WV Living Spring 2016

ARTISANAL GLASS | MEET CHARLESTON’S MAYOR | RHUBARB RECIPES spring 16

Rail Town

Rebirth ABCs OF APPALACHIAN FOOD

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WEST VIRGINIA GETS REAL

VOLUME 9

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ISSUE 1

Spring 2016 

features

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88

98

106

Living in Hinton

A Job You Wear

Ken Allman tells us why his hometown is the heart of almost heaven.

For Danny Jones, being mayor is a round-the-clock job.

Wonderfully Real

NIKKI BOWMAN

A behind-the-scenes look at West Virginia’s new ad campaign.

wvliving.com 5

VOLUME 9

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ISSUE 1

46 83

49

65 live

discover 15 Sound Charleston’s eclectic, genre-

63 Local When the local grocery store

defying band Qiet is back with a new album,

Kiss of the Universe.

closed, the people of Alderson took matters into their own hands.

16 Shop The Capitol Market’s WV Marketplace

65 Out Loud While the rest of us were

has Mountain State products you can’t find anywhere else.

79

19 ABCs of Appalachian food

Discover 26 people, places, and products that are changing the way West Virginians enjoy our culinary heritage.

20 Adventure Take a tour of the Tug Fork’s

taste 42 Maker There’s nothing ordinary about

bloody history with Hatfield & McCoy Airboat Tours.

Evelyn McGlothlin, the entrepreneur behind Ordinary Evelyn’s canned goods and mixes.

itchy beard led to a booming online business.

perfect place for your business-casual lunch meetings.

25 Made in WV The story of how one man’s 45 Sampler Morgantown’s Table 9 is the 26 Lessons Find out why an international

law firm made its home in Wheeling.

28 Shop Old Main Emporium lets you celebrate school pride with style.

30 How We Did It Dickinson Gould of

Buzz Food Services talks about the creation of Charleston Restaurant Week.

32 Country Roads Take a quiet drive

through Germany Valley and see sweeping vistas, rock formations, and deep, dark caves.

37 Town Beckley is West Virginia’s gateway

46 Libations Chestnut Ridge Winery takes an artisan’s approach to winemaking.

49 Figaretti’s This Wheeling favorite has kept customers coming back for almost 70 years.

51 Vittles The chef-owned and -operated Von Blaze Pickles is the cure for the common dill.

52 Local Flavors Appalachian Distillery

makes moonshine the same way grandpa did—just on the right side of the law.

53 Dish A restaurant proves comfort food

to the South, but it’s also a destination all its own.

can be good for you, too.

38 Technology A Morgantown company is

55 This All we are saying is give rhubarb a

making the vehicles of tomorrow.

6 wvl • spring 2016

chance.

indoors this winter, some of Fayetteville’s best river guides were preparing for the National Whitewater Championships.

68 Creatively Alex Brand finds a home for

his art at America’s Resort.

73 At Home Take a look around the Greenbrier Sporting Club House

79 History Henderson Hall isn’t really a museum—it’s a step back in time.

83 On the Edge Barrie Kaufman

remembers the 2014 water crisis with a striking glass exhibition.

in every issue 8 Editor’s Letter 10 Letters to the Editor 11 Social Circles 112 The Parting Shot ARTISANAL GLASS | MEET CHARLESTON’S MAYOR | RHUBARB REC PES

ON THE COVER Hinton is a historic rail town that is reinventing itself.

Photo by Nikki Bowman

spring 16

Rail Town

Rebirth ABCs OF APPALACH AN FOOD

✚

WEST VIRGINIA GETS REAL

EDITOR’S LET TER

H

PracticeLink.com founder and CEO Ken Allman gave me a tour of his hometown of Hinton.

successful companies, new ventures, creative communities, and interesting people. Speaking of interesting people, Charleston Mayor Danny Jones tops the list. Whether you love him or disagree with him, he is the longestserving mayor our capital city has seen—his tenure has been punctuated with triumphant successes and a few failures. This feature written by Zack Harold (page 98) sheds light on Jones’ colorful personality and dogged devotion to getting things done.

