Morgantown Magazine - June/July 2016

DESTINATION WEST VIRGINIA Check out these top destinations for adventure, history, culture, and more.

SOLAR CO-OP

Residents team up to make solar energy a viable home option.

MOUNTAINEERS IN RIO

These WVU atheletes will be heading to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

Invite friends and family—furry or human—on summer adventures in Morgantown and beyond.

s

g or tM e e M

an

n' w to

volume 5

•

issue 5

PUBLISHED BY

New South Media, Inc.

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

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Nikki Bowman, nikki@newsouthmediainc.com EDITOR

Katie Griffith, katie@newsouthmediainc.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Zack Harold, zack@newsouthmediainc.com Pam Kasey, pam@newsouthmediainc.com DESIGNER

Becky Moore, becky@newsouthmediainc.com OPERATIONS MANAGER

Sarah Shaffer, sarah@newsouthmediainc.com WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Katie Willard, katherine@newsouthmediainc.com PHOTOGRAPHER

Carla Witt Ford, carla@newsouthmediainc.com INTERN

Jennifer Skinner ADVERTISING & MARKETING MANAGER

Bekah Call, bekah@newsouthmediainc.com CONTRIBUTORS

Mikenna Pierotti, Mark A. Shephard

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 • JUNE/JULY 2016

EDITOR’S NOTE

I

t’s summer in Morgantown, and the rain has finally stopped. The 2016 Brood V cicadas are annoying some of us and entertaining others. It’s time to get out and explore.

All around Morgantown there’s plenty to do, from summertime dining (page 34) to nearby festivals and fairs (page 24) to all those road trips to famous West Virginia destinations you’ve been meaning to take (page 48).

Planning vacations for our summer travel issue has been lots fun, but even more fun was working on our cover photo and Morgantown magazine’s very first Cover Dog contest. (Bonus—what screams summer travel more than a pup decked out in camping gear?) You might have seen the posts around town advertising one of six dogs to become the next cover model for Morgantown, and here we unveil our winning contestant in all his glory: Meet Thumper, one of Star City’s finest.

The Cover Dog contest was nothing short of a full community effort, one that doubled as a fundraiser for Pet Helpers, a great Fairmont-based nonprofit that helps pups find homes across North Central West Virginia.

Thumper was always a staff and Pet Helpers favorite, but his claim to the title Cover Dog was no easy feat. By the last day of the contest, the contestants

ON THE COVER Photographer Carla Witt Ford, Dominick Claudio, and Thumper work hard at the Cover Dog photo shoot at Krepps Park in May.

6

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

and the Morgantown community raised more than $4,000 to bolster the Pet Helpers medical fund. You can read more about that donation and our contest on page 60.

After Thumper was announced as winner, we moved on to what ought to have been the easiest and most enjoyable part: the photo shoot.

Enjoyable it was, but, as Murphy decrees, easy it was not. It rained most of May. Our visions of waterside cover photos at Cheat Lake, with boats in the background and Thumper wearing a life vest and maybe some goggles in the fore, were not to come true. We scheduled one shoot, then canceled it, scheduled a second, then postponed it. Finally, during what amounted to a 45-minute break in the rain, our staff, Thumper, and his owner, Dominick Claudio, bolted for Krepps Park in Suncrest. There, for about 30 minutes, Thumper was a model model—albeit one who refused to sit his derrière on the cold, wet metal of a vintage Dodge.

Some spring it’s been.

But with this June/July issue we bid adieu to May showers stolen from April and look forward to June flowers, popsicles, road trips, baseball games, long walks with happy pups, and all that summertime brings.

Happy vacationing,

K ATIE GR IFFITH,

Editor

Follow us at . . . facebook.com/ morgantownmagazine twitter.com/morgantownmag instagram.com/morgantownmag

Featured Contributors Mikenna Pierotti Mikenna Pierotti moved to West Virginia in 2010 from upstate New York to complete her master’s degree in English, live in the mountains, and write. She loves digging around in the history, landscape, and culture of West Virginia, looking for those shiny gems that become great stories. She lives in Morgantown with her husband, Adam, her wiener dog, Tally, and far, far too many houseplants.

Mark A. Shephard Mark A. Shephard recently moved to Morgantown with his wife Jennifer. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where he began taking photos as a boy.

He served as a photographer’s mate in the U.S. Navy and most recently lived in Elkhart, Indiana, where he documented stories for local magazines and newspapers. In addition to his editorial work, Mark photographs commercial assignments, on-location portrait sessions, and weddings. Mark enjoys hiking, history, music, and running.

Letters to the Editor Info at the polls Thanks @MorgantownMag for breaking down quality of life issues in latest edition of mag.

Helps tremendously as I head to polls today.

Amanda Ross Mazey, via Twitter Thank you!

We are blessed to have such great supporters and appreciate Morgantown magazine for the idea and including us and all that voted! Pet Helpers, Inc., via Facebook Mythbuster Not only have you helped an awesome rescue organization, you are on your way to dispelling the many myths associated with pitbulls (one of my favorite affectionate breeds). A huge thank you to ALL the beautiful dogs who vied for the cover and to Morgantown magazine for this amazing contribution. Kathy Mim Vincent, via Facebook

8

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

JUNE/JULY 2016

MARK A. SHEPHARD

In This Issue

Answering the Call

Destination West Virginia

Dog Days of Summer

It’s high time we met some of the local volunteer fire fighters who help keep our neighbors safe.

Planning your summer road trips? Make sure you hit one or all of these top travel destinations in the state.

Cover dogs, pet rescues, and summer health resources―this issue is all about pups.

38

48

60

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

9

JUNE/JULY 2016

In This Issue This Matters

Departments

20

14 What’s This Get the lowdown on everything from community museums to trail signs to the search for alien life.

6 Editor’s Note 30 Healthy Living What to grow and when to grow it to make the best of summer’s bounty.

15 Eat This

Cheat Lake’s Farmhouse Café is a popular lunch destination.

4 Dish It Out 3 The beautiful deck and Hawaiian fare at Tropics Restaurant and Bar will take you on a journey to paradise.

6 This Matters To . . .

1 Meet the women in charge of favorite girl-empowerment group Girls on the Run. 20 Make This

Homemade popsicles are a perfect way to cool down and throw back.

21 Watch This Are you supporting these three WVU athletes in their Olympic competitions this summer?

30

68 The Scene

69

22 Hear This These local bands will keep you grooving all summer long.

66 Across County Lines With All Good gone, which of the nearby music festivals will you hit this summer?

69 Calendar 2 Then & Now 7 Fire trucks, city hall, and fire rescue dogs―a look back.

16

24 Do This

Nothing says summer like heading to a fair. Or five.

22

25 Consider This Mon County grapples with food insecurity.

26 Try This

Community Supported Agriculture programs, or CSAs, are gaining ground around Morgantown.

28 See This

Have you noticed all those solar panels popping up around town?

34

21 10

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

12

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

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

BREWS TO WATCH

ELIZABETH ROTH

West Virginia is doubling down on bubbly delight. At least a dozen microbreweries have opened across the state in recent years, with more seeming to pop up every day. Summer is the perfect time to take a flight or two to sample brews from across the state. We love the local selections at Iron Horse Tavern, Mountain State Brewing Company, Black Bear Burritos, and many more locations.

FONT FARCE

One man’s Helvetica is another man’s Comic Sans. As you drive the country this summer, pay attention to the words on highway signs. Signposts are heavily regulated, and with good reason. Drivers of all ages and optical strengths must read them. Recently, the Federal Highway Administration reversed its approval of an experimental font called Clearview and ordered states to switch back to Highway Gothic. It’s a drama for designers everywhere. Read more at citylab.com.

Get Dog on It! We’re a little crazy about dogs this issue. Take yours to work!

National Take Your Dog to Work Day is the Friday after Father’s Day.

PROPER SCREENING

Most people only apply 25 to 50 percent of the recommended amount of sunscreen, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. How much should you layer on? Follow the guideline of 1 ounce, enough to fill a shot glass,” the academy says. Adjust the amount of sunscreen applied depending on your body size.”

That shouldn’t be too hard; we’re pretty sure Morgantown is familiar with shot glasses.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

13

THIS MATTERS WHAT’STHIS

Mining, Music, Community Scotts Run Museum and Trail in Osage commemorates heritage and inclusivity.

➼ YOU’VE DRIVEN AROUND, over, or by

14

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

At the Scotts Run Museum and Trail dozens of community members who now live all over the world have worked together to create a space where locals get together for historic events, cultural experiences, birthdays, and more.

Scotts Run Museum and Trail Scotts Run Road, Osage facebook.com/ scottsrunmuseum

children, all neatly arranged in beautiful displays created as part of a graphic design class taught by WVU professor Eve Faulkes. There’s even an outdoor geocache set up on the trail. “We keep trying to work with the community to find new ways to tell stories,” Eve says.

“Really we’re trying to make this space be a place where people can connect.”

Open by appointment, and variously on weekends for events like 90th birthday parties and annual street fairs, the museum now also serves as a community center of sorts. “People come out here to swap stories—I learn something new every time I visit,” Eve says. written by katie griffith

COURTESY OF EVE FAULKES

the little community of Scotts Run just outside Morgantown on various trips north or south via Interstate 79. Few stop along this stretch of road connecting 13 Monongalia County mining communities, long known for dusty sidewalks and boarded-up windows, unless passing through to areas east and west along State Route 7 or north and south on U.S. Route 19. But next time you drive through, keep a look out for a colorful mural advertising the Scotts Run Museum and Trail. Then stop for a bit to enjoy the efforts of a community that, while depleted, is still tight-knit and energetic.

The Scotts Run Museum and Trail commemorates the heritage of 13 coal camp communities made up of families from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities who mined the coal that fueled America’s industry. Sitting on the Pittsburgh seam, Scotts Run was one of the most active mining areas in the country—with a robust cultural scene to boot—until the Great Depression brought the black diamond era to a close. The area’s destitution following mine closures was made famous by photographers documenting rural poverty and Eleanor Roosevelt’s efforts to ameliorate the situation.

The community fought to stay alive then, and it’s doing so now thanks in part to the museum, Curator Mary Jane Coulter, and a dedicated group of WVU design students who have created professional-grade displays. “This is the third iteration of the museum, and we’ve been here about three years,” Mary Jane says—floods destroyed previous locations. The museum’s logo gives a hint of what visitors can expect: music, mining, and community.

The site boasts an array of artifacts, from old photos to kitchen setups to artistic interpretations created by county school

THIS MATTERS

The Search Returns

West Virginia’s Green Bank Telescope takes up the search for extraterrestrial life again. ➼ IN 1960, when the first telescope at the new National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank had barely seen any use yet, radio astronomers directed part of its time to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. SETI has been conducted in other places since. But it returned to Green Bank in January 2016, along with two other telescopes worldwide, as part of the $100 million Breakthrough Listen initiative.

Breakthrough will use 20 percent of the Green Bank Telescope’s time over the coming decade. Planned observations in 2016 include complete examinations of the nearest 43 stars and quick looks at the nearest 5,000.

“It does mean we have 20 percent less time available for general proposals,” Green Bank Site Director Karen O’Neil told Planetary Radio in August 2015. “But as funding from the National Science Foundation is reduced, less time will be available.” The reward of a SETI discovery, she added, makes the risk worth taking.

EATTHIS

Farmhouse Café This snug eatery and shop brings casual dining and fresh coffee to Cheat Lake.

written by pam kasey

Trail Sign Makeover

KATIE GRIFFITH

➼ IF YOU TOOK A WALK ALONG the rail-trail this spring, you may have noticed some new signage going up along the stretch between downtown Morgantown and Star City. These new signs, called “totems” by their makers, are here thanks to a grant-funded project by the Mon River Trails Conservancy. “These directional amenity signs help promote attractions like the little-known fishing pier beside the MEA power plant and bike rental and repair at neighboring Wamsley Cycles,” says MRTC’s Ella Belling. “They also encourage trail users to explore farther as they point the way toward the WVU Core Arboretum and Star City and downtown Morgantown and the Deckers Creek rail-trail.” The signs are modeled after the wayfinder designs of the Great Allegheny Passage—a 150-mile hiking and biking trail from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—that our own rail-trail may someday connect to.

➼ AS CHEAT LAKE EXPANDS, new development is finally bringing more than housing complexes atop rolling farmland.

Much needed amenities like gyms, shopping, dining, and services are popping up in shopping centers new and old. But with only a handful of restaurants serving the area, casual dining still left residents of this bedroom community wanting—until recently.

In Glenmark’s Canyon Road development, the new Farmhouse Café has been making waves with a pleasing menu, fresh coffee, boutique shopping, and custom floral design. Open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and for limited hours on Saturday, the café offers a well-stocked espresso bar and serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu is small, but enjoyable: paninis made from meats and cheeses sourced from The Pennsylvania Macaroni Company— we recommend the caprese—plus salads, daily soups, and an assortment of pastries and sweets.

Come lunchtime the space is packed. Its limited seating is full of professionals and families enjoying simple but satisfying meals. The ingredients are fresh and the service is quick, and with an in-house boutique packed with décor, gifts, and children’s clothing, there’s plenty to do while you wait. 10000 Coombs Farm Drive, Suite 106, 304.777.2756, farmhousewv.com

written by katie griffith

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

15

THISMATTERS TO

Women on the Run ➼ LAURIE ABILDSO DISCOVERED THE JOY OF RUNNING in high school. She learned about Girls on the Run International (GOTR) in the early 2000s while earning a master’s degree in health promotion. “I wished there had been something like it when I was a third grader,” she says of the girl-empowerment program. The concept stuck with her and, in 2007, she started a local affiliate. Now she directs what has grown into a fivecounty North Central West Virginia GOTR council.

When Joanna Mizener, a fitness instructor at a local gym, was asked five years ago to coach for GOTR, she felt it was what

Laurie on running GOTR’s founder, an accomplished triathlete, realized during some personal struggles that it was while she was running that she felt beautiful and strong and “just enough” the way she was.

The first GOTR curriculum came out of that. You could weave almost any physical activity into a program like this, but running lends itself well because an individual can do it—and what you put into it is what you get out of it.

Laurie on mastery, not performance On the typical sports team, the focus is on outperforming others.

