: Elkview If you’ve come through Charleston, Exit 9 is the last stop for a while for everything road trip, including gas and quick food—
we love the sandwiches at Penn Station East Coast Subs (75 Crede’s Landing, 304.993.7366). There are also auto parts stores, CVS, Kmart, and Kroger, if you’ve got bigger needs. Exit 62: Sutton Sutton is well-known for the fine dining and B&B suites at Cafe Cimino Country Inn (616 Main Street, 304.765.2913, cafeciminocountryinn.com). Take in a show at the circa-1930 Elk Theatre. It was saved from closure in 2007 and now shows firstrun movies Friday and Saturday evenings, with Sunday matinees (192 Main Street, 304.765.2519, @elktheatre on Facebook). Exit 67: Flatwoods Known as the geographic center of West Virginia and as the origin of the Flatwoods
Monster, Flatwoods is the mid-state highway break that satisfies everyone. A Starbucks boost, gas, or fast food—that’s all here. For an authentic West Virginia chili dog, there’s Custard Stand (3945 Sutton Lane, 304.765.6500, custardstand.com), and you can get a sit-down meal at this exit, too. To stretch your legs and shop, Sister’s Antique Mall (3766 Sutton Lane, 304.765.5533, “Sister’s in Flatwoods” on Facebook) has great bargains, and Flatwoods Factory Outlet Stores (304.765.3300, flatwoodsfactorystores. com) carries Fiestaware and CorningWare as well as clothing, shoes, and West Virginia’s own Lost Road candles. For a little something to round out your tailgate, Amish Farms Bulk Food & Cheese at the outlet mall is your stop. Exit 99: Weston and Buckhannon East of the interstate, Exit 99 has all of the conveniences. But if you can make some time, the town of Weston, to the west, will reward you. Largest and most looming of all near-highway attractions is the Gothic Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
39
ACROSS COUNTY LINES
(71 Asylum Drive, 304.269.5070, transalleghenylunaticasylum.com). Said to be the largest hand-cut sandstone building in the world after the Kremlin, the TALA operated as a state-run mental hospital from 1864 to 1994. Today’s tours tell its story noon to 5 p.m. on the hour through November 5 in 2017. Weston is also a special home for handcrafted glass. Appalachian Glass (499 US Highway 33 East, 304.269.1030, shopwva.com) has glass-blowing demonstrations six days a week at its studio and outlet gallery. The Museum of American Glass (230 Main Avenue, 304.269.5006, magwv.com) documents the heyday of handmade glass. Also in Weston, the Mountaineer Military Museum (345 Center Avenue, 304.472.3943, mountaineermilitarymuseum.com) remembers West Virginia’s participation in wars from the Spanish–American War through Operation Iraqi Freedom. Buckhannon, 12 miles east of the interstate, offers loads of small-town West Virginia charm. Fish Hawk Acres Market (5 West Main Street, 304.473.7741, fishhawkacreswv.com), an independent market and restaurant, is your best bet for fresh, locally sourced, scratch-made tailgating treats—we love the pepperoni rolls, but you’ll find other fresh-baked goods, salads, cheeses, and a wide range of delicious foods. Swing by The Donut Shop, too (19 North Locust Street, 304.472.9328). It has a dedicated following—and a 24-hour drive-through window. Main Street Antiques (15 East Main Street, 304.473.1101, “Main Street Antiques Buckhannon” on Facebook) is one of many shops that make for good browsing. Friday and Saturday evenings, the Lascaux Micro-Theater (33 East Main Street, 304.473.1818, “Lascaux Micro-Theater” on Facebook) shows foreign and independent films. Exit 119: Bridgeport and Clarksburg Beyond every exit convenience, downtown Bridgeport and Clarksburg are a short hop away. East of the highway, in Bridgeport, stop at Almost Heaven Desserts & Coffee Shop (100 West Main Street, 304.848.2500, @almostheavendesserts on Facebook) for a sweet treat or at Provence Market Cafe (603 South Virginia Avenue, 304.848.0911, provencemarketcafe.com) for some of the best French-inspired cuisine in the region. But you’re entering Italian country 40
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
here. Find longtime neighborhood Italian favorites in Clarksburg, west of the highway. Health Bread Company, also known as D’Annunzio’s (1909 Williams Avenue, 304.622.3492), Marino Brothers restaurant (415 Baltimore Avenue, 304.918.9270, @marinobrothersglenelk on Facebook), Oliverio Italian Style Peppers (280 North Ohio Avenue, 304.622.4959, oliveriopeppers.us), and Tomaro’s Bakery (411 North 4th Street, 304.622.0691, @tomarosbakery on Facebook) are just a few of the local institutions. Grab some tailgating staples or make time for a meal. Downtown, The Fifth Floor (134 South 3rd Street, 304.326.5555, “Fifth Floor Clarksburg” on Facebook) feels like a trip to an urban high-rise restaurant. Exit 121: Meadowbrook Road Meadowbrook is the biggest mall near the interstate. This exit is also spirit gear central—Mountaineer World (166 Barnett Run Road, 304.848.7700, mountaineerworld.com) bills itself as the
largest WVU Mountaineer product store in the world, and we don’t see anybody arguing. Punch up your outfit or take some extra Mountaineer spirit home. Exit 124: Jerry Dove Drive There are places to stay on either side of the interstate here, and places to eat and shop, too. East of the highway, try Mia Margherita (139 Conference Center Way, 304.808.6400, miamargherita. com) for creative coal-fired pizzas, or go for authentic Irish at Meagher’s Irish Pub (26 Betten Court, 304.848.9200, meaghersirishpub.com). In White Oaks business park on the west side, there’s the eclectic menu at Cody’s (20 Shaner Drive #104, 304.842.4200, codysrestaurant. com) and, next door, Bonnie Belle’s Pastries (20 Shaner Drive, 304.848.1100, bonniebellespastries.com) for cupcakes and other treats. Outdoors lovers won’t want to miss McFly Outdoors (20 Shaner Drive, 304.333.2550, mcflyoutdoors.com), the second location of the large Horner, West Virginia-based shop. If you’re here
ACROSS COUNTY LINES
Exit 135: Pleasant Valley Road Need a highway break for antsy kids? Valley Worlds of Fun (2017 Pleasant Valley Road, 304.366.2500, valleyworldsoffun.com) has carnival rides, laser tag, a video arcade, bowling, minigolf, a climbing wall, and more. Exit 137 At one of the most stunning parks in the region, the four waterfalls and miles of trails at Valley Falls State Park (wvstateparks.com) are just 10 miles off the interstate. Exit 139: Prickett’s Fort Add a history lesson at Pricketts Fort State Park with costumed interpreters and trade workshops that bring the 18th century to life (wvstateparks.com).