We aren’t the only ones looking to reimagine our brand and content. The state’s tourism office, now called Wild, Wonderful West Virginia, is rebranding our state by showcasing real West Virginians. Read about how Commissioner Amy Goodwin has led the charge on changing the conversation about the Mountain State, and in doing so, attracting more people to visit. After reading about this bold new plan, I predict you’ll sit up a little straighter and puff up with pride.

West Virginia has so much to offer. Just thumb through this magazine (although you have to go back and read each story in its entirety). You’ll see stories on entrepreneurs like the Avocado Shirt Company (page 39) and

Z Electric Vehicle Corporation (page 38), you’ll learn why a multinational company, Orrick, chose Wheeling as its Global Operations Center (page 26), and you’ll read about amazing glass art being hand-blown right here in our state (page 67 and page 83).

You’ll also learn a little history with a tour of Henderson Hall (page 80) and be inspired to get out and enjoy our beautiful scenery near Germany Valley (page 32). You might even gain a few pounds enjoying tasty dishes and libations featured in our new “Taste” section (page 41). Everything in this magazine is real West Virginia. So go ahead—brag!

nikki bowman, Editor

Follow us on

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facebook.com/wvliving twitter.com/wvliving pinterest.com/wvliving instagram @wvliving #wvliving

contributor KEN ALLMAN grew up in Hinton and chose to headquarter his businesses there: PracticeLink.com, the nation’s most widely used physician recruitment resource, and MountainPlex Properties, LLC, a company dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the Hinton Historic District.

Allman was named to Who’s Who in Business in 2009 by The State Journal and recognized by the Small Business Administration as West Virginia’s Small-Business Person of the Year in 2014.

8 wvl • spring 2016

COURTESY OF PRACTICELINK

inton, featured on our cover and on page 88, is one of my favorite small towns to visit.

Although it isn’t conveniently placed off an interstate exit, getting there is part of the fun. And what I love most is that it is successfully reinventing itself from its early days as a booming railroad town to a hidden hub for outdoor recreation, not to mention the fabulous restaurants like The Market on Courthouse Square and Chestnut Revival—and yes, the Hinton Dairy Queen—that are putting this town on the map as a dining destination. And I’m not joking about the Hinton Dairy Queen— hundreds and hundreds of people, including U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and Hinton native Sylvia Mathews Burwell, have told me it has the best hot dogs in West Virginia.

You’ll have to go and let me know if you agree.

I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time with Hinton native Ken Allman, founder and CEO of PracticeLink.com.

Ken has put his money where his mouth is—literally and figuratively. He is such an inspiration. He not only chose his hometown as the headquarters of his hugely successful company, but he also founded MountainPlex Properties to lead the charge on preservation and revitalization of the Hinton Historic District. Some of MountainPlex’s successful projects include The Market on Courthouse Square, The Guest House Inn, The Ritz Theatre Cinema & Performing Arts, and The McCreery Hotel. It is also beginning to renovate the Rivertown Building into a boutique hotel, art gallery, and live performance venue, and plans are underway for the Hinton Heritage Plaza, an outdoor public park. What Ken, his companies, and his employees have done in Hinton is impressive.

I love to discover towns that are reinventing themselves. With a devoted community and a can-do attitude, Hinton is one to watch.

As you read this issue, you may notice a few changes. We are giving WV Living a “refresh,” adding more stories about

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WV LIVING magazine keeps you connected. Follow us online for the best of West Virginia food, travel, and so much more!

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#THESTRUGGLETOSTAY WV Living is committed to promoting our state and making it a better place.

This year has been a challenging one for our state, and many West Virginians are facing tough times. But the first step to fixing any problem is recognizing the problem exists. That's why we partnered with West Virginia Public Broadcasting to launch #TheStruggletoStay. We asked West Virginians to voice their frustrations on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and received an overwhelming response! Check out all the responses at thestruggletostay.tumblr.com.

If you want to tell your story, send a tweet, Facebook post, or video, or post a photo or video to Instagram with the hashtag #TheStruggletoStay.