GOTR creates a mastery climate, where the emphasis is on personal improvement. At a GOTR 5k, it’s not uncommon for a team to gather at the finish line to cheer on the last girl to finish.

she was meant to do. Later a board member and chair and now program director, she says GOTR has challenged her to develop the same confidence and purpose the program teaches girls.

GOTR uses physical activity to teach specific social and individual skills to girls in third through eighth grades. North Central West Virginia participants meet after school for 12 weeks in the spring and finish with a celebratory 5k in May. Evaluations show GOTR’s girl-positive environment helps prevent risky behaviors like early sexual activity and disordered eating. The North Central council served more than 630 girls in 2016. interview by PAM KASEY photographed by CARLA WITT FORD

Joanna on lasting impact As a mom of two high school boys, I’ve seen many GOTR alumnae move into competitive sports, academic events, and extracurricular activities, and I see girls who can go after goals while supporting those around them. Anecdotally, I think the benefits build into girls in ways they use in high school and beyond.

Joanna on broader benefits Girls are the mothers of the future and they’re increasingly taking on leadership roles in business, athletics, political office, and health care. We don’t tell girls what they should do; we encourage them to tell us what they were born to do. Our aim is to send them out with the confidence and life skills they need to pursue those dreams and goals.

Joanna on community support Many of our girls are on scholarships, and we couldn’t do this without our generous sponsors. Laurie adds, We had 147 volunteer coaches this year and it’s amazing to me that we’re able to attract and keep these coaches. It blows me away.

16

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

THIS MATTERS MAKETHIS

Icy, Sweet Summer Treats Take a few moments to be a kid again with these gourmet ice-pop ideas.

Remember those hot summer nights when you kept cool with only a fan set on high and a popsicle fresh from the freezer? These icy treats are sure to take you back. Enjoy them with friends and family, or hoard them all to yourself.

We know we found it hard to share. For recipes, visit morgantownmag.com.

Champ ag and fru ne it

photographed by CARLA WITT FORD

Ro pa ast le ed ta s ba

na

na

Strawb er ice cre ry shor tcake am

k lac ,b rry lime be aw and Str rry, e ch

Blueb er and yo ry, blackber ry, gur t

20

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

THIS MATTERS WATCHTHIS

Mountaineers in Rio

School may be out for many students at WVU, but a select few are going on to train for finals of a different sort. Three WVU athletes have already been selected to represent their countries in Rio de Janeiro in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, August 5–21, and more may join as final selection trials continue through early summer. written by katie griffith

Kadeisha Buchanan

In 2015 she earned the FIFA Women’s World Cup Best Young Player Award, but that was just another in a long string of honors for Kadeisha.

She made her debut as a member of the Canadian national team when she was 17 years old, becoming one of the youngest players on any national team. Now, she and WVU teammate Ashley Lawrence are on to their next great adventure together—both are playing for Team Canada in the 2016 Olympic Games. They have already begun training with the team, competing in Portugal, The Netherlands, and Canada to prepare for Rio. Kadeisha’s goals are obvious: to win. “As Mountaineer fans watch me this summer and cheer me on, they should be on the lookout for an even better version of myself,” she says.

Ginny Thrasher

This Virginia native ended her freshman year at WVU on what might be the highest note for anyone in her class. By finishing first in her competition at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in early April, she secured a spot on the plane to Rio. Ginny will be the third woman from WVU’s rifle team to head to the Olympics. In April she began preparing with the U.S. national team for the Rio games, and this summer she will travel across the U.S. and Europe to events and training camps. “The Olympics is different from any other match that we get to shoot,” she says. “It’s a lot more publicity, a lot more distracting, but it’s also a great opportunity for me to represent my country.”

TEAM CANADA, KATIE GRIFFITH, TEAM CANADA

Ashley Lawrence

We watched her score for Canada in the 2015 World Cup, and we’re looking forward to what is sure to be another stellar performance for Canada in Rio. The midfielder, a rising senior, has scored 13 goals in her time at WVU and earned numerous accolades. She says her dreams have always been to represent Canada in the World Cup and at the Olympics.

One down; one almost there. “Whatever role Coach John Herdman and the team demand of me, I will deliver,” she says. Mountaineer support will be important. “At the World Cup last year we saw signs at our games from WVU fans, which was incredible. Please continue to support Keisha and myself throughout the tournament, because we can use any positive vibes that we can get.”

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

21

THIS MATTERS HEARTHIS

Sounds of Summer Morgantown’s hottest bands are keeping things cool. ➼ THERE’S ONLY ONE downside of summertime’s longer days—the nights are shorter. But that doesn’t mean the nightlife in Morgantown is short on entertainment.

Here are a few local music acts coming to a bar or music festival near you.

GoodWolf is the stage name for guitarist, singer, songwriter, and Romney native Tyler Grady. GoodWolf began as a side project while Tyler was working with his band Sleepwalker. He has since become a staple of Morgantown’s music scene and released two albums under the moniker.

His latest, Car in the Woods, came out on the Charleston-based record label Twin Cousins Records in late 2014. Backed by a driving two-man rhythm section, Tyler is a master of well-made power pop, with a sound that’s equally reminiscent of mid2000s rock radio and Elvis Costello’s early records. goodwolf.bandcamp.com We’ve never been to his house, but it’s safe to guess singer-songwriter William Matheny has a really nice record collection. His music combines the smart, thoughtful lyrics of country music and mid-century folk with classic rock sounds—a mixture that engages both heart and mind, as fans of John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen figured out decades back. And like the Boss, William can rip into a guitar solo just as well as he spins a lyric. Although he’s a solo act, he is often seen with The Strange Constellations, a solid backing band made up of Adam Meisterhans on guitar, Ian Thornton on bass, and Bud Carroll on drums. williammatheny. bandcamp.com It would be easy for a guitarist-drummer duo to fall into cliché, especially with bands like The White Stripes and the Black Keys helping to shape the sound of rock music over the past decade. But False Pterodactyl has avoided that 22

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

particular tar pit. Guitarist John “Jake” Jacob and drummer Josh Ratliff make dense, rough-edged rock music that’s not bound by typical chord structures or scales. Since forming in 2012, the duo has released three albums and four EPs, all imbued with a raw energy that’s impossible to fake. facebook.com/ falsepterodactyl Here’s a tip to earn you instant insider status with the Morgantown music scene: when pronouncing the name of the band Rock Bass, the second word should be pronounced liked the fish, not the musical instrument. Made up of guitarist Canon Fazenbaker, bassist Kevin Poling, and drummer Steve Yokum, this trio of self-described nerds formed in 2011 and began making alt-

rock songs with a quirky sense of humor.

Just take a look at the track list on their 2015 sophomore album The Adventures of Space Dog: The 12-song effort includes tunes like “Fast Food,” “Pat Sajak,” and of course “Space Dog.” rockbassband.com The Greens are anything but greenhorns.

Andrew Tuck, Ben Sweeney, and Nathan Yoke mark their 15th year as a band in 2016 and continue to play scores of shows around West Virginia and outside her borders. Their music is a melting pot of American styles—blues from the Mississippi Delta, soul from Memphis and Detroit, funk from Philadelphia, and the country music that grew from the Appalachian Mountains. A set by The Greens is filled with surprises—don’t be shocked if Andrew tears into a harmonica

THIS MATTERS

BONUS TRACKS

These bands aren’t from Morgantown, but they make frequent stops here in our city. Be sure to stop by if you see their names on a bill this summer.

The Company Stores With a sound that careens from gentle folk to symphonic hard rock, the Charleston-based Company Stores are earning a reputation as one of the most entertaining bands in the Mountain State. This summer they’re working on a sophomore album in the same North Carolina studio used by the Avett Brothers and the Zac Brown Band, but they will still play gigs all over the state.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Keep your eye out for The Greens, William Matheny, The Tom Batchelor Band, False Pterodactyl, Rock Bass, Goodwolf, and Fletcher’s Grove playing around Morgantown this summer.

COURTESY OF GROUPS PICTURED

solo or Nathan takes off on a rapidfire drum solo. thegreensmusic.com One of the state’s most popular touring groups, Fletcher’s Grove can be seen on stages from Charleston to Huntington to Fayetteville. But there’s nothing like seeing this quintet at a hometown show here in Morgantown.

Fletcher’s Grove is firmly within the jam band genre, with groove-heavy tunes that are meant to keep crowds dancing. And like all the best jam bands, the guys of Fletcher’s Grove are master improvisers. No two performances are ever exactly the same. fletchersgrove.com Most of the time, bands form and break as quickly as the globs in a lava

lamp. But the Tom Batchelor Band is an exception to this rule. Tom founded his eponymous reggae group in November 1999 after touring with another Morgantown-based reggae outfit called Rasta Rafiki, which played gigs all over the country and produced three full-length albums.

Tom set out on his own after Rasta Rafiki disbanded, pulling together a group of talented musicians to support his singing and guitar playing. Now nearing its 20th year, this good-time band performs original material along with covers of crowd favorites like Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, The Grateful Dead, and Bob Dylan. tombatchelorband.com

Ona This Huntington-based band is making waves on the national music scene, with the release of the group’s debut album American Fiction last year and its first appearance on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Mountain Stage in spring. Ona’s sound mixes thoughtful lyrics with arrangements that sound like 1970s classic rock and ’90s indie bands like Wilco or The Jayhawks.

Tyler Childers If he weren’t writing songs, Tyler Childers’ penchant for rich characters and devastating plots probably would have made him the next great American novelist. Fans of Americana stars like Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson will love this gravelly-voiced Louisa, Kentucky, singer-songwriter. Catch him now before the rest of the world catches on.

written by ZACK HAROLD MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

23

THIS MATTERS DOTHIS

To the Fair!

July 9

New Deal Festival

Celebrate Arthurdale’s 1930s heritage with horse-drawn wagon rides, artisan demonstrations, craft markets, antique cars, entertainment, and food. Listen to live music and browse stained glass and blacksmith displays. The kids written by jennifer skinner will love the hay rides, a farm animal petting zoo, and bird demonstrations by the West Virginia Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Arthurdale became the first New Deal Subsistence Homestead Community in the nation June 25 in 1933. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, New Deal communities like 2 Arthurdale helped families get back on their June 3−1 feet after the Great Depression port Arts Council by providing jobs, education, Sponsored by the Bridge and IPAs will and housing. Arthurdale and WDTV, Sound Waves dors, local ven art , sic e mu e fr live 304.864.3959 e f o tur fea n days h will host te , gallons of craft e rse rg re u cou b of Th d, ts newdealfestival.org an k it d, n P a foo ollar B Downtown ginia and around of 2016’s D de Michael beer brewed in West Vir u art as part cl d n in a rs c e si u lin m head et for $60 to e stival. Daily the world. Buy a VIP tick xtet, Ibeyi, th e S n a sm ri Rivers Art Fe custom beer avid G nd the gain early access and a earhead, D n, Guster, a July 29 a m ck a for H Franti & Sp open-air in on general admission ir and Steve get ge o or u h g, h C mu e n h th it so Vis Mendels er. Bridgeport Orchestra. mixed $35. Must be 21 or old Symphony lry, leather, e w je , Pittsburgh ss a gl nue, Bridgeport of s, r ceramics, City Park, Johnson Ave It has rained on July 29 in Waynesburg 114 y, sculpture h p a markets fo gr to o h cil.com p un Day , Rain sco g of n art nition ti ort recog ep in s.

The . dg a n years bri p o the past 142 media, ood creati rints, and w ated in 1874 when a farmer told a pharmacist origin A P , digital art, p h rg u b ts it P n d on his w Downto in a downtown drugstore that it always raine s.org rt a st ru st the again f.t hat a new tr birthday, July 29. The two men bet a es naliti perso ision telev rain and, to this day, notable The le. gamb 6 the 1− nue st conti Augu and Waynesburgers esburg Borough Special Events Commission Wayn 3 July 17−2 throws the free street fair every year with live entertainment on the courthouse steps, local art and food vendors, and an umbrella have originated y ma r Fai wn s— show kto al Jac anim y, The decorating contest. The day kicks off Ferris wheels, cotton cand in the 1800s, but nt eve ing This fair. rac n etow rse hom ho al a as with a buckwheat pancake breakfast it’s hard to beat the annu ce then. Known and s ction attra ises prom it’s come a long way sin and progresses with music year, the county fair tinuously running week The ly. fami e whol the for being the oldest con for all day long. Waynesburg, PA entertainment rated its 150th ed follow t, Stree High down de fair in the nation, it celeb para 724.627.8111 a kicks off with fair began in erts, conc , rides ival carn of anniversary last year. The ayfestival.com night raind after by night and agriculture rts, and food at Mylan rspo 1866 as a horse racing moto , ants page appeal today is by event, and much of its Park. Check out the livestock barn run craftsmanship , rns ba ck sto and live rods t the stree found in 4H and FFA youth, browse mud bog, where shows, and the popular custom motorcycles in the car show, a muddy trench drivers try to get through or cheer on local amateur boxers. down. Jacktown without getting bogged $10 at the gate. Mylan Park y Furman Fairgrounds, 440 W. Ro Morgantown, 304.291.7201 , PA Highway, Wind Ridge moncountyfair.com 724.428.3637 jacktownfair.org

Hit the streets in and out of town for a variety of music, art, food, and heritage festivals.

ers Three Riv ival Arts Fest

Sound Waves and IPAs

Rain Day Festival

Jacktown Fair

24

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Monongalia County Fair

THIS MATTERS CONSIDERTHIS

Mon County Struggles With Food Insecurity

But local nonprofits, business, and resources like WVU’s FOODLINK are working to solve the problem. ➼ IN RECENT YEARS THE NATION HAS GRAPPLED WITH the growing issue of food deserts—loosely defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to affordable healthy food.

National statistics compiled by the USDA show that more than 23 million Americans live in places officially designated food deserts. In these areas, issues like obesity and diabetes are exacerbated by limited access to healthy, fresh food and easy access to pre-packaged, sodium- and sugar-heavy products like those you might find at gas stations and convenience stores.

Green, growing West Virginia is no exception. Neither is Monongalia County.