Heading west on I-68 Exit 23: Bruceton Mills Bruceton Antique Mall (15041 North Preston Highway, 304.379.4040, @brucetonantiquemall on Facebook) offers a big selection just off the interstate, or try your luck at Alexander’s Antiques (500 West Main Street, 304.288.4782, “Alexander’s Bruceton” on Facebook).
midday on a Sunday, check whether it’s a Bridgeport Farmers Market day (bridgeportfarmersmarket.com)—it’s one of the best markets in the state. Exit 132: South Fairmont Fairmont is another Italian stronghold. At this southernmost Fairmont exit you can find Colasessano’s (141 Middletown Road, 304.363.0571, colasessanos.com)— we love the Pepperoni Bun and the Steak and Cheese Sandwich—and, for a familystyle dinner, Muriale’s Italian Kitchen (1742 Fairmont Avenue, 304.363.3190, murialesrestaurant.com). Exit 136: Downtown Fairmont If you’ve never driven Fairmont’s Gateway Connector, that alone is worth a detour. Opened in 2010 after decades of planning, demolition, and construction, this wide boulevard with rotaries, bike paths, and bus shelters gives visitors a grand approach to the Robert H. Mollohan Bridge into the Friendly City. Right downtown, the Arts & Antiques Marketplace (205 Adams Street,
304.534.8980, artsandantiqueswv.com) offers several floors of all things unique and handcrafted, open every day of the week. Just up the street, stop at Joe ’n Throw (323 1/2 Adams Street, 304.816.4390, @joe.n.throw on Facebook) or Little Red Hen Bakery (323 Adams Street, 304.816.4800, @thehenbakes on Facebook) for breakfast or a light meal. South of downtown, head to The Poky Dot (1111 Fairmont Avenue, 304.366.3271, thepokydot.com) for a diner stop or find a cool treat at Pufferbelly’s Ice Cream Station (1024 Fairmont Avenue, 304.363.3221, @pufferbellys on Facebook). You can also make a pilgrimage to the factory storefront of Country Club Bakery (1211 Country Club Road, 304.363.5690, @countryclubbakery on Facebook), said to be the origin of the pepperoni roll. And when you cross back over the bridge toward the highway, stop at local institution Rider Pharmacy (303 Merchant Street, 304.366.2710, @riderpharmacy on Facebook) for Mountaineer gear.
Exit 15: Coopers Rock Get a peaceful break from the highway at Coopers Rock State Forest (wvstateparks.com). Picnic tables and shelters, camping, and miles of hiking trails with stunning rock formations and views of the Cheat River Canyon. Exit 10: Cheat Lake Cheat Lake is Morgantown’s playground. Dine lakeside at Crab Shack Caribba (69 Mont Chateau Road, 304.435.3469, crabshackcaribba.com) or The Lakehouse Restaurant (165 Sunset Beach Road, 304.594.0088, lakehousewv.com), or try authentic Hawaiian cuisine at Tropics (2500 Cranberry Square, 304.291.5225, tropicswv.com). Weekdays, check out the Edmontosaurus, the only real dinosaur on display in the state, with dozens of other curios at the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey mini-museum (1 Mont Chateau Road, 304.594.2331, www.wvgs.wvnet.edu). photographed by CARLA WITT FORD and NIKKI BOWMAN MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
41
THE U
This year’s Mountaineer Week has more events and activities than ever.
F
or 70 years, Mountaineer Week has been one of the most anticipated celebrations in Morgantown. Named a Top 20 Event in the Southeast for October 2017 by the Southeast Tourism Society, Mountaineer Week brings people in from all over the country. “During Mountaineer Week, we have something for everyone,” says Mountaineer Week Advisor Sonja Wilson. “Whether you are into crafts, quilts, food, culture, or dance, we try to hit everything we can to educate our students on the culture and history of West Virginia.” This year, Mountaineer Week celebrates students, student veterans, Pearl S. Buck, Pumpkin Day, and much more. The first weekend is packed with events for students and family members. It’s followed by ongoing contests and events throughout the week, and then ends with the Big Game and the Mountaineer Idol Finale. Whether you are a Mountaineer by birth or by choice, Mountaineer Week will not disappoint.
42
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
The Craft Fair Highlighting traditional crafts of Appalachian culture, the Craft Fair is one of Mountaineer Week’s main attractions. This year during the three-day fair, 65 artisans from West Virginia and neighboring states will sell their handmade crafts such as wood carvings, early American basketry, cornhusk dolls, pottery, and more. The Craft Fair will take place at the Blue and Gold Ballrooms at the Mountainlair on Friday from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
OCTOBER 20–22 The Quilt Show Hosted by the Country Roads Quilt Guild, this year’s Quilt Show will
COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY MOUNTAINLAIR PROGRAMMING AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Semper Liberi
OCTOBER 20–22
COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY MOUNTAINLAIR PROGRAMMING AND SPECIAL EVENTS
SHUTTERSTOCK
THE U
showcase the guild’s handmade quilts in the Mountaineer Room at the Mountainlair from noon to 8 p.m. all three days. The guild is also presenting the first Quilt Documentation Project in conjunction with the West Virginia Division of Culture and History from Charleston. Take any quilt in and they will measure, photograph, and date it and identify its patterns. All data gathered will be stored at the West Virginia Culture Center’s Archives. The project will take place in the Cathedral Room at the Mountainlair on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
OCTOBER 20–22 The Country Store A new addition to Mountaineer Week, the Country Store provides a glimpse of old-time Appalachian culture. With the
help of the WVU Entrepreneurship Club, the Country Store will sell pepperoni rolls, Coca Cola, rock candy, CDs, and more. Visit the store in the Potomac Room at the Mountainlair Friday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m., and the rest of the week from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
OCTOBER 21 Family Fun Day On Saturday, Oct. 21, families are invited to the Mountainlair to enjoy fun-packed activities and programs related to Appalachian history and culture. This year, there will be Games before Computers, an event to promote a day to stay away from computers and phones, where children can play checkers, chess, or marbles with their parents and grandparents. Family Fun Day has an array of activities from storytelling, puppet shows, and stage performances
to horse rides, live rescued native birds, and lumberjacking skill demos. The event starts at noon and runs through 3:30 p.m.
OCTOBER 21 Pumpkin Regatta For the first Mountaineer Week Pumpkin Regatta, growers, rowers, and knowers will go head-to-head to take the trophy home. On Saturday, Oct. 21, the WVU Horticulture Club, WVU Rowing Team, and a group of faculty from Morgantown’s North Elementary School will compete on the water in giant pumpkins. Four members of each team will do a relay. The goal is to reach the buoy and return with the best time. The event will take place at Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
43
THE U
OCTOBER 21 Fiddler’s Contest Fiddling has provided music and entertainment for many years during Mountaineer Week. For the Fiddler’s Contest, participants come from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to compete for the top prizes of each of the three categories: Youth, Junior, and Senior. The contest starts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, in the Gluck Theatre at the Mountainlair.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Friday, Oct. 20: WVUp All Night, It’s Mountaineer Week! Featuring music by the Hillbilly Gypsies and the High Ridge Ramblers. Enjoy a buffet from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Oct. 20: Mountaineer Week Country Vittles Dinner Buffet This buffet will feature a traditional Appalachian meal and music by Andrew Adkins. 5–7 p.m. at Hatfields. Saturday, Oct. 21: Civil War Encampment The WVU Blue and Gray Club are going to do an encampment and they are trying to integrate them to Family Fun Day so they can do the Irish Road Bowling, which is something they’ve learned through a little bit of history that people used to do that in that times. Event is at 11 a.m. at the Mountainlair’s plaza.
OCTOBER 28 Mountaineer Mascot Reunion Every five years, Mountaineer Week invites former Mountaineer Mascots to come together, take pictures, and meet their fans. This year, the Mountaineer Mascot Reunion is on Saturday, Oct. 28, before the game, at the Student Lot at Oakland Hall.
Saturday, Oct. 21: WVUp All Night, It’s Mountaineer Week! Up All Night will feature old-fashioned square dancing with music by the Friends of Old Time Music and the High Ridge Ramblers. Learn to square dance through demonstrations then join the “all dance.” Buffet 9 p.m–1 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23: Walking Ghost Tour Storyteller Jason Burns will give his popular walking tour of some of the haunted buildings at WVU, buildings students go into every day, including Stewart Hall and Woodburn Hall. 7:30 p.m. at the Mountainlair.