Jan. 27, 2016 The calm after the storm in Morgantown, WV. #blizzard2016 #wvliving #thisiswvliving

Feb. 1, 2016 The #WVLiving team enjoyed a Hillbilly Philly from The Blossom Dairy in @charlestonwv today! #wvliving #wvfood #cwv #wveats

Feb. 20, 2016 Beautiful #sunset at @timberline4seasonsresort. #wvliving #tlinewv #gettuckered #sunset

@jheady I fear the cycle in WV will continue until my kids are in college. Meanwhile, we give back, build community, and vote. #TheStruggletoStay @billwoodrum #TheStruggletoStay is real. While the #WV legislature has upset me, it has been inspiring to see citizens respond.

»Submit your upcoming events to our online calendar—it’s free! wvliving.com/calendar

Elizabeth Kopp Ray: WV is home. It is where I feel grounded. However, I worry every day that I am sacrificing my children's future for my sense of nostalgia. #TheStruggletoStay

»Check out our store to buy back issues, posters, and products. wvliving.com/store »Promote your West Virginia business through our online directories. wvliving.com/directories wvliving.com 9

LET TER S to the EDITOR LIVING IN KEYSER | FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES | ROASTED RECIPES winter 15

wintry

Wonders TAPPING MAPLE SYRUP

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SCENIC ROUTES

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HISTORIC HOLIDAY HOMES

“I have just spent a most pleasant hour reading each article of the winter edition. I always find a new surprise that spurs a road trip. Thank you for the professional way you present out beautiful, interesting state!” leann barnes, via email

Praise for Maria’s Taqueria

I can vouch that this place is wonderful (“Building a Better Taco,” Winter 2015). Not only is the food fresh and fantastic, you will never come away hungry. Maria and the staff make you feel as if you are eating in your kitchen at home—but someone else does the cooking and cleaning. joyce dittman, via wvliving.com

Demanding More A Fan from the Mothership

One of my favorite magazines! Always looking forward to getting it in the mail, pouring a glass of wine, and sitting by a fire to read it. Keep up the great work. Virginia girl here, who plans on moving there in the future! april parker, via Facebook

10 wvl • spring 2016

What a well-written piece (“Tough Choices,” Winter 2015). What we love about our state, the wide open places and rural living, are in direct conflict and a barrier to the connected world in which we live. From the cradle to the grave, through school and work, West Virginians need to want and demand more of themselves. If we do, we have a bright future. doug marquette, via wvliving.com

On March 10, New South Media was one of 50 state organizations honored at the 2016 Governor’s Arts Awards for “Excellence in Support of the Arts,” a commemoration of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50th anniversary.

LET TER S to the EDITOR

Kudos for Keyser

Really enjoyed reading your story on Keyser (“Living in Keyser,” Winter 2015). “If o’er sea or land I roam I will think of happy home and my friends among those West Virginia hills.” marian ravenscroft miller, via wvliving.com

Living in

Keyser

A native shares why her small town has been deemed the “Friendlie st City in the USA.” written by Mara Boggs photographed by Carla

Witt Ford

Great article, however you missed one of the best staples on Main Street. I feel like it has brought back some more life to the upper half since Reed’s is gone. M & S Bakery is amazing! melissa weisenmille, via wvliving.com Thank you for the article and mentioning my restaurant, the Royal. We have been here since 1904. Your home, your town, is what you make it. I love the town of Keyser. We plan on being here a long time! debra shipway, via wvliving.com My home town, and my dad’s office at the beginning of Main Street for years. Always enjoy going home!

New Creek was an awesome place to grow up! A beautiful place! danny healy, via wvliving.com

Pro la m d he Fr end i st City n he USA Key er is fu l of h s ory and sma lown c arm

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Nikki Bowman, nikki@newsouthmediainc.com

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Carla Witt Ford, carla@newsouthmediainc.com

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12 wvl • spring 2016

Discover WEST VIRGINIA IS A PL ACE OF BOUNDLESS DISCOVERY. HERE'S YOUR GUIDE

Need to Know We’ve compiled your guide to the most interesting people, places, and things around the state.