“Monongalia County is seen as the shining star of West Virginia,” says Bradley Wilson, director of WVU’s FOODLINK. “It has all these excellent employment opportunities. There’s economic growth. But food insecurity is still a problem.” The U.S. Census estimates 22.5 percent of the county lives below the poverty line, and more than 14,000 people visit emergency food assistance sites each month. Westover doesn’t have a grocery store. Out-county areas struggle, too. written by katie griffith

| infographic by foodlink

Food Access Rankings Access was calculated considering quality of food resources, quantity of food resources, population income, and vehicle access. Areas with high incomes, better quality stores, more stores, and higher access were given higher rankings than areas without.

very high access high access moderate access FOODLINK is a resource hub supporting food networks across Appalachia. For information on ways Morgantown and FOODLINK are working to solve food insecurity, visit foodlink.wvu.edu.

low access very low access

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

25

TRYTHIS

Connecting Over Food

Community Supported Agriculture offers Morgantown residents fresh, seasonal, healthy farm products all season long—and a deeper way to connect with the people who grow our food. ➼ STEP INTO ANY MAJOR grocery store and you can find a pint of Florida strawberries glowing red under fluorescent lights in January or Mexican asparagus delivered by train in December. Maybe you’ll find California tomatoes still on the vine in November. Modern agriculture allows us to eat outside the natural seasonality and geographic availability of where we live. It’s very convenient.

26

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

But farmers like Cheat Lake’s Sky Harman say we’re missing the bigger picture when we distance ourselves from the people and places that produce our food. “In our society, we’ve lost a lot of connection with our food,” he says, standing in the middle of a row of leggy asparagus on his farm. He snaps off a piece and takes a bite. “Really, we’ve almost forgotten it’s supposed to taste this good.”

Reconnecting with our food at the ground level might be the first step in combating issues like climate change, loss of agricultural diversity, pesticide pollution, and other challenges to food sustainability.

“Food is an incredibly important thing for us individually, but also for our society. But if you can’t put a face or a place to the farm that grows your food, you’re never going to see into those issues or understand their impact firsthand,” Sky says.

At Harmony Farm on Morgan Hill Road near Cheat Lake, Sky is part of a growing movement working to bridge the gap between producers and consumers through an alternative system of production and consumption. Called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), this system allows consumers to buy “subscriptions” to a local farm. The subscription comes in the form of a box of vegetables, meats, or other farm products every week or so during the growing season—in West Virginia that’s typically April to October.

Consumers who want to know they

COURTESY OF HARMONY FARM

THIS MATTERS

THIS MATTERS

LOCAL HARVEST Choose the nearby CSA that fits your needs from this partial list.

Mountain Harvest Farm local, certified naturally grown, produce Location Goshen Road, Morgantown (10-minute drive from downtown) Owners Mary Oldham and Chico Ramirez Try their products Morgantown Farmers Market Contact 304.692.1044, mountainharvestfarmllc.com mountainharvestfarm@gmail.com

Harmony Farm

local, future community garden, produce, eggs Location Morgan Hill Road, Morgantown (15-minute drive from downtown) Owner Sky Harman Try their products Morgantown Farmers Market WVU Farmers Market Contact 304.282.8544, harmonywv.com csa@harmonywv.com

Possum Tail Farm

COURTESY OF HARMONY FARM

online ordering, certified naturally grown, meat, eggs are getting the most local, seasonal, What is Community and often organic food can get their products directly from the source— Supported Agriculture? farmers—for around $25 a week. And CSAs offer subscriptions to a although farmers like Sky often also farmer’s crop for purchase by sell their produce at farmers’ markets, the public. Typically subscripthe CSA memberships these farmers tions consists of a box of vegetables, fruits, meats, offer allow consumers to know with or other farm products relative certainty that they’ll get the best delivered to or picked up by selection every week. No more lines for the subscriber on a regular a peck of peaches or a bunch of kale. schedule during the growing “You get the freshest, tastiest, most season. CSA subscribers get nutritious food money can buy. There’s the best produce available, just no comparison to what you can buy and farmers get funds upin the store—not to mention, you can front from their customers. help support local agriculture and local farms,” Sky says. For farmers, CSAs make farming at the community scale a more financially viable way of life by providing cash up-front, rather than at the back end of harvest.

CSA subscribers develop real relationships with the people and places that produce their food. “The little businesses, restaurants, and farms—this is what makes a community great. You can have all the jobs in the world, but if it’s not a place you want to live, it will never be a great place.”

Location Oak Grove Road, Terra Alta (an hour drive from Morgantown) Owners Brian and Jennifer Kahly Try their products Terra Café, Mountain People’s Coop, Health Naturally (Fairmont) Contact 304.789.5556, possumtailfarm.com possumtailfarm@gmail.com

Round Right Farm

online ordering, customizable, produce, meat, bread, cheese Location Dream Field, Terra Alta (an hour drive from Morgantown) Owners Sunshine and Steve Vortigern Customize your order Order online and create your own custom CSA box or let the farmers choose. You can purchase add-ons like cheeses and breads from other producers. You can also purchase separate meat, bread, or cheese CSA shares.

Contact 304.789.5887, roundrightfarm@gmail.com roundrightfarm.com

written by mikenna pierotti MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

27

THIS MATTERS

SUN Program Director Karan Ireland.

“We mainly do that by forming co-ops.”

The solar co-op approach offers important advantages: It helps interested residents in a community get their questions answered together. And by creating economies of scale for installers—they can complete a lot of jobs in the same part of the state all at once—it makes for very competitive bidding, bringing significant cost savings to families and businesses.

The Meehans were one of 23 families that went solar with WV SUN in Morgantown in 2015. If you felt left out last year as solar panels went up on neighbors’ homes around you, take heart: Another opportunity is heating up.

SEETHIS

Cooperative Sun Harvest Morgantown is hot for solar thanks to WV SUN. ➼ ALICE AND KEVIN MEEHAN have wanted to go solar since they moved to Morgantown’s South Hills neighborhood in 2001. The back of their house faces southeast and gets a lot of sun. They decided solar panels were too expensive when they first checked into installing them. But more recently, when they went to an information session in town in 28

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

February 2015, they found the economics had changed.

“We’re not wealthy people—we’re middle class—but it turned out that this was very do-able for us,” Alice says.

That information session was offered by WV SUN—that’s short for West Virginia Solar United Networks. “We help people who want to go solar go solar,” says WV

How it Works After the February 2015 information meeting, the Meehans and a couple dozen other households signed up to have their homes evaluated. WV SUN took competitive bids from installers, and the group chose Mountain View Solar out of Berkeley Springs. By late summer, MTV Solar started to make home visits, design recommended installations, answer questions, and give estimates.

For the Meehans, MTV worked out what ultimately became a 25-panel, 6.25-kilowatt system that would cost about $18,000. “They said it would take about seven years for our investment to pay for itself,” Alice says—the power produced by the panels after that, through their 25-year-plus life, would be essentially free and would offset the cost of utility power kilowatt hour-for-kilowatt hour, even as utility rates rises. “That, we could live with,” Alice says. “So we signed the contract.” After the Meehans had their roof replaced in August 2015, which they needed to do anyway, the installation took a few days in September.

There are a couple ways to configure a solar setup, depending on the buyer’s goals. Some households or businesses want better reliability—so when the utility power goes out during storms or system damage or overload, the lights stay on. That type of system uses battery storage. Located here in town, the Meehans aren’t concerned so much with reliability. What they chose, and what most households choose because they’re looking for a hedge against rising utility electricity costs or a way to reduce their carbon footprint, is a grid-tied, “netmetered” system that feeds back into the utility grid when it produces more

THIS MATTERS

Not to boast or anything, but our electric bill was $5.25 this month.”

ALICE MEEHAN, Morgantown resident and sun harvester

meter to where we were sucking power from the grid, and when we shut it off it flipped it back. I think it’s time for a clothes line.”

power than the household is using. The Meehans experienced that in the most satisfying way as soon as their system was turned on last September. “Initially it was really cool because the little wheel on the meter that goes around was spinning backwards,” Alice says. Later, Mon Power installed a digital meter.

One of Kevin’s favorite aspects of the installation, Alice says, is a sophisticated monitoring device called Solar Edge that provides all kinds of intuitive reporting— things like daily, monthly, and annual production, with charts. “He looks at it every day. He has an app on his phone,” she says. She doesn’t follow it as closely, but she enjoys the low utility bills. She sent Morgantown magazine a follow-up email a few days after our interview, saying, “Not to boast or anything, but our electric bill was $5.25 this month.” The system had produced 793 kilowatt-hours and they had

used only 574, so they banked 219. For this unusally sunny March-April, the bill covered only a base rate and taxes.

Another 2015 co-op member, Cheryl Brown, lives with her partner south of town on Goshen Road. She said they were “pretty gung ho” after the spring information session. In October last year, they got one of the bigger installations of the group, with 32 panels. “I think we have 8 kilowatts installed,” Cheryl says. “It was $23,200.” Like the Meehans, they got a netmetered installation and, in March-April, they, too, paid the minimum electric bill.

Cheryl has learned by watching the Solar Edge tracker that the panels make electricity even when it’s raining. The tracker has also made her more acutely aware of her energy usage. “We have an electric clothes dryer— everything in this house is electric—and man does that suck power,” she says. “When we turned the dryer on, it flipped the net

A Second Chance The panels on Cheryl’s house are an attention-getter. “Our panels face the road, so people drive in our driveway and knock on our door and say, ‘What can you tell us?’” she says. “I tell them go to WV SUN because you can save 25 percent, and that’s a lot when you’re talking over $20,000. It was definitely important for us to do it that way.”

Alice was happy with the support from and the cost through WV SUN, too. “This is a little more affordable than it used to be,” she says, “and I think that people should consider it if they have a sunny roof and if they’re going to be in their house for a while.”

WV SUN’s 2015 Morgantown co-op installed 142 kilowatts of solar generating capacity. Combined with completed co-ops in Fayette County and in Wheeling, the organization has installed more than 300 kilowatts statewide. The organization is forming co-ops now in Kanawha, Monroe, and Tucker and Randolph counties, and planning to start a second Morgantown co-op in the fall.

Karan encourages people to visit the website, wvsun.org, and join the organization’s email list to be notified. Given tax credits and exponential drops in solar panel prices in recent years, “anyone who thinks solar is in the future, it’s important to know that it’s happening right now,” she says. written by pam kasey photographed by cheryl brown MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

29

HEALTHY LIVING

Summer’s Bounty

W

inter’s snowmageddons and spring’s soggy days are over. With trees fully leafed out, chilly mornings fading away, and boaters heading to Cheat Lake in droves, it’s starting to look a lot like summer in Morgantown.

You might think that means it’s too late to fill a few pots or a small backyard plot with your favorite fruits and vegetables, but June and 30

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

July in our region actually offer some of the best planting weather, according to H.R. Scott, WVU extension agent in agricultural and natural resources. “We get significant spring frosts,” he says.

“Around here your planting time will vary greatly depending on your elevation, but for most plants the keys are a combination of warm air and soil temperatures. If the air and soil temperature doesn’t come up consistently, the plants don’t grow well.”

MIKENNA PIEROTTI

Early summer is the perfect time to sow the benefits of homegrown —or market fresh—fruits and vegetables.

CARLA WITT FORD

HEALTHY LIVING

With the odd weather patterns of 2016, H.R. says many gardens are going in later than the traditional mid-May planting dates this year.

“Especially after a cold spring, a lot of home gardeners will start their planting later, in June,” he says. “If you want to have produce throughout the year, you should plant many crops every two weeks during the growing season. It’s called staggering. That way as one crop is ending another is just beginning.”

Local grower Mary Oldham, coowner of Mountain Harvest Farm in Morgantown, says Morgantown’s biggest limit is always frost—even in years when the weather cooperates.

“We are a temperate climate. That means our season is limited. We can only really grow tender crops outside between April and November.”

So what plants grow best in our climate? Mary suggests lettuce, greens, and kale grow really well here. Summer squashes like crookneck and zucchini do, too. Winter squash—things like butternut and spaghetti squash—are fair game, as well as some root crops like beets, carrots, and radishes. “You can grow potatoes, but because of the amount of space they need, they aren’t always the best for a home garden. And tomatoes, of course, grow very well here.”

Mary also recommends blueberries—even small bushes can produce a lot of berries for the home garden—or raspberry and black raspberry bushes for Morgantown’s climate. Dwarf apples trees are also popular, she says, and easy to fit into your landscape, though you may have to wait for next year to try them out: Most fruit trees are planted in early spring. Other more space-hogging crops, like melons and pumpkins, might better be left to those with acres to spare. But, “everything depends on your land and the soil conditions,” she says.

Don’t fret. We’ve compiled this list of some of the best fruits and vegetables for the newbie gardener who has naught but a sunny balcony. For those without green thumbs, these can be purchased at the farmers’ market or from a Community Support Agriculture program (see page 26).

Grow ’Em or Grab ’Em For the small plot

Plant transplants outdoors in early June, or wait until mid-June when the danger of squash vine borer, a common garden pest that feeds on squash plants, has passed.

Summer squash can also be grown in big pots if you have the room.

Beets—all parts of the plants are edible and beet greens are chock-full of iron.

Seed outdoors every two weeks during the planting season.

Cucumbers grow wonderfully by chainlink fences, where they create beautiful vining arrangements. Plant transplants outdoors in June.

Carrots can be planted every two weeks and harvested in fall. Leave a few in the ground, and you can store them and harvest all winter.

Summer squash—just two plants will keep a family of four rather busy deciding what to do with all their lovely fruits.

For the porch garden Bush beans are compact and easy to grow in smaller spaces like containers.

Seed outdoors in early June.

Lettuce, spinach, kale—choose leaf lettuce, not head lettuce, for leaves that can MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

31

HEALTHY LIVING

GARDENING TERMS DECODED If you’re new to gardening, some of the terms on transplant labels and seed packets at the garden store may be unfamiliar.

Here’s what you need to know.

Annual Annual plants live their entire lifecycles from spring to fall and die in winter; most vegetables.

Biennial Biennial plants take two years to complete their lifecycles; example: parsley.

Build a Strong Foundation Test your soil and make the proper adjustments before you begin planting. Soil test kits can be purchased at any local hardware or garden store, and supplements like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—three of the main components of healthy soil—can easily be purchased and added before planting.

Days to harvest The number of days it takes to grow harvestable produce. Make sure you know when the first frost date is in your area―in Morgantown it’s around October 15―and make sure you have enough time to harvest.