Wednesday, Oct. 25: Pearl S. Buck’s 125th birthday In honor of Pearl S. Buck’s 125th Birthday, the Historical Society will display books signed by the beloved West Virginia author.
OCTOBER 28 Mountaineer Idol Finale Concluding Mountaineer Week is the acclaimed Mountaineer Idol Finale. Sponsored by Coca-Cola, Mon Hills Records, and American Idol, the contest is in its 14th year and is open to the public starting at 3 p.m. at the Mountainlair Ballrooms. The winner of the contest will receive a $1,000 prize and the chance to record an EP with Mon Hills Records. written by DEMI FUENTES RAMIREZ 44
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
Thursday, Oct. 26: National Day of the Deployed and National Pumpkin Day To acknowledge student veterans, Mountaineer Week reached out to Starbucks, J.A.C.S. Convenience Store, and Hatfields to offer pumpkin lattes and everything pumpkin with discounts for student veterans. Friday, Oct. 27: True Blue Day Celebrate WVU pride by wearing blue and gold. Friday, Oct. 27: WVUp All Night, Everything Appalachian There will be folk dancing, corn husk doll making, food buffets, and more. 9 p.m.–1 a.m. at the Mountainlair. Check for scheduling updates at mountaineerweek.wvu.edu
COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY MOUNTAINLAIR PROGRAMMING AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Tuesday, Oct. 24: Health and Wellness Day Visit Safe Community educational booths from WELLWVU, the Division of Diversity, the School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy, and other wellness-related university divisions. Get a flu shot in the Mountainlair’s Potomac Room or give blood in the ballroom. Events take place throughout the day.
HEALTHY LIVING
Hit the Jim Go to Jim’s Gym for the workout. Go back for the workout and the stories.
J
im March stopped going into Pittsburgh to earn $25 or $50 at the Saturday night fights when he got married at 17. But listening to country music on WKKW one day in December 1983, stoking the wood burner in the basement and eight months out of work,
he heard the announcer taunt him. “WHOOOOO’S the toughest man in West Virginia?” March chuckles as he tells this story, leaning in with a snaggletoothed smile and a twinkle behind his electric-taped glasses. “And I’m going, ‘Well I assume I am!’” He leans back again in his creaky
old out-of-place desk chair on wheels, wearing his gym around him like a pair of fight-worn boxing gloves. “I don’t know, but I’m thinking I am.” Even Morgantown natives, when they hear where Jim’s Gym is downtown, have the same reaction: “There isn’t anything behind Black Bear.” While becoming an institution over the past quarter century, the only dedicated boxing gym in town has stayed invisible in plain sight. The lack of any sign partially explains it— this gym is strictly a word-of-mouth joint. It’s made of the same hard-knocks nonconformity as its owner, a guy who’s survived an almost sociopathic level of All-American-boy risk-taking—read his MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
45
HEALTHY LIVING
self-published If Oprah Reads This I’ll be Rich if you think that’s an exaggeration. March realized as a young teen in the ’60s watching Muhammad Ali on TV that he wanted to box. He loved the Pittsburgh fight scene, loved the money, loved the energy at the Saturday night fights. He stopped fighting, but then he heard that taunt. He trained and starved himself for a month to make the Light Heavyweight class, scrapped his way through five bouts, and took $1,000 home, the Toughest Man in West Virginia in 1984. When March’s son Jim was 13, he asked his father to teach him to fight. “He was the sweetest kid. I told him he wouldn’t like it.” He loved it and turned out to be good at it—so good that, as a student at University High School, he was competing in matches all over the country. March told him he had to get 46
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
straight As if he wanted to be taken out of school to fight. But it was hard to keep his grades up and also train all the way up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. To lighten his load, the elder March started the gym in Morgantown in about 1992. That’s the origin story of Jim’s Gym. March’s son went on to fight in Boston, but the gym had taken on a robust life of its own. March once left town for three weeks unannounced, meandering on his motorcycle in the southern tier of New York state. When he made his way back to Morgantown, there were guys standing at the door of the gym hoping it would open. That’s how he tells it. Behind that peeling green facade on the alley called Moreland Street lies another world. Enter at the warped walkthrough door cut out of the garage door around 10 o’clock any Tuesday through
Friday morning. You’ll find yourself in a large room dominated by a boxing ring, the floor of it about belly-high. The pale glow of fluorescent fixtures completes the ’50s film feel. Stuff your pay into the fivepound coffee can with “$5” scrawled on it in fat black marker. March will just be plugging the interval timer in. When the bell shrills—BRRRRRING —everyone there does arm circles for three minutes. It’s harder than it sounds. It’s harder still when BRRRRRRRING after the one-minute rest between bells BRRRRRRRING it’s time to do another three minutes. Three. Long. Minutes. BRRRRRRRING. The next rest is just enough time to pair up with another gym-goer and find a medicine ball to toss between you. BRRRRRRRING. Keep the foot opposite your dominant hand forward, hips low, hands up, elbows in,
HEALTHY LIVING
and toss. Toss. Toss. March will pair up with somebody if there’s an odd number. Wherever he is, either he’s telling a story or someone else is. Anything might come up: The building of Big Bear Lake on a former strip mine. The Phantom of the Gym, a homeless guy who’s been staying there and cleans up. Dolly Parton’s qualities as an entertainer. Toss. Toss. Toss. Toss. Toss. BRRRRRRRING. Shake your shoulders out just in time for BRRRRRRRING another three minutes of tossing. Shoulders starting to burn. You tune into March’s stream of consciousness to distract yourself, until you miss a toss and take a razzing. BRRRRRRRING. Now everyone wraps their hands. If you’re a beginner, March will show you how. “Spread your fingers,” he’ll say, slipping the looped end of the hand wrap around your thumb. “Watch, because this
is the only time I’m going to do it for you. Secure the wrist. Barber pole it up the arm. Square it off. Back down,” and so on between each of the fingers and back to velcro tight around the wrist. While he wraps the other hand, he tells you you’re going to hit with the flats of your knuckles. Push, connect, twist. The easy BSing breaks out into a full-group discussion about what the bathroom rule should be for transgender students in the high schools. March, whose tendency to bring his eclectic readings into conversation is part of the appeal for this academic community, lays out the gender-separation conventions of several ancient civilizations. No one has an answer for that. Hands in gloves, side-body between the ropes, and there you are in a boxing ring. In the morning sessions, people can
spar among themselves, or March will hold up pads for them for a minute or so at a go. “Here.” By his right shoulder. “Here.” Left shoulder. “Two here.” Right shoulder. “Keep your arms up! Here.” Left hip. “That’s it. Twist! Here,” and so on. Some people grunt when they punch. After everyone’s had several rounds, the gloves come off and it’s time for “the bar”—no-nonsense like all the other parts of this gritty workout. Choose a five- or six-foot-long metal dowel from the ones leaning against the wall and stake out some floor space between the punching bags. March leads the group in a grueling few minutes of lifting the bar every possible way: curl it up to the chest for a while. Curl it up higher. Push it out in front. Then straight up. Balancing it in one hand, lift it up to the armpit, then lift it straight out to the side. Other hand. Then two hands overhand, all of that again. Shoulders screaming now. BRRRRRRRING—somehow you’ve managed to block that sound out, though it’s continued this whole time. And the workout is over. Afternoons from 4 to 6 it’s a more serious crowd. And Friday evenings, real sparring. March takes anyone who walks into the gym seriously, man or woman, young or old. “I’ll treat them just like they’re a fighter. If they are a fighter, I try to make ’em a better fighter. If they’re a kid, I try to turn them into a kid that could be a fighter. That’s all I do, train ’em to be the best fighter I think they can be.” He tells stories about single moms who’ve taken their sons in to be toughened up, squads of ROTC members who’ve wanted to train up to become Army Rangers, guys who were probably headed for jail but found an outlet at the gym and got themselves straightened out—more than one of them ending up with respectable boxing careers. “I started this place for the one reason, but I never could actually pull the plug because there was always somebody in the pipeline,” he says. “There’s a certain long, long, long, long, long string of people whose lives have been altered by this place. They’re scattered all over the country. There must be 1,000 of them.” He leans back again in his creaky old chair. “It’s been very satisfying. It has been very satisfying.” 118 Moreland Street, @jimsboxinggym on Facebook written by PAM KASEY photographed by JULIAN WYANT MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
47
Art for Art’s Sake Don’t have boring walls—collecting original art in Morgantown is easy, affordable, and fun. Written by Pam Kasey
But where do you get that piece? Turns out, it’s not hard to find original art in Morgantown. It’s not hard to buy it, either: A lot of pieces sell for well under $100, and a huge variety under a few hundred dollars. “You don’t have to take a trip to another state to find some very appealing, well-executed art for a value price right here in your own downtown,” says Ro Brooks, executive director of the Monongalia Arts Center. No fewer than six galleries in Morgantown, five downtown, show art for sale, and lots of cafés, restaurants, and shops do, 48
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
too. With few established artists and a lot who are early in their careers, Morgantown is a dynamic arts market where buyers can connect directly with artists.