PICTURED: SPRUCE KNOB IS A REQUIRED STOP ON ANY TRIP THROUGH GERMANY VALLEY, PAGE 32

discover ››

AR T I S T

Richwood Creations

birthday present, wedding gift, or self-indulgence, no remembrance is warmer than wooden handicrafts. Richwood Creations of Summersville adds to its product list every year since it launched with a line of rolling pins and other kitchen usefuls in 2012. Founded to create local jobs and support Young Life Ministries in Richwood, the nonprofit employs five today. Cutting boards are the perennial favorite, and among this year’s new products are ring bearer boxes.

Richwood’s broad range of offerings—many customizable—may be purchased at The Greenbrier and several Lewisburg boutiques, as well as online through Etsy, Nordstrom, and the organization’s own website. richwood-creations.com 14 wvl • spring 2016

NIKKI BOWMAN

Custom-made wooden décor for a good cause.

‹‹ discover

QIET’s (Drum roll please)

PLAYLIST

➊ “War of Eight” This Middle East-inspired instrumental track builds to a frenetic crescendo, which gives way to a driving percussion breakdown. Put this song on, turn it up, and don’t be surprised to find yourself dancing.

➋ “Dionysian Dreams” S OU ND

Qiet Time

A popular Charleston band defies genre to make catchy, eclectic music. talking to christopher vincent, front man of the Charleston gypsy-rock band Qiet, is a little like talking to Detective Rustin Cohle, Matthew McConaughey’s character from the first season of True Detective. He’s well-read, whip smart, and more than a little nihilistic. Near the end of our interview, he suggested a headline for this article: “Why Qiet Will Fail.”

His pessimism doesn’t make much sense, at first. Qiet is one of the most popular bands in Charleston. It’s even started to gain international fans as far away as Russia and Brazil.

Qiet fans donated $7,000 to help fund their new album, Kiss of the Universe. The group released this much-anticipated project in February 2016 at a concert with national folk duo The Sea The Sea. Looking at the band’s upward trajectory, the word “failure” does not come to mind.

But Vincent says he has good reason to be cynical. He feels the cards are stacked against

him, and his band. “I like Qiet. I love Qiet. Qiet has something a lot of bands don’t have, and that’s vision. But that’s why it will fail.”

It only takes a quick listen to Kiss of the Universe to understand what he means.

The album—recorded at producer Eddie Ashworth’s rural home near Athens, Ohio— sounds like a very eclectic radio station. There’s a funk song, ukulele-tinged folk, touches of vaudeville, and songs that sound like a gypsy jazz band crashed a New Orleans second-line parade. “It’s like a composition notebook filled with ideas,” Vincent says. For that reason, it’s impossible to fit Qiet into one specific genre— which makes this music difficult to market, and leads Vincent to believe Qiet will never be able to find a large audience.

But it could be he’s wrong. It could be Vincent is just too close to see what joins his band’s seemingly disparate work. The influences behind each song might be vastly different, but the tracks are all really, really good. And for a generation of music fans raised with a world of songs at its fingertips, Qiet’s eccentricity is hardly a handicap. The band’s inability to be pigeonholed will not be the downfall of Vincent and company. It’s why Qiet will succeed. written by

Drawing from the sounds of the Big Band and Western Swing traditions, this swinging song features front man Christopher Vincent singing in a voice that careens from gentle crooning to soulful wails. The tune also serves as a great showcase for the band’s horn section, with players taking turns on jazzy solos.

➌ “Mayfly Man” With its persistent distorted bass line and gritty vocals, this is the closest Qiet comes to a straightforward hard rock song. Except here, horns and violin take the place of the usual lead guitar.

➍ “Daddy’s Too Old” This is Qiet in “jam band” mode.

The song begins with reggae guitar and horns over heavy rock drums.

Vincent’s vocals groove along to the beat, occasionally switching into an impressive falsetto. A Hammond B-3 electric organ enters the mix as the song builds to its crescendo, evoking the blues-rock bands that preceded today’s music festival scene.

zack harold

photo courtesy of qiet

wvliving.com 15

discover ›› SHOP

All West Virginia, All the Time The WV Marketplace sells West Virginia wares from vendors large and small.

at first glance, the inventory at the West Virginia Marketplace, inside Charleston’s Capitol Market, looks indiscriminate. There’s a wide variety of foodstuffs, along with books, postcards, cutting boards, and pottery. There’s a sizable selection of hand-blown glass. There are dog treats. What makes all these things go together?