Determinant Tomato plants that produce one or two big crops all at once. These are great for canning.

Hardiness A plant’s ability to withstand freezing temperatures. In Morgantown you probably want a perennial plant that’s hardy to at least zone 5.

Hardiness zone Your climate. Downtown Morgantown is zone 6b, but nearby upper elevations may be different.

Check your zone by zip code at planthardiness. ars.usda.gov.

Stake them or use tomato cages to keep them upright. Plant transplants outdoors in June.

At the market in summer

Peppers—hot or sweet, peppers do great in pots. Plant transplants outdoors starting in June.

Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, mushrooms, okra, pears, potatoes, ramps, sweet corn, Swiss chard, winter squash, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupes, cherries, currants, melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, strawberries, and watermelon can all be found in our summer markets.

Tomatoes are the classic patio fruit. They grow well in containers.

written by mikenna pierotti

Herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, or rosemary—almost any herb you might want—will do well in a pot. Plant transplants outdoors or start them from seed as soon as the danger of frost has passed, typically after May 15.

32

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Hybrid Varieties selected from the controlled crossing of parent plants and often created to resist diseases and be hardier.

Indeterminate Tomato plants that produce crops slowly for an extended time throughout the growing season.

These are great for fresh eating and cooking.

Perennial Perennial plants come back every year depending on hardiness; example: asparagus.

PAM KASEY; MIKENNA PIEROTTI

be plucked and used in salads or sandwiches. Lettuce, spinach, and kale are best grown in cooler weather or in semi-shade in summer. Seed outdoors every two weeks during the growing season.

Heirlooms/open pollinators Plant varieties that are not bred through a controlled crossing of parents. They don’t always have the disease and pest resistance of hybrid plants, but they are often more flavorful.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

33

DISH IT OUT

Good Food, Easy Vibe, Hawaiian Style Tropics Restaurant and Bar takes diners on a journey to paradise. ➼

34

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

DISH IT OUT

Chef Brendan Burchfiel dishes it out

HAWAIIAN-STYLE FRIED RICE

I

n Morgantown we rarely try to pretend we’re someplace outside of Appalachia. It’s hard to ignore the mountain views.

The river is a beloved landmark that stretches through town. West Virginia pride is everywhere, from the Flying WV plastering buildings, signs, and shirts, to the Appalachian vibe present in beloved local eateries. But at one restaurant in Cheat Lake, you do have the chance to escape—if only for an hour or two— to a place far more tropical.

At Tropics Restaurant and Bar, the ambience of Hawaii reigns. A massive wooden deck stretches far afield from a large, airy restaurant. Pots of vibrant flowers spill from all directions, and a koi pond adds a bit of aquatic flair. The restaurant opened in Cheat Lake in 2013 under the direction of owners Brendan and Maria Burchfiel, also chef and front-of-house manager, respectively. The couple had moved their family from Hawaii to Morgantown to be closer to family—Brendan’s family hails

from Virginia Tropics but moved to Restaurant and Bar Hawaii when he 2500 Cranberry Square was a child— 304.291.5225 tropicswv.com though they both consider Hawaii home. “When we came to Morgantown we thought, ‘Why not bring Hawaiian cuisine?’

It’s something new and different and very unique to this area,” Maria says. Blending island native cuisines with the influences of the many Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Polynesian, and Western immigrants throughout the island chain’s past, Hawaii’s flavor profiles run the gamut. Salty, sweet, umami, it’s much more than a slice of pineapple served across a cut of pork.

Brendan and Maria have a long history with food service in Hawaii. He first entered the kitchen at 14, and she began at 21. They still own a popular family of sports bars there and make a couple of return trips every year to make sure things are running smoothly. “We brought some of those dishes over from Hawaii,

2 tablespoons sesame oil ¼ cup bacon 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped 2 large eggs 6 cups cooked rice ½ cup butter 1 teaspoon ginger, ground ¾ cup soy sauce 1 /3 cup fish sauce 1 /3 cup scallions, chopped 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds salt & pepper to taste 1. Heat sesame oil in medium frying pan. Add bacon and garlic and set aside after bacon turns crisp. In a second pan, scramble eggs and set aside. Crumble bacon when cooled.

2. In a large pan over high heat, toss rice with butter, ginger, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

3. Add scrambled eggs and bacon and toss to mix in with rice.

4. Top with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

35

burgers and wings, as well as some unique dishes that we didn’t have at our other restaurant but that we thought would be a good match to feature here,” Maria says.

“More upscale things like the furikake crusted ahi, which we didn’t do back home but is one of our top sellers here.”

The furikake dish is nothing short of divine. Finely diced nori, or Japanese seaweed, toasted sesame, and a bit of panko breadcrumbs form a light crust topping the ahi tuna, which is seared and then topped with wasabi aioli and a teriyaki and soy mustard glaze. “We’re trying to take people on a journey with something new and different for the area, give them a little slice of paradise,” 36

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Brendan says. “We’re constantly changing the menu with new items we think people would enjoy, begging them to try different things, but we go slowly so it isn’t scary.” Brendan features a new fish or Asian fusion dish once a month or so to see how customers respond.

Surprisingly, he says, some of the more exotic Hawaiian dishes have become huge favorites: Poke, cubed raw tuna tossed in various seasonings, is one of his most popular dishes. “It’s super popular back home in Hawaii. If you go to the supermarket you have a deli section and a poke bar,” Maria says. “But people really loved it here, and we were surprised.”

Another popular dish is the mochiko

chicken, a Hawaiian-style fried chicken that is marinated overnight in soy, ginger, garlic, and mochiko flour, then deep-fried and served with rice and a macaroni salad.

“Familiarity is always important in introducing new dishes,” Brendan says.

“Having something people can relate to, like a pierogi or a pepperoni roll. We tell people that our Spam musubi, for example, is the pepperoni roll of Hawaii. It gives them a first step in, that this is what people eat every day, on the way to the ballgame, the way home, a long car ride, whatever. We try to find those parallels.” Spam musubi, by the way, is Spam grilled with a teriyaki glaze and served with steamed white rice wrapped in nori.

Brendan and Maria are friendly, always talking to customers and easing them into their first Hawaiian dining experiences.

With Hawaiian food especially, the couple says, customers may go in with preconceived notions that aren’t always correct. “When people are unfamiliar with Hawaiian cuisine, they just think pineapples,” Maria says. “They say, ‘A Hawaiian restaurant out in Cheat Lake? They probably just put pineapples on things,’ which isn’t Hawaiian cuisine at all. When people from Hawaii who live in this area—Pittsburgh, Baltimore— come in, they say, ‘Oh, it’s real Hawaiian food! Spam musubi, mochiko chicken,’ all the things that would remind them of home.” Maria says the kitchen can usually tell if a customer is from Hawaii or familiar with the cuisine. They tend to order the same four or five dishes, sometimes getting a bunch of takeout to take home to other friends and family.

Combining fresh food, an easygoing staff, and a clean, spacious deck with plenty of seating, Tropics is known around Cheat Lake as the place to be on weekends and on fine-weather evenings. Live music plays outside every weekend, and three separate bars guarantee the drinks flow.

A popular bright blue drink, called the Tropics Fishbowl, comes with two straws, three cherries, a couple of umbrellas, and smoking presentation thanks to a cube of dry ice dropped inside. It’s all enough to make you think, for a while anyway, that Cheat Lake is somewhere in the Pacific.

“With the deck and the beautiful trees, you can sit and feel you’re at the beach, in the tropics, and that’s what we want,” Maria says. “You’ve had a long day or a long week, you can come here and feel like you’re on vacation.” written by KATIE GRIFFITH photographed by CARLA WITT FORD

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

37

Meet a few of the men and women who volunteer to risk their lives every day to keep us safe.

Mikenna Pierotti photographed by Mark A. Shephard written by

38

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Y

ou wouldn’t recognize them on the street. The bespectacled lady behind the checkout counter, the college kid trudging home from class, the crisp-suited business man—but any of them, all of them, could be our area’s first line of defense in an emergency. Volunteer firefighters in Morgantown’s neighboring communities risk their lives every day to keep us safe, and they do it on top of jobs, families, and their responsibilities—for nothing more than the satisfaction of knowing they’re making a difference. Each volunteer fire department (VFD), like the neighborhood and district it protects, is unique. We think it’s time a few introduced themselves.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

39

40

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

The Brotherhood Star City Volunteer Fire Department Location 3380 University Avenue Founded 1939 | Members 45 Fun Fact Most of this department’s members are college students, but its oldest is in his 80s.

Like a lot of volunteers, Ryan Gillespie started as a junior firefighter in his hometown—in his case, rural Pendleton County. He came to Morgantown for college but quickly found he missed the camaraderie and sense of purpose he’d had volunteering. “I wanted to do something productive while I wasn’t in school. And I’d always loved giving back to my community as part of a group—a brotherhood,” he says.

Today, at age 24, Ryan works for the WVU Police Department. He’s also captain of the Star City VFD. In fact, most of Star City VFD’s membership is college-aged, and these young people stand guard over a population of 10,000 to 30,000, depending on whether WVU is in session, including large apartment complexes like West Run. The types of calls VFDs respond to run the gamut.

On top of the typical car accidents and occasional structure fire, Ryan says the VFD’s busiest call months are in winter, when frozen pipes and downed power lines call them to aid students shivering in their rooms.

“We make sure the electric is shut off to affected areas.

We help clean up. And we work with the Red Cross to get people to temporary housing. We run about 1,100 calls a year, about 100 a month.”

Despite the difficulty of emergency response in multilevel housing and the sheer population density of their range, the Star City volunteers keep their stress levels low by taking every opportunity to bond. “We grill, we play basketball, we do a lot of training, and we participate in softball and football,” he says. “It gives college kids a family atmosphere and support network.”

They also take time to learn from the older members. After all, Ryan says, many of his fellow young volunteers are hoping to get valuable work and life experience from their time at Star City. “The older members are bringing years of knowledge and firsthand experience to the table. We’re bringing a more modern approach. Both ways are effective. And both add something that the other can build on.”

FROM LEFT Star City Volunteer Fire Department firefighters hang out with Pierce the dalmatian. From the left are Kameron Freeman, Eric Irvine, Joe Klass, Stephen Melsom, and Joe McVey.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

41

42

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

The First Responders Brookhaven Volunteer Fire Department Location 412 Brookhaven Road Founded 1953 | Members 35 Fun Fact This department recruited the first female volunteer firefighter in Monongalia County.

Jimmy Lipscomb caught the fire bug early in life.

When he was 15, he saw his neighbor’s house catch fire and knew he wanted to be on the frontlines.

Now Jimmy is fire chief of Brookhaven VFD and a paid firefighter with the Morgantown Fire Department.

In 30 years of fighting fires, he says he’s seen it all. He’s seen house fire calls drop and medical calls rise. He’s seen volunteer training requirements intensify and numbers of volunteers decline.

But he’s working to keep his crew on top of the changing times. “It takes about 300 hours just to be able to ride on the fire trucks,” he says. “Then, you have to take classes every year for motor vehicle accidents, wildfires, and other emergencies.”

In semi-rural Brookhaven, many calls are medical, including car accidents, so Jimmy is training his department in emergency medical services. “All our people are getting training to be either first responders, EMTs, or paramedics.”

The Brookhaven VFD is also often the first response to impending social emergencies—for juvenile offenders. Some young offenders are sent to Brookhaven to do community service. Jimmy puts them to work cleaning and doing odd jobs. He also tries to get them to open up with the crew and other kids.

“A lot of young kids come here and shoot basketball with us in the summer, or just hang out with the guys.

We all try to be role models.”

Jimmy says students as young as 10 can also join the department on an exploratory basis. With enough training, they can fight fires at 18. Those young volunteers often go on to become paid firefighters, EMTs, or doctors. Now Jimmy works with a dozen high school kids on the path to becoming volunteer firefighters. “The experience can change their lives,” he says.

FROM LEFT Brookhaven volunteer firefighters Alan Kerns, Kevin Funk, Assistant Chief Zach Lipscomb, Heather Covert, husband and wife Mike and Corinne Merrill, and Matt Peery hang out together at the Brookhaven station.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

43

44

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

The Recruiters Cheat Lake Volunteer Fire Department Location 409 Fairchance Road Founded 1955 | Members 18 Fun Fact Cheat Lake has one of the widest coverage areas in the county.

There’s no such thing as a typical call at the Cheat Lake VFD. With the area’s serious terrain—including places like Coopers Rock State Forest—things can get dicey. “It’s a whole other world up there. It can be dry and sunny at the bottom of the mountain and snowing hard at the top,” says seven-year veteran Whitney Porter.

Cheat Lake responds to car accidents on Interstate 68, lost hikers in the state forest, boating accidents, and fire alarms in some of the largest homes around Morgantown. The volunteers leave dinner, work, and family time to respond to emergencies, often staying for hours to make sure the scene and victims are safe. But with a membership of only 18 people, the department’s resources are sometimes stretched thin.

“It is a countywide issue. In Monongalia County, there are 13 fire departments. We are all low in membership,” Whitney says. In fact, the total number of volunteer firefighters in the country has declined by about 11 percent since the mid-1980s, according to the National Fire Protection Association. To increase their ranks, Whitney has taken up the mantle of recruiting.

“I go into the high schools and give safety talks,” she says. “We’re working with other fire departments to donate their trucks for demonstrations. We’re also asking our younger members to be active on social media to spread the word.”

They’re even working toward creating a fire and rescue program for high school students. Whitney says she’s already seeing the benefits of bringing in young recruits. “We had a house fire recently and were strapped for help. Three junior firefighters showed up to help me carry hose. In the end we probably would have lost that house if we hadn’t had their help.

That’s why we need to get them excited about fire and rescue,” she says. “They could make a big difference in peoples’ lives.”

FROM LEFT Members of the Cheat Lake Volunteer Fire Department―Richard Little II, Bill “Skinner” Shaffer, husband and wife Paul and Whitney Porter, and father and daughter Jason and Emily Christopher―pose at their firehouse.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

45

The Family Westover Volunteer Fire Department Location 13 Cottage Street Founded 1926 | Members 29 Fun Fact Westover is the oldest VFD in Monongalia County.