Why buy original? So many reasons. “The stuff at the chain store, it can be cute, but a lot of times it’s circled back around—it’s an answer to ‘What is art?’ that’s been deemed mass market–popular,” says Morgantown potter and jewelry-maker Lisa Giuliani, emphasizing the freshness of original art. “When you get local art, you’re supporting a local artist and all of that magical thing, but also, you’re getting art on the front end.” Buying original art supports the artists’ ideas, says Jack Thompson, board president of local arts council Arts Monongahela. “But it also supports yourself—you’re putting thought into what you hang on the wall. It’s something that you enjoy, something that gives you personal growth.” Original art is direct—it comes straight from the artist’s hands, says Laurie Nugent, co-owner of Appalachian Gallery. “And when you buy original art, you’re increasing the value of original art—you’re increasing people’s perception of artists and original artwork, and that’s important to our culture. Original art enriches our lives.” Not sure how to get started? Arts ranging from jewelry and ceramics to quilts and tattoos flourish in Morgantown, and you can collect it all. This is our guide to buying two-dimensional art.
CARLA WITT FORD
A
fter living in Florida for 30 years, Ken and Sarah Louise Weiss moved back in 2015 to the house he grew up in in Morgantown, the house his grandfather built. “But I missed the ocean terribly,” Ken says. Then he saw Jenny Wilson’s painting “The Oregon Coast” at an exhibit of her work at Arts Monongahela. “We fell in love with the piece,” he says, and they bought it. Jenny and her husband, Nathan, delivered it to the Weiss’s home. The four of them looked at walls and talked about placement, and Nathan helped hang the piece. “Now I’ve got a little ocean in Hopecrest,” Ken says. Chances are, there’s a blank wall in your house you’d like to hang a special piece on. Something nostalgic, maybe. Something arresting. Something displayed by only you in all the world.
Jenny Wilson’s painting “The Oregon Coast,” acrylic on canvas, reminds Ken and Sarah Louise Weiss of their years in Florida.
Tip #1 Find a bare wall
Think about how you spend time in the room and what kind of mood you want to set: Funky? Peaceful? Energetic? Look at the colors in the room and the light—do you want to brighten the feel? Anchor it?
I measured the space, and I thought about the area and the people who pass through it.” “In my office—my cube, technically— I have a literal wall where I can hang art,” says Sally Deskins. She’s an artist who draws and paints images around themes of womanhood, motherhood, and the body, and she also works as exhibits and programs coordinator for WVU Libraries. “I measured the space, and I thought about the area and the people who pass through it.” She wanted interesting images, but nothing political or too outrageous. She’s happy with the pieces she’s hung there. “I have some Allison Blair prints. She’s a graduate student in printmaking who does these cyanotype prints of dead birds—it sounds weird but they’re really beautiful. She puts flowers in them. And then I have a Jennifer Ellifritz photograph, she’s also local, of a bird in a tree. They add an interesting element to the space, and they’re a reminder of nature and life’s brevity.”
50
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
Galleries
and other places to buy art
Appalachian Gallery 270 Walnut Street, 304.296.0163 wvcraft.com M–F 10:30–5:30, S 10:30–4 Gallery 201 at Arts Monongahela 201 High Street, 304.291.6720 artsmon.org, M–F 9–4 The Diamond Shop Gallery 320 High Street @diamondshopart on Facebook 304.296.9669, M–F 10–4 Monongalia Arts Center 107 High Street, 304.292.3325 monartscenter.com M–F 11–7, S 11–4 Morgantown Art Association Gallery Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Green Bag Rd 304.291.5900, morgantownartassociation.com T–F 10–4 Morgantown Art & Record Studio—MARS 243 Walnut Street @retrotiqueboutique on Facebook T–F 11–6, S 10–5 123 Pleasant Street 123pleasantstreet.com Black Bear, blackbearburritos.com Blue Moose, thebluemoosecafe.com Crescent Frame Shoppe @crescentframeshoppe on Facebook Hill & Hollow hillandhollowrestaurant.com Patty’s Art Spot in Star City, pattysartspot.org Table 9, dinetable9.com Terra Cafe, terracafewv.com Tonique’s Trilogy, tonique.com Unique Consignment uniquewv.com
Tip #2 Go look at art for sale
It’s hard not to see original art for sale in Morgantown. Restaurants and cafés all over support the arts in this way. Most rotate displays every month, so it’s easy to see a cross-section of new and established artists just by paying attention to the walls around town. “We probably sell art once a day,” says Hillary Kay, assistant manager at Terra Cafe. “I think it’s because there are a lot of price points.” In September, art on the walls at Terra ranged from $15 to $890. Customers can also flip through a print rack of unframed prints. Black Bear Burritos displays local artists’ work for sale both downtown and in Evansdale. The art on the walls at Blue Moose café, Hill & Hollow, and Table 9 is also for sale. Art sells in other shops, too—stop in at Tonique’s Trilogy downtown and Patty’s Art Spot and Unique Consignment in Star City to see rotating displays. In most cases, pieces can be purchased during a show and picked up when it ends. Eddie “Spaghetti” Maier, who makes woodcut prints with frames from found wood, sells a lot through cafés and restaurants, especially Black Bear and Terra Cafe. “They see it as helping them fill their walls and beautify their space. Neither of them takes a commission, so I can keep prices affordable.” But don’t be intimidated by the galleries. Unlike in big cities, where galleries can be the realms of private art dealers who take 50 percent of a sale, here they are usually run by nonprofits or artists themselves who take no more than 30 percent for ongoing expenses. Monongalia Arts Center—The MAC— has 2,500 square feet of gallery space on two floors. Just up High Street from there, Arts Monongahela supports all of the fine arts in town and hosts eight to 10 gallery shows each year. Appalachian Gallery’s framing studio, gallery, and gift shop operates in a gracious old home
where it’s easy to imagine art on your own wall. Out at the Mountaineer Mall, the practicing artists at the Morgantown Art Association and an active series of workshops makes for a vibrant art spot. A relative newcomer to the gallery scene is The Diamond Shop Gallery, where John P. Kuehn’s longtime jewelry store occupies the back of the shop, and his gallery the front. And due to open any time is the new MARS—Morgantown Art and Record Studio—at Retro-tique. One other good place to find art is craft fairs and festivals and the annual fall Arts Walk. Browse art with your wall in mind. When you see the right piece, you’ll probably know it. “Go with what you like and what you think is cool,” Kuehn says. “There’s such a big world of fun things you can get.” Brooks, at The MAC, has seen a lot of people surprised over the years. “Maybe they didn’t have a lot of money, but they came in to look and they found something they liked. It’s like, ‘Wow, I have an original piece of art!’” she says. “They never thought they would ever have something like that.”