“If it’s made in West Virginia, we have it,” says Allan Hathaway, the store’s owner.

Every single thing sold at the WV Marketplace is made in the state, and Hathaway is willing to stock just about anything that’s made here. The merchandise runs the gamut from the state’s most famous home-grown products—Blenko and Fiestaware, for example—to goods from obscure, small-scale makers. Some of the items aren’t available in a retail outlet anywhere else. Customers often go in to get a product they fell in love with at a fair or festival and then couldn’t find again.

Hathaway is trying to fill the gap between small businesses in West Virginia and locals and visitors who want to buy their wares but don’t know where. Most weekends the shop hosts some sort of live event like a book signing, taste testing, or cooking demonstration to get customers even more actively involved with the community of local artisans. “This is a small business, they’re small businesses, and together we do great things,” Hathaway says.

“Maybe not big things, but great things.” wv marketplace

800 Smith Street, Charleston, 304.720.2244; capitolmarket.net/merchants/wv-marketplace written by shay

maunz harold

photographed by zack

16 wvl • spring 2016

TOP SELLERS

MOUNTAIN STATE HONEY This honey comes from a family beekeeping business in the mountains of Tucker County. The taste varies slightly depending on the hive’s location and the time of year.

BROOKSTONE SOAPS Made the old-fashioned way, with all-natural ingredients and a hand mixer, Brookstone soaps come from a husband-wife team in Huntington. The newest variety incorporates another WV Marketplace favorite—salt from J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works.

DUCK’S GREEN TOMATO AND PEPPER BUTTER “Customers go crazy for this stuff,” says Clare Wegmann, the marketplace’s manager.

It’s a riff on traditional pepper butter, made from hot peppers and prepared mustard.

‹‹ discover PL AC E S

EXTRA CREDIT

COURTESY OF WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

A special program offers Japanese education to transplanted students.

schools are usually pretty quiet places on weekends. But not Scott Teays Elementary School in Putnam County. Each Saturday, this tidy suburban school undergoes a cultural transformation. At the beginning of each class period, students rise and bow to their teachers, who speak to their pupils only in Japanese. During social studies, children learn about Japanese history and the Japanese system of government. During language arts, students learn the legion of characters that comprise the complex Japanese written language.

This program, known as the West Virginia International School, was founded in 1997 as part of an incentive package to attract Japanese companies to West Virginia. When workers and their families return to Japan after their visas expire, parents want to ensure their children can return to Japanese schools at the appropriate grade level. “If they’re worried about the education, it will be harder for them to come,” says Mami Itamochi, coordinator for international education at the West Virginia Department of Education.

The school currently has 32 students, ranging from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, whose parents are employed by Toyota, NGK, Meiji, and other Japanese companies in the state. Children attend local schools Monday through Friday, and the Saturday program teaches subjects not covered in U.S. public schools. Families pay tuition but the school also receives money from the state Department of Education, Marshall University, and the Japanese Ministry of Education.

Both of Kevin and Ayumi Meadows’ children—8-year-old Noah and 5-year-old Olivia—attend the International School, although their situation isn’t typical. Ayumi grew up in Japan and works for Toyota, but she and Kevin have permanently settled in West Virginia, his home state.

“I wanted my kids to go so they could make Japanese friends and learn about Japan, in Japanese,” she says.

Meadows thought the school would give her children more career options someday. But their Japanese education is already paying off.

The tutoring has given Noah a little more confidence in math class, and he’s also showing proficiency as a translator. “He has a Japanese friend in his local school. Sometimes his teacher cannot understand what he’s trying to say, and she asks Noah, ‘Can you please translate?’” Meadows says. “That makes me happy he’s doing that for the teacher and his friend.” written by zack

harold wvliving.com 17

discover ››

EVENT

LOOK UP

Learn your way around the night sky at Capon Springs and Farms. as part of its monthly “Second Tuesday Star Parties,” on May 10, Capon Springs and Farms will hosts NASA ambassador Greg Redfern for a presentation on meteorites. Guests will touch samples from real meteorites and get a guided tour of the night sky. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. caponsprings.net

BO OK

TALL TALE Like much of his work, Homer Hickam’s latest book starts in the West Virginia coalfields—but then it takes a road trip.