Visit the Westover VFD during one of its fundraising events and you’ll quickly discover this group isn’t just like a family. It is a family— several, in fact.

One longtime member has a son, two grandsons, and a son-in-law on the roster. Another has a son, daughter, and great-grandson. Yet another is a grandmother with a daughter and granddaughter in the department. So it’s no surprise that the chief, Kenny Goodwin, is also a legacy. “My grandfather was here and my dad, who’s 75, is still here. I do it because it’s in my blood,” he says. “I was running around here at 2 years old playing in fire trucks.

When I turned 19 I joined, and 25 years later I’m still here.”

Kenny isn’t just a volunteer. He’s also a 9-1-1 dispatcher and works at Monongalia County EMS. As chief, he says he puts in 20 to 30 hours a week at the fire station. Sometimes that’s filling out paperwork, other times it’s preparing for state inspections.

Like a family, each member helps shoulder the responsibility of keeping the department humming, and many use their workplace expertise to help— from a tax professional who does the department’s accounting to a registered nurse who responds to medical calls. Many members never have fought or no longer attempt to fight actual fires, but they still sacrifice their time and play crucial roles.

Kenny says, for a true volunteer firefighter, that sacrifice is well worth it. “Even with the more frustrating calls, like fire alarms that go off just because someone forgot to dust, I know we’re probably going to be the first to get there when you call. Even if we’re there only two or three minutes before EMS or the police, in so many cases, that could make all the difference.”

Learn more about Monongalia County Volunteer Fire Departments at moncovfds.com.

FROM LEFT Westover Volunteer Fire Department firemen Josh Smith, Eugene Harris, Chief Kenny Goodwin, and Brian Rehwinkel are part of the oldest VFD in Monongalia County.

46

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

47

48

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Five Road Trips to Take This Summer written by katie griffith & pam kasey MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

49

Davis & Thomas

70 MILES, 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES

The highland artist towns of Davis and Thomas, surrounded by the stunning natural beauty of the Monongahela National Forest, are top destinations for native West Virginians and visitors alike. The old logging towns are now an oasis for artistic and entrepreneurial West Virginians.

Great music, food, art, and outdoor activities make this tiny section of Tucker County one of the most visited areas of the state all year long.

Blackwater Falls State Park, home of the most famous falls in West Virginia, has visitors coming spring, summer, autumn, and winter to photograph the 62-foot cascade where the Blackwater River enters the rugged drop of the Blackwater Canyon. This state park offers numerous options for hiking, fishing, and lodging.

1584 Blackwater Lodge Road, Davis, 304.259.5216 blackwaterfalls.com Blackwater Outdoor Adventure, located just down the mountain from Thomas in Parsons, offers rafting adventures for all ages and skill levels on the Blackwater and Cheat rivers—everything from treacherous whitewater to easygoing journeys downriver. 60 Location Road, Parsons, 304.478.3775, blackwateroutdoors.com Dolly Sods Wilderness offers great hiking through a highland plateau with sweeping views of Canaan Valley and a plethora of flora and fauna usually only found in subarctic tundra. A hike through Dolly Sods is, quite simply, magical. 1.usa.gov/24XGzZe

50

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

NIKKI BOWMAN; COURTESY OF BLACKWATER OUTDOOR ADVENTURES; CARLA WITT FORD

Must-see natural beauty

Top Eats

COURTESY OF SIRIANNI'S PIZZA CAFÉ; NIKKI BOWMAN; ELIZABETH ROTH; PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMANDA; COURTESY OF BLACKWATER BREWING COMPANY; COURTESY OF STUMPTOWN ALES; ELIZABETH ROTH

Sirianni’s Pizza Café is a must-try for pizza lovers. This local mainstay is almost always packed on weekends. The restaurant is cash only, but your patience is well-rewarded.

474 William Avenue, Davis, 304.259.5454 facebook.com/thesiriannispizzacafe

Hellbender Burritos, located across the street from Sirianni’s, is another local favorite for eclectic burritos and sides, great brews, and a low-key atmosphere.

457 William Avenue, Davis, 304.259.5557 hellbenderburritos.com

Tip Top in Thomas is the go-to spot for great coffee and baked goods all year long. In the evenings the café is known for funky drinks, and locals love the weekly burger nights.

216 East Avenue, Thomas, 304.463.4455 facebook.com/tiptopthomas

Best Brews

Mountain State Brewing Company started in Thomas. Check out the taproom for fresh fermentations from West Virginia’s largest brewery. Open Thursday through Sunday.

1 Nelson Boulevard, Thomas, 304.463.4500 mountainstatebrewing.com

Blackwater Brewing Company was reinvigorated in 2012 when its new owners began specializing in European-style seasonal ales and lagers. Open Friday through Sunday. 912 William Avenue, Davis 304.259.4221, blackwaterbrewingwv.com

Stumptown Ales in Davis started brewing in 2014 and is quickly making a name for itself. Visitors love the small-batch brews and atmosphere. Open Thursday through Sunday. 390 William Avenue, Davis 304.259.5570, stumptownales.com

Make a Weekend of It

Don’t Miss Catching a show at Purple Fiddle is one of the top cultural experiences around. Some of the biggest names in bluegrass and country have made appearances at Purple Fiddle before going on to national fame. 96 East Avenue, Thomas, 304.463.4040, purplefiddle.com

The area has numerous lodging options to suit all types. In Davis, try the Bright Morning Inn (brightmorninginn.com), a rustic but cozy local B&B with a great breakfast.

In Thomas, the Cooper House Bed and Cocktail (cooperhousebandc. com) is making waves. The local state parks and resorts offer more upscale lodging options: Try Canaan Valley Resort State Park (canaanresort. com), Blackwater Falls State Park (blackwaterfalls.com), or Timberline Four Seasons Resort (timberlineresort.com).

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

51

Wheeling & Moundsville

Make it an Overnighter Wheeling and Moundsville are bursting with lodging, both chains and local resorts and B&Bs. We love the Bonnie Dwaine Bed & Breakfast (bonnie-dwaine.com) in Moundsville as well as the Lawrencefield Bed & Breakfast (thelawrencefieldbandb.com) and Oglebay Resort (oglebay-resort.com) in Wheeling.

80 MILES, 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

In the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia museums reign— featuring everything from early American history and the separation of West Virginia from Virginia to early indigenous populations, industry, and the state penal system. Wheeling and Moundsville are just 15 minutes apart and offer plenty of lodging, dining, outdoor, and entertainment options to turn a one-day trip into a weekend getaway.

History at the Fore

The 2,000-year-old Adena burial mound at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is believed to be the largest of its kind in the U.S. The museum, also home to the West Virginia Archaeological Research Facility, is open yearround. 801 Jefferson Avenue Moundsville, 304.843.4128 Fun for kids and adults alike, the Marx Toy Museum is one of the area’s more unusual offerings and houses what is reputedly the largest collection of Marx toys in the world. 915 2nd Street Moundsville, 304.845.6022 marxtoymuseum.com

52

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

The hard-to-miss West Virginia State Penitentiary is a behemoth Gothic sandstone structure that was once home to 2,000 of West Virginia’s most infamous inmates. Tour the prison and its grounds, ending with a stop at the prison museum, to learn more about this penitentiary that was once an integral part of the community. 818 Jefferson Avenue Moundsville, 304.845.6200, wvpentours.com Spread through two floors of a Victorian mansion in downtown Moundsville, the Fostoria Glass Museum offers a stunning display of 20th century West Virginia glass. 511 Tomlinson Avenue Moundsville, 304.845.9188 fostoriaglass.org

NIKKI BOWMAN; ELIZABETH ROTH; KATIE GRIFFITH (2); NIKKI BOWMAN (2)

West Virginia Independence Hall housed the Wheeling Convention in 1861 and the West Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1863.

This is the place to go to learn about West Virginia’s founding and its separation from Virginia—making it perfect for a June visit. 1528 Market Street, Wheeling, 304.238.1300 wvindependencehallfoundation.org

Outdoor Fun

Oglebay Park is a cornerstone of life in Wheeling. Featuring a zoo, walking paths, golf courses, tennis courts, the Oglebay Institute Mansion Museum, gardens, a greenhouse, and much more, Oglebay Park has enough to keep you busy for days.

65 Lodge Drive, Wheeling, 304.243.4141, oglebay-resort.com

Grand Vue Park in Moundsville offers activities for all ages and abilities. Favorites include ziplining and 15 miles of recreation trails plus an aquatic center, golf, disc golf, geocaching, options for camping, and much more. 250 Trail Drive, Moundsville 304.845.9810, grandvuepark.com

NIKKI BOWMAN (2); CARLA WITT FORD; NIKKI BOWMAN; KATIE GRIFFITH; JOHN DICARLO/THE PRESENTERS LLC; ARTS & CROFTS

Top Eats

DiCarlo’s Pizza, a Northern Panhandle staple, can be found across Wheeling and Moundsville. Fans rave about the placement of toppings post-baking.

Later Alligator, a much-lauded crêperie in Wheeling, offers crêpes for lunch, dinner, and dessert as well as rotating specials. 2145 Market Street, Wheeling, 304.233.1606 lateralligator.net

Alexander’s on 7th boasts delicious American classics dished out in a refurbished bank building in Moundsville.

508 7th Street, Moundsville 304.845.0582

Festivals

2016 Wheeling Arts & Culture Fest, June 18–19 Celebrate arts and culture, including live music, visual arts, theater, dance, literature, culinary demonstrations, historical arts, and more throughout downtown Wheeling. wheelingartsfest.com

Mountaineer Brew Fest 2016, August 20 Enjoy brews from across West Virginia—Lost River Brewing to Greenbrier Valley Brewing companies—as well as music and food at this all-day event at Wheeling’s Heritage Port. mountaineerbrewfest.com MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

53

Eastern Panhandle 120 MILES, 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES

Charles Town, Shepherdstown, Harpers Ferry, Berkeley Springs—anywhere you go in the Eastern Panhandle you find yourself somewhere historic and picturesque. Crossing the Eastern Divide takes us to a place where colonial, revolutionary, and Civil War times feel present. There’s plenty of recreation and entertainment, too. A single Eastern Panhandle destination can be a daytrip in a pinch, but there’s so much to see, you’ll want to make a weekend of it.

Harpers Ferry Just seven miles from Charles Town lies Harpers Ferry, so rich in Civil War-era history that much of the town lies within the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (485 Fillmore Street, 304.535.6029, nps. gov/hafe). Park Service staff don costumes on weekends and stage living history presentations. For hiking or biking, the Appalachian Trail (appalachiantrail.org) and the C&O Canal Towpath (nps.gov/ choh) come together and showcase stunning views of the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. Or go for adrenaline with River Riders’ whitewater rafting and canopy tours (408 Alstadts Hill Road, 304.535.2663, riverriders.com).

Charles Town

54

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Shepherdstown Nearby Shepherdstown, home to Shepherd University, blends historical charm with an overlay of college-town hip: Stop here for boutique shopping. While good food is easy to find throughout the Eastern Panhandle, this is your best bet for lots of options. For natural foods and outdoor dining every day of the week, try local favorite Blue Moon Café (Princess and High streets, 304.876.1920, bluemoonshepherdstown.com). Find eclectic and tasty tacos at Maria’s Taqueria (108 East German Street, 304.876.3333, facebook.com/mariasshepherdstown). Or go a little more upscale with the popular Press Room (129 West German Street, 304.876.8777)—and make a reservation.

NIKKI BOWMAN; ELIZABETH ROTH; NIKKI BOWMAN

Charles Town’s impressive historical character starts right with the town’s name: Charles was George Washington’s youngest brother. The Jefferson County Courthouse (Washington and Samuel streets, 304.725.8628, jeffctywvmuseum.org) hosted two treason trials, including the famous 1859 trial of John Brown. You can also see the grounds and exteriors of several Washington-family homes, including brother Samuel’s Harewood (8382 Middleway Pike), owned to this day by a Washington. For more spirited fun, visit the Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort (750 Hollywood Drive, 800.795.7001, hollywoodcasinocharlestown.com) for thoroughbreds and gaming. And, on Fridays and Saturdays, sample limoncello and other liqueurs at the Bloomery Plantation Distillery (16357 Charles Town Road, 304.725.3036, bloomerysweetshine.com).

Festival Fun At Martinsburg and Berkeley County’s OddFest (oddfestwv.com), June 25–26, vendors throughout the county offer unique experiences ranging from puppet shows to ghost tours to survivalist workshops. And all through July, Shepherdstown’s acclaimed Contemporary American Theater Festival (catf.org) shows five of America’s newest plays in rotating repertory, with related lectures and discussions.

HOLLYWOOD CASINO; ELIZABETH ROTH; RIVER RIDERS; NIKKI BOWMAN; ELIZABETH ROTH (2); KATIE HANLON; NIKKI BOWMAN; ELIZABETH ROTH

Make it a weekend The much-visited panhandle offers lodging for all budgets and preferences. Independent options in historical downtown properties can be worth the splurge: Try, for example, in Shepherdstown, Thomas Shepherd Inn (thomasshepherdinn.com), or, in Harpers Ferry, Stonehouse B&B (hfstonehouse.com).

Side trip heading home On your way home, stop in Bath, the warm mineral springs favored by George Washington and now better known as Berkeley Springs, to take the waters at Berkeley Springs State Park (www.berkeleyspringssp.com). Or, for the bonus, build up your Morgantown cred by exploring well-preserved colonial Gerrardstown, the childhood home of Morgantown founder Zackquill Morgan. A stone house he built still stands at Cool Spring Farm (Runnymeade Road/CR26, 3 miles west of U.S. Route 11).

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

55

Fayetteville & the New River 150 MILES, 2 HOURS 20 MINUTES

The mecca of outdoor meccas, Fayetteville sits in the center of adventure in West Virginia. While all of the state boasts stunning scenery, few places rival the New River Gorge. This land is ancient— the New River is considered by many geologists to be one of the oldest in the world—but its offerings are nothing if not invigorating.

Make it an Overnighter If you’re not staying at a whitewater campground or an adventure resort, rent one of the rustic cabins with modern amenities at Country Road Cabins (wvcabins. com) or Opossum Creek Retreat (opossumcreek. com). Travelers also love the Lafayette Flats (lafayetteflats.com) in a refurbished turn-of-thecentury bank building.