Art Museums Art Museum of WVU 2 Fine Arts Dr 304.293.2141 artmuseum.wvu.edu W, F, S, S 12:30–4:30 p.m. Th 3:30–7:30 p.m.
Mesaros Galleries WVU Creative Arts Center 1 Fine Arts Drive M–S noon–9 p.m.
Nutting Gallery WVU Erickson Alumni Center 1 Alumni Drive 304.293.4731 @wvualumni on Facebook
PAM KASEY
Ware Family Art Gallery WVU Blaney House Located in the home of the WVU president, the Ware Family Art Gallery is available to visitors to by-invitation events at the residence.
Gallery openings are open to the public and they’re fun. The Diamond Shop Gallery has an opening every first Friday of the month, and Arts Mon, The MAC, and the Morgantown Art Association host receptions for new shows year-round, too. Openings are a great chance to meet artists Enjoy the and talk with them about their work. Visiting museums can also help you grow as a collector. social side The eclectic exhibits at the Mesaros Galleries at WVU’s Creative Arts Center display everything from up-and-coming undergraduate creatives to touring national art shows. The Nutting Gallery at the Erickson Alumni Center often has exhibits and is open to the public. And not only does the Art Museum of WVU display from its extensive private collection and bring in worldclass exhibits—recently, works from internationally acclaimed street artist Shepard Fairey—it also hosts regular presentations and discussions with its Lunchtime Looks and Art Up Close! events. Tell your friends you went—you might be surprised at the great conversations that follow. Best of all, try your own hand at art. Classes and workshops go on all the time across Morgantown at places like The Wow! Factory, Zenclay Pottery, the Monongalia County Technical Education Center, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Center. “The more you participate in art, the more you understand it and the better you are at collecting it,” says Arts Mon’s Thompson.
Tip #3
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
51
The Price of “Love Bat”
Bryn Perrott’s “Love Bat” is about 14 inches high. It’s sanded smooth, painted, hand-carved in cabinet-grade plywood, and sealed. It sells for $125. Here’s the breakdown.
$125 $11
Materials: wood, paint, polycrylic
$5
Equipment: use of wood carving tools, jigsaw blades, sandpaper
$38
Gallery cut @ 30% artist’s earnings
$71
COURTESY OF BRYN PERROTT
For four hours of sourcing materials, drawing new concepts, cutting shapes, painting, carving, sealing, marketing, and delivery, that comes to about $18/hour.
52
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
Galleries are great for seeing art in person and meeting artists. But these days, social media also gives the artist–collector relationship another dimension. Following artists you like on social media lets you keep up with their works in progress and their upcoming Like and shows. It can also let you see the artists they follow like and follow, deepening your understanding of their influences and introducing you to new artists you might like yourself. Instagram has been a great marketing tool for Morgantown artist Bryn Perrott. She does what she calls “printmaking without the printing”—carving wood surfaces into intricate, high-contrast designs with influences from the tattoo and folk art worlds. “Instagram really did change for me the way I can sell things,” she says. “I get more attention using the internet on my own unless a gallery has more of a following than I do.” She doesn’t show often in galleries, because the tattoo community and Instagram together have turned out to be such a steady market for her that she is able to support herself through her art.
Tip #4
Tip #5 J ULIAN WYANT
Consider a commission
If you haven’t found the right piece for your space but you’ve found an artist whose style you like, maybe a commission is right for you. “I had Malissa Baker do a painting of each of my kids. They’re my very, very favorite pieces,” says Giuliani. “She works from photographs, so I found the photographs I wanted her to paint and she said, ‘Yeah!’ The paintings are like 2 feet by 2 feet. I took them over to Crescent Frame Shoppe—she has some killer $3-per-foot molding. So for a very reasonable price, I got paintings in my house that I will have forever.”
Why Choose a Local Framer? Lots of places do framing these days, and some offer impressivesounding coupons. But independent framers bring a level of experience, materials, and service that chain stores can’t offer. Laurie Nugent and Penelyn VanOrange at Appalachian Gallery both have more than 30 years’ experience. “We’ve got a great deal of expertise in the handling of all types of artwork,” Nugent says. They are familiar with preservation, giving them confidence with older documents and other historic pieces. Independent framers do the work themselves, says Ivy Tauber of Crescent Frame Shoppe, who has two decades’ experience framing. “It’s the personalized service, knowing what questions to ask because you’re going to be doing the work.” Many chain framers do not cut their own mats or glass and may even send artwork out to be framed off-site, she says. And prices are not necessarily lower, she points out, saying she can frame a 16x20 piece without a mat for as little as $50. Both Appalachian Gallery and Crescent Frame Shoppe have vast selections of frames, mats, and glass. Appalachian Gallery’s website lists some more recent frame line acquisitions: shabby chic distressed frames in retro colors and frames styled after birchwood. Crescent Frame Shoppe carries everything from high-end mouldings advertised in architectural magazines to solid cherry and walnut sourced from a local tree removal company. Tauber also works with a customer’s own framing materials. “It’s a service, not just a retail store.” Independent framers are often artists who bring a sense of color and composition to the work. “We can help the customer choose the right colors of matting to accentuate the piece,” Nugent says— “not only work with the piece being framed but also the surroundings that it’ll be hanging in.” wvcraft.com, @appgallery on Facebook; @crescentframeshoppe on Facebook
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
53
Tip #6
54
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
camp, and he did a sculpture demonstration for the kids—an act of generosity that meant a lot to Rhodes. All of that is now part of this painting’s story—its provenance. Provenance doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a conscious effort by the chain of owners to document a work’s origin and journey. It enlivens a piece and adds value. “It can be simple—even just an Excel spreadsheet with the artist’s name, the title, the date, and any notes,” says artist and curator Deskins. “Maybe in the future I’ll want to donate my collection, or at least give it to my daughter. Documentation will be really smart to have.” The satisfaction the Rhodes get from their new connection with Lester is one of the best reasons to collect local, original art. They hope to hang another of Lester’s miner portraits to the left of the coal carving. “This painting is a great conversation piece,” Rhodes says. “The thing about Jamie’s paintings, and his sculptures too, is the eyes. You can see despair, pain, tiredness—every time I look at it I see a different thing. I love looking at it.”
COURTESY OF JAMIE LESTER; JULIAN WYANT
Pediatric cardiologist Larry Rhodes and his wife, Terry, bought Jamie Lester’s watercolor “Coal Miner #7” at the Create Bob Huggins Fish Fry provenance fundraiser in February 2017. The painting spoke to them—both their fathers were coal miners. They hung it in a prominent place in their high-ceilinged living room, beside a piece of coal carved in the shape of West Virginia. Rhodes was organizing the first Tomorrow is Mine camp, a summer camp for disadvantaged children in Southern West Virginia, at the time of the fundraiser. When he heard Lester grew up in the southern part of the state, he called him, even though he didn’t know him. Lester volunteered to visit the
COM MI T TED
Historians at a Lewis County landmark go to great lengths to tell the story of the criminally insane, a history long kept behind locked doors.