Carrying Albert Home tells the story of Hickam’s parents as they drive their pet alligator, a gift from movie star Buddy Ebsen, from West Virginia to Florida, on a mission to return it to the swamp where it belongs. Is it true?

Sometimes. Delightful? Always.

18 wvl • spring 2016

‹‹ discover

ROOT S

HISTORIC FIRST

NIKKI BOWMAN; WEST VIRGINIA DIVISION OF CULTURE AND HISTORY

GRAVE CREEK MOUND today, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing the little metal plaques on homes and churches, parks and battlefields: “This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.”

But it wasn’t always that way. The National Historic Preservation Act wasn’t passed until 1966, decades after most of those properties aged into historic significance, so there was immediately a backlog of historic spots worth including on the fledgling register. And which of West Virginia’s historic places was the first to be designated with this new system? Which place was so important in the minds of West Virginians that they rushed out to propose it be placed on the list? It was the Grave Creek Mound, one of the state’s oldest landmarks. Not only is the mound itself more than two millennia old, it’s been recognized as a significant piece of history for nearly two centuries: the first recorded archaeological dig of the Grave Creek Mound happened in 1838, 25 years before West Virginia became a state.

The mound, 62 feet high and 240 feet wide, is one of the largest burial mounds in the United States and the largest and most impressive mound made by the Adena people, who lived in North America from around 1,000 B.C. to 700 A.D. “It’s one of the last remnants of a long-gone people,” says Jeremy Kohus, the director of the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex.

Right now, Kohus and his team are in the process of a major renovation of the complex. Their first task is to restore the property to the way it would have looked in prehistoric times. Research shows, for example, the Adena wouldn’t have let trees grow on a burial mound, even though hundreds have taken root there over the years, many not even native to West Virginia. Last year, all those trees were removed—or almost all, since removing the very last one would have threatened the mound’s structural integrity. Next up is a renovation of the complex’s Delf Norona Museum.

It’s getting a major update, with a shift away from its use as a museum for West Virginia arcana and toward becoming a science-based archeological complex. The renovations won’t be completely finished until the end of the year, but there will be lots of new exhibits in time for summer travelers. written by shay

maunz

ABC s OF

APPALACHIAN FOOD Discover 26 people, places, and products that are changing the way West Virginians incorporate our culinary heritage. continued on page 20 ➻

Allen Arnold founded the Collaborative for 21st Century Appalachia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the viability of small farms and rural communities.

Pick your own blueberries at local farms like White Oak Farm in Greenbrier County or Blueberry Ridge Farm in Marion County.

The Cast Iron Cook Off brings the state’s finest chefs and local ingredients sourced from wvliving.com 19

discover ››

West Virginia farms into a highly anticipated competition that has put Appalachian cuisine on the map.

The spring harvest of dandelion greens is an Appalachian tradition.

Deviled eggs always make an appearance on the Appalachian table.

Want delectable made-fromscratch to-go food from local ingredients? Then visit Fish Hawk Market in Buckhannon, a new undertaking by the king and queen of Appalachian cuisine: Chef Dale Hawkins and Teresa Lipps.

The small town of Alderson found a creative way to grapple with its lack of a traditional grocery store.

The Alderson Green Grocer has grown to include an educational program, a community garden, a deli, and a co-op.

A DV E N T U RE

Ride into the Past

Airboat tours revisit the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud. one hundred and fifty years ago, the Tug Fork was the blood-soaked backdrop of the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud. The worst of the feud lasted nearly 30 years across the KentuckyWest Virginia border, with the Tug serving as the barrier between the two states and the two warring families.

Today, the Tug Fork is a tranquil place.

The soundtrack comes from native flora and fauna—save for the buzz of the supercharged, 550-horsepower engine on Keith Gibson’s airboat. Gibson is a former coal miner. He got the idea for airboat tours after spending time in Florida and found it was actually a great way to get down the Tug Fork.