Or treat yourself to the classic 1902 Historic Morris Harvey House Bed & Breakfast (morrisharveyhouse.com).

The New River Gorge National River

ELIZABETH ROTH; NIKKI BOWMAN; CARLA WITT FORD

The national park at the New River (nps.gov/neri) is comprised of more than 70,000 acres of rugged forest filled with hiking, biking, scenic drives, and much more.

56

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Climbing “The New,” as adventurers call it, has become one of the most popular climbing destinations east of the Mississippi, with more than 1,000 established routes. Most routes favor advanced and expert climbers, but outfits offer lessons to those looking to get started.

Rafting

Adventures on The Gorge

The New River exemplifies whitewater in West Virginia, offering easier rapids in its upper section and challenging rapids in the lower. A visit to the river is not complete without a trip down its center. Licensed guides and outfitters offer equipment, tours, and instruction for all ages.

Adventures on The Gorge in nearby Lansing is a resort catering to adventure lovers and luxury-hunters alike. Visitors to the resort have plenty of house-guided options to choose from: rafting, hiking, climbing, fishing, biking, paddle boarding, caving, ATV tours, ziplining, and more. The list is exhaustive. When you’re not outside, cozy up for a delicious bite at favorite restaurants like Smokey’s on the Gorge or book a massage. This one’s definitely made for a night or two. adventuresonthegorge.com

ELIZABETH ROTH; COURTESY OF AOTG; NIKKI BOWMAN; CARLA WITT FORD; COURTESY OF AOTG; ELIZABETH ROTH (3)

Nearby Parks Hawks Nest State Park, Babcock State Park, Pipestem Resort State Park, and many more public parks are nearby.

Take a few more minutes in the car to visit some of West Virginia’s most beloved protected areas.

Great Eats The New River Gorge serves up a tasty meal. Pies & Pints’ original shop (219 West Maple Avenue, Fayetteville, 304.574.2200, piesandpints.net) was so popular, the owners have opened eight more across the region—while keeping the model of interesting taste combinations and high-quality ingredients intact. For a great selection of light meals, desserts, and coffee drinks in a serene space, try Cathedral Café (134 South Court Street, Fayetteville, 304.574.0202). Or if you’re in the mood for ethnic, the fresh, authentic dishes at Country Thai (464 Ames Heights Road, Lansing, 304.900.1188) have drawn a big following.

Festival Fun Camping

The New River Gorge National River offers eight camping sites with a range of amenities throughout its lands for adventurers who prefer to sleep under the stars.

Head this direction for down-home music in June. Swing by the West Virginia State Folk Festival (Glenville, wvstatefolkfestival.com) June 16–19 on your way down to Fayetteville or back to Morgantown or, the following weekend, June 22–25, check out the Music in the Mountains Bluegrass Festival (Summersville, adamsbluegrass.com).

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

57

Huntington 210 MILES, 3+ HOURS

Huntington, situated on a flat stretch by the Ohio River, feels almost like another part of the country, but it’s close enough for a long daytrip or, better, an overnight or weekend.

Home to Marshall University but larger than Morgantown by nearly 20,000 permanent residents, it offers a whole different collegetown experience. Its location on a grand river makes it especially fun in summer.

58

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

NIKKI BOWMAN (2)

Outdoor excursions Walking paths through award-winning Ritter Park (1340 Eighth Street), the jewel of Huntington’s extensive parks system, take visitors to a 3,000-plus-plant rose garden, a duck pond, a landscaped fountain area, and possibly the best playground in the state. At Heritage Farm Museum and Village (3300 Harvey Road, 304.522.1244, heritagefarmmuseum.com), you can slip a West Virginia history lesson into the kids’ heads while they think they’re just having fun. But for the classic summer pastime, Camden Park (5000 Waverly Road, 304.429.4321, camdenpark.com) is the place: 26 acres of amusement rides and midway games.

Food for all tastes

If you’re looking for interesting flavor combinations, local beer, and a casual atmosphere, try Black Sheep Burrito and Brews. 1555 Third Avenue 304.523.1555, blacksheepwv.com

Summertime festivals

COURTNEY HOLSCHUH; ELIZABETH ROTH; MARK WEBB PHOTOGRAPHY; NIKKI BOWMAN; ELIZABETH ROTH

For a hearty home-cooked feel, we like Jim’s Steak and Spaghetti House.

920 Fifth Avenue, 304.696.9788 jimsspaghetti.com

In late July Huntington goes all out. The Huntington Classic Regatta (huntingtonclassic. com), July 22–24, includes a carnival in Harris Riverfront Park, free concerts, a car show, a sternwheeler sightseeing cruise, and speedboat races. July 30 brings the West Virginia Hot Dog Festival (wvhotdogfestival.com) to downtown, with a pooch parade and dog costume contest, wiener dog races, a motorcycle charity ride, the Bun Run 5k and 10k races, and, of course, rootbeer chugging and hot dog eating contests.

But if it’s upscale or romantic you’re looking for, reserve a table at Prime on 4th for Appalachian-inspired seasonal dishes and one of the best restaurant views in the state.

910 Fourth Avenue, #100, 681.204.3247 primeon4th.com

Make it an overnighter

Like any college town, Huntington offers chain lodging options for every budget. For a unique downtown stay, though, try The Chessie Room (chessieroom.com), housed in the old Baltimore & Ohio train station. If you stay somewhere that doesn’t serve breakfast, head over to the Farm to Table Cafe at The Wild Ramp market (facebook.com/ FarmtoTableCafeTWR) for locally sourced eats.

Indoor entertainment For a small city, Huntington has plenty of big-city culture. The Huntington Museum of Art (2033 McCoy Road, 304.529.2701, hmoa.org) houses a diverse collection of 15,000 objects, ranging from Rodin sculpture to Chinese porcelain to Middle Eastern prayer rugs to local glass and folk art—as well as the only plant conservatory in the state. Find evening entertainment at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center (925 Fourth Avenue), the Big Sandy Superstore Arena (One Civic Center Plaza 304.696.5990 x3503, bigsandyarena.com), or the V-Club (741 Sixth Avenue 304.781.0680, vclublive.com).

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

59

Cover dogs, foster pups, toys, treats, and more. Summer is the time to get outside and have fun with your furry friends. written by Katie Griffith | photographed by Carla Witt Ford

60

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Our top fundraiser was Thumper.

Thumper and his human, Dominick Claudio, owner of Unique Consignment in Star City, raised more than $1,100 for Pet Helpers. Thumper’s competition, our five handsome runners-up, also raised quite a bit for Pet Helpers. Find the full breakdown on the next page.

M

organtown magazine’s very first Cover Dog Contest was nothing short of a barking success.

We’ve been dying to put a dog on the cover for a while and decided to host a contest for Morgantown residents and pets to find the perfect furry friend to grace our June/July issue. As a bonus, the contest also served as a fundraiser for Pet Helpers, a beloved regional nonprofit animal rescue group based in Fairmont.

“We get dogs from shelters and animal control facilities who are in danger of being put to sleep, and we also pick up strays off the street,” says organization Vice President Terry Buretz. Those dogs then go to foster homes around a North Central West Virginia network, where they live as part of their families as they await adoption. When Pet Helpers first started in 2008, it boasted eight adoptions. This year, more than 700 dogs were adopted out of foster homes.

The Morgantown community was only happy to help.

After more than 60 owners entered their pups in our

contest for the enviable position of Morgantown’s first cover dog, magazine staff and volunteers at Pet Helpers narrowed the entries down to the top six contenders. The contest then opened to a round of voting-by-donation.

We started with the goal of $2,000, but Morgantown’s generosity far exceeded even our expectations: The contest raised more than $4,400 to go to the Pet Helpers medical fund. “The first thing we do after picking up an animal is get them to the vet,” Terry says. “Their age dictates what we do. If they’re a puppy, we get their shots done, but if it’s over 4 months we fix. Those are the dogs we spend quite a bit of money on—depending on their conditions and how we got them.” Last year Pet Helpers spent $149,000 in vet bills alone, and some dogs require treatments that cost up to $2,000. All of this is paid for through grants and annual fundraisers staffed by foster families and other volunteers.

“We couldn’t do this if we didn’t have fosters,” Terry says.

“Because we don’t have a shelter, fosters are the most important part of Pet Helpers.”

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

61

MEET THE COVER FINALISTS

Thumper raised $1,130.80 Thumper, a born model, is actively involved in the Star City community—you’ve probably seen him at Unique Consignment and as a member of the Neighborhood Watch Committee. He is friendly, well-trained, and, as you can see, ready for his close-up.

Zoe raised $990

Ruby raised $761.43

Zoe is a 3-year-old springer spaniel full of heart and spirit. She loves the water and spending time boating, walking, and meeting new people. Springers are hunters and bird dogs, but Zoe would much rather spend her time sunbathing or swimming.

Ruby was born just up the road from her home in Morgantown, where she has become a regular townie on walks down High Street and along the Monongahela River. Like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Ruby knows: There’s no place like Morgantown.

Brodie raised $665.33

Lucy raised $579.35

Brewer raised $284.26

Brodie is a gentle dog who wins the hearts of all she meets. She is a 9-yearold Bernese mountain dog who still acts like a puppy. She’s kind to other animals—giving them first dibs on everything from food to toys.

Lucy is a 2010 rescue from the Marion County Humane Society and is one of the smartest, most gentle souls you’ll ever meet. Lucy has three loves: sticks, swimming, and hiking. Her personality shines as bright as her beautiful smile.

Brewer is a 6-year-old rescue who moved to Morgantown two years ago. He loves hiking, swimming, exploring, and any activity that involves a ball. When he’s not outside, he likes to cuddle on the couch with his favorite blanket.

62

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

OPENING YOUR HOME written by Lindsay Smith

FLUFFY’S FAVS TireBiter $19.99 Pet Valu, 416 Suncrest Towne Centre Drive 304.381.4296

Dogs make wonderful pets for many reasons— they’re a great way to meet new people and socialize, not to mention all the exercise you and your pet can get together. But not all pups are living the good life with good owners who care about them. Thousands of animals are in foster and shelter systems looking for a chance to find a family, and fostering is a wonderful way to make a difference in their lives. Here are a few tips.

If you are interested in fostering, contact your local shelter or rescue organization. If they don’t already have a foster program in place, they will likely be glad that you want to help one of their pets.

Kong $17.99 Woofs Canine Accoutrements 1137 Van Voorhis Road, 304.599.9663

Supplies may or may not be provided by the organization. Ask about what you will need to provide, like food, leashes, toys, and beds.

If veterinary care is needed, you can contact the organization and they will take care of arranging the appointments and picking up the bill.

A foster pet’s length of stay will vary. It may be just a few days long if a pup only needs temporary housing before heading to his final destination. Some animals may stay indefinitely, until their organization/shelter finds a permanent home or you decide you can no longer foster an animal.

If you already have pets, it is a good idea to let them meet a foster animal in a neutral place, such as a park or somewhere other than your house. This will help your own pet be less territorial.

Be prepared for a variety of behaviors and manners. Some dogs will come to you already knowing basic commands, while some may have never lived indoors or been on a leash. Be patient. Often shelter dogs have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. Remember that fostering gives the pet a better opportunity to be adopted because it will have experience with your family members and household rules.

Limiting the foster pet’s access to your home can be helpful at first. This gives you the opportunity to learn about the pet: Is she housetrained? Does she tear things up? Will she jump on furniture? Once you get to know him, you will feel comfortable giving him more space and independence.

Pig water bottle kong $13.99 Woofs Canine Accoutrements 1137 Van Voorhis Road 304.599.9663 AFP squeak pheasant $12.99 Exotic Jungle Pet Superstore 1716 Mileground Road 304.296.8552

Keep your foster dog on a leash at all times when outside. He likely will have a poor sense of place and may have difficulty returning if he gets loose. It is also a good idea to have a “foster dog” dog tag with your contact information in the event that he does get loose.

It is often sad to see a foster pet leave your home, but remember that your efforts will forever make a difference for the pet and her future family.

Don’t feel bad if you decide to adopt the pet you are fostering.

I adopted one of mine. Deciding to adopt your foster dog makes sense, because you will have a good understanding of the pet’s behavior, energy level, and needs. Adopting one’s foster dog is pretty common, though not recommended by shelters, especially among first-time fosters.

Lupine collar $13.99 Woofs Canine Accoutrements, 1137 Van Voorhis Road, 304.599.9663

Boomerang toy, $8.99 Exotic Jungle Pet Superstore, 1716 Mileground Road, 304.296.8552 MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

63

SUMMER PET SAFETY TIPS written by Dr. Jenny Wilson veterinarian at Paw Prints Veterinary Clinic

Summer is a great time to get outdoors and have fun with your pets. However, the warmer weather does bring some additional hazards. Be aware of these summertime dangers to keep your pets out of trouble.

Fleas

Fleas are a common nuisance year-round, but they get even worse when temperatures rise. In addition to transmitting tapeworms and other diseases, fleas can cause uncomfortable itching and lead to hair loss and skin infections.

Keep flea preventatives on your pet all year. There are many products, so discuss options and dosages with your veterinarian.

Ticks

Ticks carry many diseases. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported disease carried by ticks in West Virginia.

Lyme disease in dogs can cause arthritis, fever, and severe kidney disease. The first step in decreasing risk for tick-borne diseases is using a tick preventative. Options range from chewable tablets to collars to topicals. Carefully check your dog—and yourself—after coming in from the outdoors. Wear gloves when removing ticks. If you use a tick remover, follow the instructions provided. When using tweezers, grasp the tick close to the skin and pull back in a straight, steady motion. Ask your veterinarian about the Lyme vaccine.

Sunburn

Dogs and cats can get sunburns and skin cancer just like humans, particularly if they have thin coats or light skin.

Dogs and cats most often get sunburned on their ears and noses, around their lips, on their stomachs, and around the groin and armpits. Keeping pets out of the sun during the day’s hottest hours is the best way to decrease the risk of sunburn. When this isn’t possible, sunscreen may be applied to these areas.

Check labels; if a sunscreen has an ingestion warning do not use it on your pets. Pet sunscreens, baby sunscreens, or sensitive skin sunscreens are the most likely to be safe for pets. Zinc oxide is toxic to dogs. When in doubt, ask your veterinarian before applying.