COURTESY OF TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM
WRITTEN BY ZACK HAROLD
“I
t all starts with a question,” says Rebecca Gleason, operations manager at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston. Each year, tour guides marshal legions of people through the state mental hospital–turned–historic attraction. They show off the compound’s many wards and wings, detailing the hospital’s history while providing a crash course on the evolution of mental health treatment. Inevitably, someone asks a question their tour guide—or any of the tour guides—can’t answer. “You can’t fudge it. You can’t make it up,” Gleason says. So the staff makes the guest a promise—come back later, and we’ll have your answer. The task of hunting down information about the asylum usually falls to Gleason. She digs around in birth, marriage, and death certificates at the state archives. She tracks down information about former patients and staff on sites like Ancestry.com. If she’s lucky, she’ll find some original records from the hospital’s 130-year operating history. Sometimes, by the end of her research, she’s not only answered the original question, but tilled up a whole new chapter of the asylum’s story. That’s why, in addition to its standard 90-minute tour, Gleason and company have developed a spin-off tour focused entirely on the hospital’s history with the criminally insane.
This ward, where male patients were kept, would have featured rows of beds, all bolted to the floor and walls. There was no privacy, and overcrowding was an issue, especially toward the hospital’s later years.
It’s sad but true. For ages, people with mental illness were thrown in prisons or locked away in attics and basements. It wasn’t until the 19th century that society at large finally began to realize this was inhumane and started transitioning these individuals to mental hospitals like the one in Weston, where people were treated like patients instead of inmates. This step forward was not without its problems. Some of these patients actually needed to be kept behind locked doors, given their tendencies to hurt themselves or other people. So hospitals created special, secure sections for the “criminally insane.” At Weston, these patients were kept in a few different sections of hospital over the years. Near the beginning of the tour, guides take guests to a building behind the main hospital, surrounded by razor wire fence that’s angled back toward the building so no one could climb out. This ward was declared escape-proof when it opened in 1949. But, as Gleason says, “nothing’s escape-proof if you’ve got an imagination.” The first escape occurred within weeks of its opening. Digging through the archives, Gleason found accounts of one patient who escaped three times in 10 years. Another patient, a dapper dresser whose looks evidently made it easy for him to blend in and slip away, asked authorities not to send him back. “I promised the guards this would be the last time,” he told them. The tour also includes stories about the guards and orderlies who worked in the criminally insane ward. But, 56
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
Orderlies observed the ward from this protective cage.
HEATHER MILLS BERARDI
“These People Were People”
Tour guides at TransAllegheny Lunatic Asylum wear old-school nurse and orderly uniforms.
COURTESY OF TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM (2); HEATHER MILLS BERARDI
“the people love the patient stories the most,” Gleason says. “It brings it home.” Gleason saves the stories for the tour. She did say her favorite story is about Geraldine, a 19-year-old girl sent to Weston in 1956 after murdering her 58-year-old lover. “He’s the man I love, and he was cheating on me, and I warned him not to,” the femme fatale told reporters at the time. Bringing characters like Geraldine to life in guests’ minds is important, Gleason says, because it helps them relate. “It makes them understand that these people were people.”
years ago, we can answer it now,” Gleason says. She’s not worried about running out of source material, because history is still walking through the door. Gleason has learned many of the facility’s documents were “liberated” when the place closed in 1994. “A lot of people were trying to grab a bit of history to keep and save,” she says. Those materials are now slowly finding their way back home. Over the years Gleason has been able to obtain admission casebooks from 1891 and 1892, payroll documents for employees, and ward reports detailing everything that happened on a particular day, including which patients got into fights and which ones went to the dentist. She even came across a book of tests where Stories, Still Unfolding administrators tested both patients and employees for syphilis. Some of Gleason’s most prized artifacts are photographs. Even since launching the criminally insane tour, Gleason has continued to uncover bits and pieces of history about the facility They’re few and far between, since cameras were largely forbidden in the hospital and the place closed long before and the people who lived and worked there. “There’s so much more information that I’d love to have in the tour. There’s so much smartphones existed. But the photos Gleason has been able to more cool stuff we could tell if we had more time,” she says. That’s track down have proved essential in restoration efforts at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. why, next year, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum plans to add “There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t learn something new,” a longer, 90-minute criminally insane tour. Although the hospital stopped taking most admissions in 1990, she says. “I don’t think it will ever end.” Historical tours at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum run until it continued accepting criminally insane patients until 1993. The November 5, departing at the beginning of each hour from 9 a.m. extended tour will take guests to Ward D, the final place Weston to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations aren’t required— kept this segment of its population. Gleason just recommends guests show up at least 30 minutes early. Unlike other historic sites—where folks visit once and check Ghost tours are held year-round. Reservations are required it off their list—the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum’s everexpanding tour options has guests returning year after year. “It for these tours. 71 Asylum Drive, Weston, 304.269.5070, talawv. gives them a reason to come back. That question they asked two com, “Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum” on Facebook MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
57
Your local guide to life, art, culture, & more SEPT/OCT 2017
October OCTOBER 3 Westover Farmers Market Former Shop ’n Save parking lot, Westover Tues. 3–6 p.m., morgantownfarmersmarket.org Fresh local foods Tuesdays through October. OCTOBER 6 Gallery Opening: Day of the Dead Arts Monongahela, 201 High Street, Fri. 6–8 p.m., 304.291.6720, artsmon.org Local artists’ interpretations of Day of the Dead themes. Show runs through November 3. Free COURTESY OF THE COMPANY STORES
WVU Women’s Soccer vs. Oklahoma State Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Fri. 7 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers face the Cowgirls. $5 OCTOBER 7 Runnin’ for Research 5k Run/Walk Cheat Lake Park, Sat. 8 a.m., runnin4research.org Fun run and walk to support migraine research. Register online. Free; donations encouraged Morgantown Farmers Market Market Place pavilion, Spruce Street, Sat. 8:30 a.m.–noon, morgantownfarmersmarket.org Through November, when winter market starts. Samantha Fish with Revelator Hill Schmitt’s Saloon, 245 Cheat Road, Sat. 9 p.m. schmittssaloon.com Raw, scrappy rock and roll. $15 OCTOBER 8 Morgantown Walk from Obesity Marilla Park, Sun. 8:30 a.m., 304.983.8084 fundraise.asmbsfoundation.org Fight obesity. $25, $35 day-of, under 12 free Ninth Annual Fall Children’s Festival West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Sun. 1–4 p.m., wvbg.org Garden activities and refreshments. Free WVU Women’s Soccer vs. Oklahoma State Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Sun. 2 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers face the Sooners. $5 Gallery Opening Morgantown Art Association, Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Green Bag Road, Sun. 3–5 p.m. morgantownartassociation.com Awards, public reception for all-members show.
OCTOBER 13–15 123 Pleasant Street’s 19-Year Anniversary Keeping the music alive! Friday, Union Sound Treaty, $5. Saturday, The Company Stores with The Kind Thieves, $7. Sunday, PopShop students rock the house, donations appreciated. 123 Pleasant Street, Fri. & Sat. 9 p.m., Sun. 1–7 p.m., 304.292.0800, 123pleasantstreet.com
Third Annual Coexist Event First Presbyterian Church, 456 Spruce Street Sun. 4 p.m., @morgantowninterfaithassociation on Facebook Adam and Eve in three faith traditions and science. Finger food potluck. All are welcome.