Since 2012, his Hatfield & McCoy Airboat Tours—which run from April 15 to November 15 each year—have offered insight into those bleak earlier days on the river. And for Gibson, he already had a pretty good grounding in his subject matter. “Well, I was born and raised here my whole life,” he says. “A lot of it I already knew. Just being here, you hear these stories your whole life. My wife’s grandmother was a McCoy. I’ve sat down and spoken with members of the Hatfield family and a local historian

named Bill Richardson, who helped with the (2012 TV miniseries) Hatfields & McCoys.”

Of course, not everybody who takes his factoid-laden ride is looking for a history lesson.

“Oh, some people could care less about the history of the Tug Fork,” Gibson says. “I’ll feel them out in the beginning, and if they don’t care about all of that, I’ll ask, ‘OK, what’s your favorite XM station?’ And then we’ll just listen to that instead. I get a variety of people from all over. The ride is so fun for little kids, but we get a surprising amount of older women taking the tour, with the oldest being 95 this year. You have so many people from outside the country who are interested in the history. And some people that are into ATV riding just want to ride.”

Gibson says many from outside the region are shocked at the animal life present in the wilderness of Matewan. Once, he had a shock himself—a bald eagle made a cameo appearance during one of his spring tours last year. When in season, he’ll stop to let customers grab fruits from the paw-paw trees, much like the trees the McCoy siblings were famously bound to when they were executed. But of all the surprises for his customers, there’s one that Gibson is most proud of. “People are always impressed with how friendly the people are here,” he says. “That’s just the way people are in Matewan.”

The Tug Fork may have a morbid history, but for Gibson, there’s a joy in sharing the tales of the Hatfields and McCoys each morning on the waters of this Big Sandy River tributary.

It may still be a dividing line between states, but now, the river’s never been so inviting. hatfieldmccoyairboattours.com written by andy

smith

The best homemade ice cream can be found at Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream in Charleston and Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream in Ceredo.

20 wvl • spring 2016

HATFIELD & MCCOY AIRBOAT TOURS

Hawk Knob Hard Cider and Mead is leading a renaissance in these heritage drinks.

‚‚ discover

Q U E E N FOR A DAY

ALISSA NOVOSELICK Alissa Novoselick is the executive director of the Tamarack Foundation, where she works to build the creative economy of West Virginia through artist entrepreneurship.

She first came to the Mountain State as director of development for Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg. Novoselick now oversees the Tamarack Foundation for The Arts along with the multiple small business services it offers to Mountain State creatives.

If I were queen of West Virginia for a day, I would: Demand that Mountain Stage happen every night of the week.

Stack the Legislature with smart, driven women on both sides of the aisle.

Ensure that every student has at least an hour of art education every day.

Dine with Elton John every Sunday, after an afternoon of loafing. wvliving.com 21

discover ››

J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works— These seventh-generation salt makers are adding spice to tables around the state and beyond.

Huntington Kitchen offers cooking classes and healthy living seminars.

Limoncello made in West Virginia? Bloomery Sweetshine in Charles Town has brought this Italian creation to the mountains.

Hunting for morels is a springtime Appalachian tradition.

Noodling is fishing for catfish using bare hands.

To find an organic farm near you, check out eatwild.com/ products/westvirginia.html.

This local foods restaurant has one of the best views in the state. Panorama at the Peak in Berkeley Springs will be reopening this spring.

Quart jar—from sweet tea to pickles to moonshine nothing stocks your pantry better than these storage staples.

Each spring, loads of ramps from West Virginia are carted off to out-of-state metropolitan areas, making it one of our most successful cash crops.

22 wvl • spring 2016

T HI S

Opening the Door

The new West Virginia Channel offers a firsthand look at state government. as the clock ticked toward 11 a.m. West Virginia Public Broadcasting producer Jeff Higley gave the countdown: “Four—three— two—one—We’re up!” The live broadcast of the state Legislature’s floor sessions was now streaming into thousands of homes across the state via WVPB’s new West Virginia Channel, which launched in January.