Heatstroke

Dogs can overheat quickly. Some signs of heat stroke include lying down, disobedience, anxiousness, rapid breathing, rapid heartrate, bright red or pale gums, thick sticky saliva, weakness, vomiting, and uncontrollable panting. In severe cases unresponsiveness, seizures, coma, or death can occur. If you 64

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

think your dog is suffering from heatstroke, cool her down by applying cool towels to her body, especially in the armpits and groin, or direct a fan at your pet or put her in a cold bath. Your pet’s temperature may come down quickly but, if heat stroke occurred, she is still at high risk for several days and it is important to get an examination with a veterinarian.

To decrease the chance of heatstroke, allow your pet to gradually adjust to the increasing temperature by slowly increasing the amount of activity in the heat and by avoiding outdoor activity during peak heat times. Watch for signs and allow access to fresh water and a cool place to rest.

Swimming Safety

Be sure to supervise your pet around water and to survey the swimming area for hazards like currents or areas where she may become trapped or swept away. Avoid lakes and ponds with blue-green algae; it produces a toxin that can make animals very sick. A dog should know basic obedience commands and come when called prior to getting into water so you can call him out from a dangerous situation. Not all dogs are natural swimmers— some may need to be taught how to swim.

Make sure your pet wears a flotation device whenever she goes boating. Rinse her fur and feet after swimming in salty water to prevent irritation. If your dog is a frequent swimmer, an ear cleaning and drying agent used after swimming and bathing can help prevent ear infections.

Outdoor Toxins

Many plants are toxic to pets with symptoms ranging from mild diarrhea to death. For some plants, just a few leaves can result in serious health problems. A few common plants that can cause issues are rhododendrons, tulip bulbs, oleander, sago palm, lillies, ivy, and daffodil bulbs. In summer, cars that overheat can leak antifreeze and, due to the chemical’s sweet taste, pets may lick it. It is very toxic even in small amounts. Some decorative fountains may contain antifreeze or other toxins. Do not allow your pet to drink from them. If you think your pet has ingested a plant or product that may be toxic, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888.426.4435).

Fireworks

Have someone stay with your pup if fireworks make him anxious—distract him by playing fetch or another favorite activity. Exercise your pet a little extra during the day to work off extra energy. For some pets, the sounds of a TV or radio help reduce stress. Unfortunately, many dogs escape out of fear during July 4th celebrations. Make sure your pet is indoors and that doors, windows, and crates are secure. Be sure your pets are wearing appropriate identification in case they do get loose; you might even consider microchip placement from your veterinarian. Some pets can benefit from medications to help keep them calmer during fireworks—consult your veterinarian for more information.

LOCAL PET RESOURCES Doggie Daycare and Boarding Bakers Ridge Pet Hotel 1142 Bakers Ridge Road 304.598.2701 Brownie’s Bed & Breakfast 100 Jo Glen Drive, 304.594.0490 Cheat Lake Animal Hospital 286 Fairchance Road 304.594.1124, cheatlakevets.com Hillcrest Veterinary Clinic 3083 Point Marion Road, 304.292.6933 hillcrestveterinaryclinic.com Large Breed Lodging by Laura Gatto 58 West 5th Street, 304.276.9855 facebook.com/largebreedlodging Mountaineer Pet Care Center 241 Greenbag Road 304.296.1677 mountaineerpetcareonline.com Mountain Laurel Kennels 400 Mayfield Road, 304.296.9400 mountainlaurelkennels.com Pampered 4 Paws 274 Old Cheat Road, 304.292.4729

Dog Parks Krepps Dog Park 1235 Parkview Drive, 304.296.8356 Stanley’s Spot Dog Park Deckers Creek Trail boparc.org/stanleys-spot-dog-park.html

Gear, Treats, Swag Animal House 379 High Street, 304.296.8533 Woofs Canine Accoutrements 1137 Van Voorhis Road, 304.599.9663 facebook.com/woofsmorgantown

PetCo Animal Supplies 4101 University Town Centre Drive 304.599.0670, petco.com Pet Valu 416 Suncrest Towne Centre Drive 304.381.4296, petvalu.com Exotic Jungle 1716 Mileground Road, 304.296.8552

Grooming Devine Pet Grooming 175 Holland Avenue, 304.985.0364 PetCo Animal Supplies 4101 University Town Centre Drive 304.599.0670, petco.com Mountaineer Pet Care Center 241 Greenbag Road, 304.296.1677 mountaineerpetcareonline.com Woofs Canine Accoutrements 1137 Van Voorhis Road, 304.599.9663 facebook.com/woofsmorgantown Paradise Pets Grooming 1459 Willey Street 304.290.7877 paradisepetsmorgantown.com Pampered 4 Paws 274 Old Cheat Road, 304.292.4729 Talk to the Paw 869 Greenbag Road, 304.284.9729

Rescues and Shelters Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia animalfriendswv.org Monongalia County Canine Adoption Center moncounty.com/canineadoption/faci.html

Monongalia County Humane Society moncountyhumanesociety.org Pet Helpers, Inc. pethelpersinc.org

Training Dog Tags Training School 316 Spring Road, 304.296.7924 dogtagstraining.com Mountaineer Kennel Club 953 Point Marion Road 304.284.0023, mkclub.org K9 Etiquette School 422 E Brockway Avenue, 304.276.0107 k9etiquettetraining.com

Veterinarians Animal Medical Center 460 Hartman Run Road 304.292.0126, morgantownamc.com Brook Valley Veterinary Clinic 19 County Road 79/10 304.296.2916 Cheat Lake Animal Hospital 286 Fairchance Road 304.594.1124, cheatlakevets.com Hillcrest Veterinary Clinic 3083 Point Marion Road 304.292.6933 hillcrestveterinaryclinic.com Morgantown Veterinary Care 149 North Main Street, 304.599.3111 morgantownvetcare.com Mountaineer Veterinary Clinic 239 Greenbag Road 304.296.1667, drminger.com Paw Prints Veterinary Clinic 1745 Mileground Road 304.296.7387, pawprintswv.com

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

65

ACROSS COUNTY LINES

The Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop features traditional and neo-traditional” band competitions with some of the best pickers in the country.

All Good is gone, but these events are keeping the summer festival spirit alive.

B

efore Coachella, before Bonnaroo, before Sasquatch, there was the All Good Music Festival and Camp Out. The four-day jam band festival bounced between venues in its 18 years, but spent the majority of its run at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, just over the line into Preston County. “We felt it was important to create an annual destination where like-minded fans could share and experience the fusion of music, art, and camping within a safe and supportive community,” wrote organizers Junipa Contento-Süslü and Tim Walther on their website earlier this year.

66

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

And what a community it was. All Good was a summertime favorite for West Virginia’s music lovers, drawing thousands of attendees each year. The festival attracted huge acts, too, including the Drive-By Truckers, Parliament Funkadelic, and Grateful Dead alums Bob Weir and Phil Lesh.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Contento-Süslü and Walther announced the festival’s “retirement” earlier this year. But don’t trash that hulahoop or cut your dreadlocks just yet—there are plenty of music festivals across the state that deserve your attention and admission.

Merryland Music Fest Columbia, Maryland, July 9 & 10 Although All Good is gone, the folks behind the late festival haven’t gotten out of the business. “All Good Presents” is rolling out a new two-day festival in Columbia, Maryland, called Merryland Music Festival.

The inaugural line-up includes All Good favorites like The String Cheese Incident and Grace Potter, along with popular acts including Shakey Graves, Ben Harper, and Langhorne Slim.

General admission weekend passes start at $125 but if you’ve got a bit more to spend on a VIP pass—$299, to be exact— you can gain entrance to a special Friday night kick-off concert in Baltimore or

Washington, D.C., as well as a special foursong acoustic set from Yonder Mountain String Band on Saturday, plus other perks. merrylandmusicfest.com

Appalachian String Band Music Festival Clifftop, August 3–7 This festival brings together all kinds of traditional acoustic musicians, dancers, and artists for a five-day appreciation of Appalachia’s culture and history. Enthusiasts from across the country and around the world make pilgrimages to this event year after year. There are fiddle and banjo competitions as well as traditional and “neo-traditional” band competitions.

But the music isn’t just limited to the stage—impromptu jam sessions are known to pop up all over the festival. If you want to get in on the action, there are workshops for dancing and crafts along with master classes for musicians. Camping is included in the price of five-day passes. Dogs are welcome, too, but require an additional pass. Day passes are also available. wvculture.org/stringband/index.html

Heritage Music Bluesfest Wheeling, August 12–14 When Wheeling began developing its Heritage Port riverside amphitheater at the end of the ’90s, local promoter Bruce

COURTESY OF THE WEST VIRGINIA DIVISION OF CULTURE AND HISTORY

Keep the Music Going

ACROSS COUNTY LINES

Brew Skies Festival

COURTESY OF BREW SKIES FESTIVAL

The Brew Skies Festival in Thomas is really two events in one: a gathering of the state's best craft brewers and a festival of top-notch regional and national bands.

Wheeler decided it needed some musical events to go with the theme. He envisioned a set of three music festivals celebrating the United States’ musical heritage—one for jazz, another for folk music, and a third dedicated to blues.

Construction delays waylaid the jazz and folk festivals. “The only one that stuck was the blues fest,” Bruce says. There were a few rough years in the beginning—“I think I had more people onstage than I had in the audience,” he says—but the festival eventually caught on with fans around the country. “There is a large contingent of blues fans who like to travel to festivals every year. They plan their summer vacations and weekends around the next blues festival.”

As hardcore blues fans started making pilgrimages to Wheeling each summer, locals also became interested in the event.

The three-day event now draws thousands of people each day.

Bruce tries to book different acts every year to keep things fresh. He prides himself in finding “sleeper acts,” artists who are poised to blow up on the national scene. For this year’s 16th annual festival, he’s excited about Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, a horn-driven band with a Janis Joplin-esque lead singer. “They’re on that rock jam band circuit more than the blues festival circuit, but they’re incredibly bluesy at heart,” Bruce says.

Weekend passes for the three-day event are available for $85 on the Bluesfest website, but day passes will become available a few weeks before the start date. Keep in mind that this isn’t a camping festival—canopies are allowed, but limited. And here’s an insider tip: The festival unofficially opens at noon on Friday for “A Taste of the Blues,” with food vendors and free entertainment. heritagemusicfest.com

Camp Barefoot Elkins, August 18–20 This three-day music event, which bills itself as the “biggest little music festival in America,” is All Good’s heir apparent.

Featuring a variety of musical acts, Camp Barefoot has the same party-minded, family-friendly, campout vibe All Good devotees loved.

This year’s 10th anniversary lineup includes electronic music acts Ghostland Observatory and theNEWDEAL, California rock group Animal Liberation Orchestra, and “one man jam band” Keller Williams. If you have little ones, there’s a Kid Zone with art projects for the whole family.

Car camping is allowed at this festival.

There are also spots for RVs, with and without electrical and water hookups.

Weekend passes start at $130, and day passes are also available. RV and VIP passes are extra. campbarefoot.org

Thomas, August 19 & 20 This year marks the fifth anniversary of this popular craft beer and music festival.

Brew Skies started back in 2012 as a way to bring together West Virginia’s craft brewery scene while showcasing local and national bands. It has grown and grown since then—this year’s festival will feature 21 bands over two days and 15 breweries from across the state. “The number of craft breweries increases by three or four every year,” says organizer Stephen Dilettoso.

In some ways, Brew Skies is two festivals rolled into one. Beer heads can enjoy brews from favorites like Mountain State Brewing Company, Bridge Brew Works, and Charleston Brewing Company as well as newcomers like Dobra Zupas and Hawk Knob Appalachian Hard Cider and Mead.

But make no mistake—the music lineup at Brew Skies is worth the price of admission all on its own. This year’s festival will include Tyler Childers, Ona, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Kelsey Waldon, The Suitcase Junket, The Howlin’ Brothers, Patrick Sweaney, and more. “We pride ourselves on having a good mix of regional bands mixed in with national acts,” Stephen says. Headlining this year will be The Old 97’s. “They’re one of the pioneers of the alternative country sound,” he says.

A $60 weekend pass gets you festival access, a four-ounce souvenir sample mug, and eight craft beer samples. Day passes are also available. brewskiesfestival.com

Culturefest Pipestem, September 8–11 Marking its 13th anniversary in 2016, Culturefest is a celebration of world music and art. The line-up runs the gamut from Appalachian folk to funk, jazz, rock, and experimental music.

Organizers are still working out the 2016 line-up, but previous years’ festivals have featured acts like Primate Fiasco, Qiet, and Dark Water Rising.

There are also workshops on drumming, yoga, belly dancing, songwriting, and more.

You can find unique vendors offering items like handmade jewelry, hula hoops, artwork, and organic foods.

A weekend pass includes free primitive on-site camping, but there are plenty of hotels nearby, too. If you’d like to get in for free, contact the organizers and sign up as a volunteer. culturefestwv.com written by ZACK HAROLD MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

67

OUT & ABOUT IN THE MOUNTAIN CITY

MAY 20 • HAZEL RUBY MCQUAIN PARK AND AMPHITHEATRE

1

Bike to Work Week May was National Bike Month and May 20 Bike to Work Day. For the handful of individuals who met on the rail-trail at Hazel Ruby McQuain, Bike to Work Day was a chance to catch up with similar-minded folks, grab a coffee, eat a muffin, and then get a jump on the work day with a bit of exercise. More than 20 cyclists showed up to the rail-trail event, which kicked off at 7:30 a.m., and dozens more cycled through without stopping to various locations north and south.

At 8:30 sharp, the morning breakfast wrapped up and cyclists were on their way to work.

68

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

3

4

COURTESY OF DREW GATLIN

1 Dozens took the opportunity and a break from early May showers to bike to work on Friday, May 20.

2 The Grind WV provided coffee and muffins for breakfast. 3 Raffle prizes, including gift certificates to Wamsley Cycles, Morgantown Running, The Tea Shoppe, Pathfinder, and many more vendors, were handed out to cyclists. 4 The cool morning event at Hazel Ruby McQuain Park offered a beautiful view of the sunrise over the Monongahela River.