OCTOBER 13–14 Second annual Pawpawpalooza Hill & Hollow, Seneca Center, 709 Beechurst Avenue, Fri. & Sat., 304.241.4551 @hillandhollowwv on Facebook Celebrating the region’s iconic fruit, part of the Appalachian Global Dinner Series.
OCTOBER 12 Wine & Design: Sgrafitto Mandala Plate The Wow! Factory, 3453 University Avenue, Thurs. 6–8 p.m., 304.599.2969 wowfactoryonline.com Create a stunning Sgraffito Mandala Plate. $30 OCTOBER 13 WVU Homecoming Parade High Street, Fri. 6:30 p.m. WVU Women’s Soccer vs. Iowa State Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Fri. 7 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers face the Cyclones. $5
OCTOBER 13–15 NEARBY Mason-Dixon Line 250th Mason-Dixon Historical Park, 79 Buckeye Road Core, Fri.–Sun., 304.879.4101 md250.exploretheline.com Few early boundaries live as vividly in the nation’s imagination as the line drawn just north of Morgantown by astronomer-surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. Celebrate with re-enactments of 1767 surveyor camps and a visit to the site where natives stopped them 23 miles short of their goal. Food, crafts, demonstrations, star party. Free, donations appreciated
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
59
COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY MOUNTAINLAIR PROGRAMMING AND SPECIAL EVENTS
NEARBY Funk and Soul Jazz Revue Bridgeport Conference Center, Bridgeport, Sat. 6:30 p.m., 304.517.9813, wvjazzsociety.com A don’t-miss event hosted by The West Virginia Jazz Society. Admission includes unlimited New Appalachian BBQ and a jazz photo exhibit. $40
OCTOBER 22 WVU Women’s Soccer vs. TCU Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Sun. 1 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers face the Horned Frogs. $5 OCTOBER 26 Young at Art CD Art-Panel Bookmaking Spark! Imagination and Science Center Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Green Bag Road Thurs. 6 p.m., 304.292.4646, sparkwv.org Kids turn Halloween-themed poems into art using CD cases. Ages 8–14. Register online. $10
OCTOBER 20–29 Mountaineer Week This year’s 10-day celebration includes longtime favorite events like the PRT Cram, the Beard-Growing Contest, and the Mountaineer Week Craft Fair and Quilt Show, plus new events like the Giant Pumpkin Regatta. It wraps up on October 29 with the finale of the 14th annual Mountaineer Idol competition. Check website for schedule and venue updates. mountaineerweek.wvu.edu OCTOBER 13–15, 19–21
OCTOBER 19–22
The Comedy of Errors MT Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., Thurs.–Sat. 8 p.m. 304.284.0049, mtpocketstheatre.com The Bard’s zaniest comedy. Two sets of twins separated at birth find themselves in the same city on the same day: over-the-top slapstick. $7–$15
Assassins Metropolitan Theatre, 371 High Street Thurs.–Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., 304.291.4884 morgantownmet.com WVU Theatre and Dance performs the play that combines Sondheim’s smart lyrics and beautiful music with the panoramic story of four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. $17–$27
OCTOBER 14 WVU Football Mountaineer Field, Sat. time TBD, wvusports.com Mountaineers vs Red Raiders for homecoming. OCTOBER 15 Rocktoberfest 123 Pleasant Street, Sun. 1 p.m., popshopwv.com Next year’s music stars! Donations appreciated OCTOBER 16 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Mon. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu Guest conductor Krzysztof Urbanski leads the PSO acclaimed violinist Ray Chen. $49 and up OCTOBER 19 WVU Women’s Soccer vs. Texas Tech Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, Monongahela Boulevard, Thurs. 5 p.m., wvusports.com The Mountaineers take on the Red Raiders. $5 60
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
OCTOBER 27 The Clarks Schmitt’s Saloon, 245 Cheat Road, Fri. 9 p.m. 304.291.9001, schmittssaloon.com Welcome this popular Pittsburgh-based classic rock band back to the Schmitt’s Stage. $20 OCTOBER 27–29 WORTH THE DRIVE Mark Twain Weekend Elkhorn Inn and Theatre, Route 52, McDowell County, 304.862.2031, elkhorninnwv.com Lodging for two, Twain–themed dinners; performances by Twain scholar Doug Riley. $550.
OCTOBER 27–28, 30–31 12th Annual Dia de los Muertos Dinner Hill & Hollow, Seneca Center, 709 Beechurst Avenue, Fri., Sat., Mon., Tues., 304.241.4551, @hillandhollowwv on Facebook Traditional Oaxacan foods, single-village mescals.
OCTOBER 21
OCTOBER 28
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer WVU Rec Center, 2001 Rec Center Drive Sat. 10 a.m., 304.223.4055, www. makingstrideswalk.org Celebrate survivors, raise money and awareness.
WVU Football Mountaineer Field, Sat. time TBD, wvusports.com The Mountaineers take on the Cowboys.
Oktoberfest Terra Cafe, 425 Industrial Avenue, Sat. noon–8 p.m., 304.554.2233, terracafewv.com Austrian Chef Thomas Metzler, the Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh house band, beer in boots, and a souvenir mug. $30 in advance, $35 at the door Third Annual Drafts on Deckers Morgantown Brewing Company, 1291 University Avenue, Sat. 6 p.m., deckerscreek.org Drink beer, clean the creek. $20 online, $25 day-of “A Season of Good Taste” Dinner: Sargasso West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Sat. 6 p.m., wvbg.org Great food from Sargasso chefs Thomas Metzler and Dave Halterman. Register online. $95
Dia de los Muertos Dinner & Costume Contest Garcia’s Grill at the Cue, 226 High Street, Saturday, 304.241.1871, “Garcia’s Grill at the Cue” on Facebook Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with an authentic Mexican dinner and a costume contest. All ages.
November NOVEMBER 1–DECEMBER 31 Opening: Holiday Show and Sale Morgantown Art Association, Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Green Bag Road, Sun. 3–5 p.m. morgantownartassociation.com Framed art, ceramics, and more, all under $100.
NOVEMBER 2–4
NOVEMBER 18
NEARBY Christmas at the Barn Masontown, Thurs. & Fri. noon–9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., christmasatthebarn.com Check off your Christmas list with vintage, shabby chic, steampunk, and fun. Holiday music, fire pit, BBQ, and homemade desserts.
Nighttime Raptors: Owling
NOVEMBER 3 Gallery Opening Diamond Shop Gallery, 320 High Street, Fri. 6 p.m. 304.296.9669, @diamondshopart on Facebook A new show every first Friday of the month. Free NOVEMBER 3–4
NOVEMBER 4 WVU Football Mountaineer Field, Sat. time TBD, wvusports.com The Mountaineers face the Iowa State Cyclones.