2

Your local guide to life, art, culture, & more JUNE/JULY 2016

June JUNE 3–JULY 1

COURTESY OF THE WEST VIRGINIA BLACK BEARS

Monongalia Arts Center Senior Showcase Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High Street 6–7 p.m., 304.292.3325, monartscenter.com For four weeks the MAC’s Benedum Gallery will feature artwork created by regional artists age 50 and older. This is the 25th year of this MAC exhibition. An opening public reception will be held in the gallery on Friday, June 3, at 6 p.m.

JUNE 3–JULY 10 Royal Devotion: A Tribute Art Exhibition Honoring Prince Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High Street 6–7 p.m., 304.292.3325, monartscenter.com The Artist Collective of West Virginia in conjunction with MAC and Retro-tique will present “Royal Devotion: A Tribute Art Exhibition Honoring Prince” for four weeks in the MAC’s upstairs galleries through mid-July. An opening reception will take place June 3, 7–10 p.m.

JUNE 4 Morgantown Farmers Market Marketplace Pavilion, Spruce Street Sat., 8:30 a.m.–noon, facebook.com/ morgantownfarmersmarket Visit the Morgantown Farmers Market every Saturday this summer for a wide selection of local produce, fresh breads, cheeses, artisan crafts, and more.

JUNE 10 & 11, 16–18 Fat Pig M.T. Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Fri. & Sat., Thurs.–Sat., 8 p.m., mtpocketstheatre.com Neil LaBute’s award-winning play, Fat Pig, takes a comical and politically incorrect look at our obsession with appearance. When Tom falls in love with plus-sized Helen he is ecstatic, yet there’s no way he can tell his fat-phobic colleagues about their romance. $15 for general admission JUNE 11 NEARBY North Central West Virginia Wedding Resale Valley Worlds of Fun, 2017 Pleasant Valley Road, Fairmont, Sat., 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

NCWVweddingresale@yahoo.com Why travel hours out of state to attend a wedding resale event? North Central West Virginia’s first resale will be hosted at the West

JUNE 19 One year after the team’s inaugural game at Monongalia County Ballpark, the West Virginia Black Bears kick off their 2016 home season versus Batavia.

Monongalia County Ballpark, Sun., 4:05 p.m., 304.293.7910, westvirginiablackbears.com

Virginia Banquet Room & Conference Center adjacent to Valley Worlds of Fun in Fairmont.

With more than 3,000 square feet of space, the center will host past brides who are ready to resell any and all things weddings, including bridal gowns, bridesmaids’ and groomsmen’s attire, flower girl dresses, and décor items like centerpieces, candles, and tulle. $3 at the door JUNE 12 NEARBY National Yoga Day Celebration Palatine Park, Everest Drive, Fairmont, Sun. noon–6 p.m., wvyogagirl.com Meet at Palatine Park to celebrate National Yoga Day. Though National Yoga Day falls on June 2, Fairmont will celebrate a few days later with several styles of adult classes, kids classes, Stand-Up Paddle Board demos, live music, and more. The program will collect donations for the Marion County West Virginia Humane Society.

JUNE 13–17 Superhero Art Camp Wow! Factory, 3453 University Avenue Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m., 304.599.2WOW wowfactoryonline.com Send the kids to Wow! Factory for camp. Projects

include pottery painting, clay hand-building, glass fusing, mosaics, and canvas painting. Price includes all project materials, instruction, and snacks. $135 JUNE 17 The Lacs Out Here Tour Schmitt’s Saloon, 245 Cheat Road, Fri., 9 p.m.

304.291.9001, schmittssaloon.com A two-man show known as The Lacs are bringing their own combination of southern rap and southern rock to Morgantown. $27–$38 JUNE 18 Slide the City Hough Street and Beechurst Avenue, Sat. slidethecity.com/location/morgantown Slide the City is a family-friendly slip-and-slide water party. Enjoy live music, food, drinks, water, and the biggest slip and slide ever to hit asphalt. $45 day of Ageless Friends premiere The Metropolitan Theatre, 373 High Street, Sat. time TBA, 304.291.4884, morgantownmet.com Marijn Poels and Maarten Vossen, both from the Netherlands, traveled to Osage and Morgantown to film the story of James Wickline, MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

69

CARLA WITT FORD

a WWII soldier from Scotts Run who died in a parachuting accident in the Netherlands. The documentary reveals Vossen’s quest to learn more about James Wickline, who is buried at the American Military Cemetery in Margraten. The film recently received awards at the International Independent Film Awards in Los Angeles.

JUNE 18 West Virginia Powerman and Triathlon Championship Waterfront Place Hotel, 2 Waterfront Place, Sat.–Sun., 8 a.m.–noon powermannorthamerica.com On Saturday compete in Powerman West Virginia for a $5,000 prize purse.

On Sunday the triathlons begin.

JUNE 19 NEARBY Father’s Day Prickett’s Fort State Park, 106 Overfort Lane, Sun., 11 a.m.–4 p.m., 304.363.3030 prickettsfortstatepark.com Prickett’s Fort State Park celebrates Father’s Day with half-price admission for all fathers.

JUNE 20 Travelin’ Appalachians Revue 123 Pleasant Street, Mon., 8 p.m. travelinappalachiansrevue.org Appalachian artists including John Miller, William Matheny, and Rayna Momen finish their summer tour at 123 Pleasant Street on West Virginia Day, having performed in Shepherdstown, Thomas, Fayetteville, Wheeling, Charleston, and more. $10 JUNE 22–24 WVU Baseball Youth Camp Monongalia County Ballpark, Fri. & Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun., 9 a.m.–noon wvusports.com/camps.cfm Young players will learn the fundamentals of baseball Mountaineer-style, as taught by Big 12 staff.

JUNE 20 Celebrate West Virginia Day, West Virginia’s 153rd anniversary of statehood, with half-price admission to historic attractions in Prickett’s Fort State Park.

Prickett’s Fort State Park, 106 Overfort Lane, Sat., 10 a.m.–4 p.m., 304.363.3030 prickettsfortstatepark.com

JULY JULY 1–3 Black Bears vs. Auburn Monongalia County Ballpark, Fri., 7:05 p.m., Sat., 7:05 p.m., Sun., 4:05 p.m., 304.293.7910 westvirginiablackbears.com Watch the West Virginia Black Bears take on Auburn.

JUNE 23

JULY 2

Cooking with Marion Ohlinger West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Thurs., 6–8 p.m., wvbg.org Spend an evening during the summer solstice with Chef Marion Ohlinger of Hill & Hollow as he shares his tricks for incorporating fresh herbs into recipes. Watch him create and then sample some of his favorite summertime tapas recipes, all while enjoying a glass of wine in the garden. $35 for WVBG members; $40 non-members

Morgantown Farmers Market Marketplace Pavilion, Spruce Street Sat., 8:30 a.m.–noon, facebook.com/ morgantownfarmersmarket Visit the Morgantown Farmers Market every Saturday this summer for a wide selection of local produce, fresh breads, cheeses, artisan crafts, and more.

JULY 7–9

JUNE 25–27 Black Bears vs. State College Monongalia County Ballpark, Sat., 7:05 p.m., Sun., 4:05 p.m., Mon., 7:05 p.m.

304.293.7910, westvirginiablackbears.com Watch the West Virginia Black Bears take on State College.

70

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016

Appalachian Global Dinner Series Hill & Hollow, 709 Beechurst Avenue Thurs.–Sat., 304.241.4551 facebook.com/hillandhollowwv As part of his Appalachian Global Dinner Series, Chef Marion Ohlinger offers “Highway 61 Revisited,” featuring Mississippi River soul food, including cold beer and “haute” tamales.

JULY 8 NEARBY United Way Golf Outing Preston Country Club, 183 Club House Drive Kingwood, Fri., 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. 304.598.5271 unitedwaympc.org/golfouting Register for the United Way Golf Outing to benefit United Way of Monongalia and Preston counties.

There will be prizes for the best golfers as well as dinner and multiple contests.

JULY 8–10 Black Bears vs. Tri-City Monongalia County Ballpark, Fri., 7:05 p.m.

Sat., 7:05 p.m., Sun., 4:05 p.m., 304.293.7910 westvirginiablackbears.com Watch the West Virginia Black Bears take on Tri-City.

JULY 9 Nature Photography Workshop West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road Sat., 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 304.376.2717, wvbg.org Local photographer Dave Smaldone will teach participants how to use simple settings on their digital cameras, give compositional tips, and encourage seeing creatively in a variety of natural settings.

NEARBY 2016 Summer Music Festival Alpine Lake Resort, 700 Alpine Drive Terra Alta, Sat., noon, 800.752.7179 wvsummermusic.com Spend the day relaxing at Alpine Lake Resort with a lineup full of mountain music, including West Virginia artists The Hillbilly Gypsies.

JULY 15–17, 22–24 The Hysterical History of the Trojan War M.T. Pockets Theatre, 203 Parsons Street, Fri. & Sat., 7 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m. mtpocketstheatre.com This children’s play offers a humorous twist on ancient history in a retelling of the Trojan War. $15 for general admission.

JULY 16 NEARBY Cardboard Boat Race Tygart Lake State Park, 1240 Paul E. Malone Road, Grafton, Sat., 304.265.6148 tygartlake.com Children and adults are both welcome to get creative and build cardboard and duct tape boats. Prizes awarded to winners. Free

CARLA WITT FORD

MedExpress Kids Day Downtown Morgantown, Sat., 10 a.m.–2 p.m. downtownmorgantown.com Kids of all ages will learn about safety, play games, receive free goodies from local businesses, make crafts, and play in a giant sand box. Enjoy live entertainment, trolley displays, and more. Free JULY 21–23 Black Bears vs. Connecticut Monongalia County Ballpark, Thurs., 7:05 p.m.

Fri., 7:05 p.m., Sat., 7:05 p.m., 304.293.7910 westvirginiablackbears.com Watch the West Virginia Black Bears take on Connecticut.

JULY 22–24 SoulFuel Mylan Park, Fri.–Sun., 304.470.0789 soulfuelwv.com Expected to attract more than 10,000 attendees this summer, SoulFuel is one of the largest inspirational music and family festivals in the region, featuring motivational speakers, food vendors, an inflatable obstacle course, and nationally known Christian singers like Colton Dixon, Crowder, and Trip Lee. The Friday and Saturday fun will take place at Mylan Park, while the festival will wrap up on Sunday at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheatre in downtown Morgantown.

JULY 24–26 Black Bears vs. Lowell Monongalia County Ballpark, Sun., 4:05 p.m., Mon., 7:05 p.m., Tues., 7:05 p.m.

304.293.7910, westvirginiablackbears.com Watch the West Virginia Black Bears take on Lowell.

JULY 27–31 MountainFest Mylan Park, Wed.–Sun., wvmountainfest.com Morgantown’s proximity to two major interstates and countless picturesque back roads make it a budding headquarters for motorcyclists.

MountainFest Motorcycle Rally brings all of those country road bikers together every summer for food, beer, music, and overall bike

JULY 15–AUGUST 19 Morning Yoga in the Garden Join yoga instructor Heidi Sherwin to connect with nature, rejuvenate, and relax through yoga. All skill levels are welcome. Bring a yoga mat, water, and a small hand towel. $12 per class for botanic garden members; $15 for non-members. Bulk class discounts available.

West Virginia Botanic Garden, 1061 Tyrone Road, Fri., 9:30 a.m., 304.376.2717, wvbg.org

appreciation. With events at multiple venues all around Morgantown, bikers can have their pick: live music at the Triple S Harley-Davidson, bike parade at the WVU Coliseum, and food vendors and beer garden at Mylan Park.

JULY 28 Morgantown Poets Feature Brian Keene Monongalia Arts Center, Thurs., 7–9 p.m.

304.292.3325, monartscenter.com Brian Keene is an author from York, Pennsylvania, who has worked for Marvel Comics and been featured on the History Channel. Brian will stop at the MAC for the Morgantown leg of his summer book tour to preview his upcoming release from Random House. The event includes a reading with a book signing.

JULY 28–30 Appalachian Global Dinner Series Hill & Hollow, 709 Beechurst Avenue Thurs.–Sat., 304.241.4551 facebook.com/hillandhollowwv As part of his Appalachian Global Dinner Series, Chef Marion Ohlinger presents “Blood, Bones,

and Blush,” a wine-pairing dinner featuring fireroasted barbeque with dry rose wines.

August AUGUST 1-6 Monongalia County Fair Mylan Park, Mon.–Sat., 304.291.7201 moncountyfair.org Enjoy a week of livestock shows, rides, games, food, parades, and much more at the Monongalia County Fair. A full schedule of events can be found at moncountyfair.org/schedule. $10 AUGUST 6 Morgantown Farmers Market Marketplace Pavilion, Spruce Street Sat., 8:30 a.m.–noon, facebook.com/ morgantownfarmersmarket Visit the Morgantown Farmers Market every Saturday this summer for a wide selection of local produce, fresh breads, cheeses, artisan crafts, and more.

MORGANTOWNMAG.COM

71

THEN & NOW Hinged doors gave the old fire truck bays extra style.

Former fire truck bays make for a lot of light in today’s City Hall.

FOR MORE PHOTOS

of Morgantown’s past, check out wvhistoryonview.org

Why the FDs on the Face of City Hall?

A century ago, when motorized vehicles were new, Morgantown residents felt they were a risky technology to entrust with anything as important as firefighting—teams of horses seemed far more reliable. The city bought a new power truck in 1919, Earl Core recounted in his history of the county. But lack of pumping equipment made the truck inadequate, especially at distances far from fireplugs, and “provoked comments of ‘I told you so.’”

Morgantown tore down its old frame firehall at the corner of Spruce and Fayette streets in 1924. The new building, opened in 1926, housed city administration upstairs and fire department equipment downstairs. The city embraced

motorized firefighting at some point: In this undated photo taken in front of the 1926 firehall, firefighters pose proudly with a truck, ladder fully extended. (In keeping with our dog theme, note the department mascot sitting at the base of the ladder.)

Just 30 years later, operations had outgrown that space.

The downstairs truck garages were remodeled in 1958 for offices, The Dominion Post reported. The city built a new fire station on Monongahela Boulevard—now the State Fire Training Center.

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

written by pam kasey photographed by katie griffith

72

MORGANTOWN • JUNE/JULY 2016