LEJAY GRAFFIOUS
Public Skate Morgantown Municipal Ice Arena, 1001 Mississippi Street, Fri. 7–9 p.m., Sat. 1:30– 3:30 p.m., 304.292.6865, boparc.org Friday and Saturday afternoon public sessions open for the season. $5, children $4, rental $3
More than 150 exhibits of high-quality arts and crafts. $6, senior and child discounts
Seed Saving West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Sun. 2 p.m., wvbg.org Learn about the practice of seed-saving. All ages; register online. Members $5, non-members $15 NOVEMBER 6
NOVEMBER 12
An Evening with Space Gal Mountainlair, Mon. 7:30 p.m. An evening with WVU alum Emily Calandrelli, host of Xploration Outer Space on FOX. Free
Exhibition of Juried West Virginia Art: Opening Reception Art Museum of WVU, 2 Fine Arts Drive, Sun. time TBA, artmuseum.wvu.edu The works of Mountain State artists submitted to the 20th biennial West Virginia Juried Exhibition and selected in Charleston in August. Ten will join the State Museum’s permanent collection. Exhibit runs through February 11, 2018. Free
NOVEMBER 9 Dirty Dancing WVU Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Thurs. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu Baby and Johnny, independent spirits from different backgrounds, come together in the most challenging summer of their lives. $49 and up NOVEMBER 10 Verdi’s Requiem WVU Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre, 1 Fine Arts Drive, Fri. 7:30 p.m., wvsymphony.org Featuring the West Virginia Symphony Chorus, Fairmont Community Choir, WVU Chamber Singers, and WVU Chorus. Free with educational ID, $10 off with West Virginia driver’s license.
Vote local with your holiday shopping dollars. Shops across downtown will have special offers. #shopsmall NOVEMBER 30 Opening: Annual Student Juried Exhibition Laura Mesaros Gallery, 1 Fine Arts Drive, Thurs. 5 p.m., 304.293.4077, artanddesign.wvu.edu Exhibit runs through January 12, 2018. Free
Upcoming DECEMBER 1 Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker WVU Creative Arts Center, One Fine Arts Drive Fri. 7:30 p.m., events.wvu.edu Whimsical and imaginative storytelling blends with rich Russian classical dance. $50 and up Hip-hop trio Migos Coliseum, Fri. 8:30 p.m., ticketmaster.com A treat for Morgantown. $44 and up, students $34
NOVEMBER 16–17, 28–30, DECEMBER 1–3 Three Sisters Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive, Thurs. & Fri., Tues.–Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. theatre.wvu.edu Sisters Olga, Masha, and Irina long to return to Moscow in this Chekhov play. $12–$22
DECEMBER 1–3, 7–9 High Spirits: A Variety Show MT Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., Thurs.–Sat. 8 p.m. 304.284.0049, mtpocketstheatre.com Revisit a time when Vaudeville was the only entertainment around. Mature audience. $7–$15
NOVEMBER 18 WVU Football Mountaineer Field, Sat. time TBD, wvusports.com The Mountaineers take on the Texas Longhorns.
NOVEMBER 10–12 8th Annual West Virginia Arts & Crafts Christmas Spectacular Mylan Park, Fri. 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.– 6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., 724.863.4577
West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Sat. 6:30 p.m., wvbg.org
NOVEMBER 10–12, 16–18 The Sunshine Boys MT Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m., Thurs.–Sat., 8 p.m. 304.284.0049, mtpocketstheatre.com A nephew is set on reuniting the estranged Vaudeville “Sunshine Boys” one last time— classic Neil Simon. Mature audience. $7–$15
NOVEMBER 5
Join experienced local birder LeJay Graffious for a review of owl identification on sight or by call. Then go outdoors to look for owls in the garden. Register online. WVBG and Audubon members $5, nonmembers $15
NOVEMBER 25 Small Business Saturday Downtown, Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. downtownmorgantown.com
DECEMBER 4 Home for the Holidays Creative Arts Center, 1 Fine Arts Drive Mon. 7:30 p.m., wvsymphony.org An unforgettable celebration of the season, featuring the West Virginia Community Choir and the Morgantown Children’s Choir. Free with educational ID, 25% off with WV driver’s license.
MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
61
Morgantown Listings From historic houses to picturesque farms to quaint cottages, there’s a special place in Morgantown calling your name. Check out these extraordinary properties from around the city.
5010 WOODLANDS COVE, CHEAT LAKE–$825,000 MLS: 10116706
THE FINEST OF LAKEFRONT LIVING. An impressive home boasts privacy, desirable views, and an interior that presents luxury in the details. Gleaming hardwoods and designer granite are a few of the desirable attributes. The main-level living, kitchen, and dining areas are sure to please, and the spacious second-floor bedrooms portray character and style, including the master suite with fireplace. The exterior is a homeowner’s dream and offers a private boat dock with panoramic views of mountains and Cheat Lake.
Laura Walker, J.S. Walker Associates, 304.288.4880 J.S. Walker, Broker 62
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017
106 WILSON AVENUE, MORGANTOWN–$548,500
38 MAPLE AVENUE, MORGANTOWN–$495,000
MLS: 10115115 This iconic limestone South Park structure, a landmark for nearly 100 years, was built by the owner of one of our region’s great industries. The discerning offeror will appreciate the floor plan, history, and potential offered by this special residence.
MLS: 10114770 HISTORICAL BEAUTY TODAY in desirable Hopecrest! Exquisitely maintained, perfect for entertaining. Impressive fireplace, bar area, dining space, patio, and spacious master. With built-ins, stained glass, and prestigious location, you’ll enjoy calling this place HOME.
Laura Walker, J.S. Walker Associates, 304.288.4880
Laura Walker, J.S. Walker Associates, 304.288.4880
293 DORMONT STREET, MORGANTOWN–$549,000
3907 WESTLAKE DRIVE, CHEAT LAKE–$699,000
MLS:10112644 HOPECREST CHARM and Georgian STYLE. Beautiful hardwood floors, fireplaces, formal dining, 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms make this the home for you. Glass interior doors, new windows, built-ins, screened-in porch, and grounds and patio perfect for entertaining.
MLS: 10114384 STATELY SPLENDOR in the Estates of Greystone-on-the-Cheat. This custom-built one-owner executive home boasts class. Crown moldings, master suite w/sitting area, high-end appliances, landscaping, oak doors, private deck and rail-trail access to boat dock!
Laura Walker, J.S. Walker Associates, 304.288.4880
Laura Walker, J.S. Walker Associates, 304.288.4880
313 RAVEN ROCK ROAD, MORGANTOWN –$649,000
3703 SWALLOWTAIL DRIVE, MORGANTOWN–$569,000
Laura Walker, J.S. Walker Associates, 304.288.4880
Laura Walker, J.S. Walker Associates, 304.288.4880
MLS: 10116193 This one-of-a-kind masterpiece sits atop a cliff with breathtaking panoramic views. Natural light floods the interior. Unmatched deck with access from the main-level kitchen. Master retreat is a place of serenity, and guest apartment features full kitchen.
MLS: 10114353 CUSTOM COLONIAL BEAUTY on two lots in Greystone! Picturesque home boasts main-level MBR, crown moldings, chair railings, builtins, and wood-burning FP. Enjoy evenings on enclosed porch with access to patio. Check out the Virtual Tour on the J.S. Walker website.
J.S. Walker, Broker MORGANTOWNMAG.COM
63
THEN & NOW
FOR MORE PHOTOS
of Morgantown’s past, check out wvhistoryonview.org
An art fair in 1966
Arts Walk 2017
Art in the Heart of the City This 1966 art exhibit in Courthouse Square was just the beginning of the arts community Morgantown was to become. On September 22, 2017, many hundreds of people turned out for the 16th annual Arts Walk to meet local artists and see their work at some 40 downtown venues. Arts Walk kicks off fall and the holiday gift-giving season.
Visit a gallery you’ve never been to this fall and consider supporting local artists with your holiday shopping. They’re part of what makes Morgantown unique. Then & Now is published in partnership with WVU Libraries’ West Virginia & Regional History Center. wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu
written by pam kasey photographed by julian wyant 64
MORGANTOWN • OCT/NOV 2017