Beth Vorhees, the longtime WVPB personality who hosts each day’s broadcast, pulled herself closer to a slim microphone. In a calm, even voice—the same one she uses in everyday conversation—she introduced herself and the program. Even though the studio is located a few miles away from the Capitol, with a few clicks of a mouse Vorhees switched to a live picture from inside the House of Delegates Chamber. The broadcasts are made possible by high-definition cameras installed by the Legislature in 2015, with help and some funding from WVPB. Vorhees and Higley run the broadcast, but legislative staffers at the Capitol run the cameras—with the push of a button the

system focuses the camera on a lawmaker’s desk and brings up a graphic listing name, party affiliation, and district. Vorhees breaks in with occasional commentary, helping viewers understand parliamentary procedure or the specifics of a piece of legislation. “With just one tiny sentence you can clear it up and provide context,” she says.

When the Legislature is not in session, the West Virginia Channel airs content from American Public Television’s WORLD channel.

Vorhees hopes to eventually fill the schedule with West Virginiacentric programming: documentaries, tapings of “Mountain Stage,” and live coverage from events around the state.

But the channel’s primary goal is to give the public a firsthand look at the workings of its government. In addition to the Legislature, Vorhees plans to feature meetings of state agencies and hearings at the state Supreme Court of Appeals. “This is what a public affairs network is supposed to do. We open the door,” she says. wvpublic.org/west-virginia-channel written and photographed by zack

harold

discover ››

Stardust Cafe in Lewisburg is a foodie’s dream with creative dishes sourced from local farms.

In Morgantown Terra Cafe has become the goto restaurant for fresh, made-from-scratch salads, sandwiches, and pastries.

Venison is now available in stores in West Virginia.

Bring cross-country cooking into your home with the popular White Grass Cookbook from White Grass Cafe.

Triple X Salsa from Blue Smoke packs a powerful punch.

Yann’s hot dogs is a Fairmont institution. Don’t ask for ketchup.

Zest Sauce from Appalachian Mountain Specialty Foods from Spencer is a tangy blend that will give your recipe an extra zing of flavor.

24 wvl • spring 2016

FOLK S

Fully Fruth

➻ lynne fruth’s first gift was for teaching, especially with kids who struggle. “I never really anticipated working with the business,” says Fruth, teacher-turned-president and board chair of the family enterprise. She and her siblings had grown up in the business her parents started in 1952. But leadership suffered after the 2005 death of her father and, in 2009, Fruth stepped in. “My dad spent his entire life doing this,” she says. “I wasn’t going to let it go to heck.”

She righted the ship and has even added stores.

Fruth is headquartered in Point Pleasant and has 28 locations in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. fruthpharmacy.com

COURTESY OF FRUTH PHARMACY; SHAY MAUNZ

Chef Tim Urbanic of Café Cimino Country Inn has mastered the slow food movement and created one of the premier destination dining spots that specializes in incorporating organically and locally grown products.

‹‹ discover Eric Young and his sister Meredith survey Mountaineer Brand's newly expanded

headquarters in Shepherdstown.

The company now ships its products all around the world.

DISCOVER

Mountaineer Brand’s

PRODUCTS

BEARD OIL Mountaineer Brand’s original product absorbs quickly to give your facial hair a subtle shine while also conditioning the skin underneath.

HEAVY DUTY BALM & BEARD TAMER Made with beeswax, this balm tames unruly whiskers while also serving as a leave-in conditioner that helps repair dry hair and split ends.

LIP BALM Mountaineer Brand lip balms are handmade with simple, natural ingredients to soothe, heal, condition, and protect no matter the weather.

BEARD WASH This very mild liquid castile soap doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals so it won’t strip your beard of its natural oils.

GRANNY VICARS' HAND SALVE Named for founder Eric Young’s grandmother, this salve is infused with oils and aloe vera to soothe dry skin.

M A DE IN W V

By the Beard

He happened upon an idea. It grew right out of his face. “Ever since I’ve been old enough to grow a beard, I always grew a beard in the fall and let it go to early spring,” he says. Young usually kept his beard neatly trimmed but in winter 2013 he decided to let it go au naturel and see what happened. When his whiskers started getting dry, he turned to the Internet for help. He found conditioning oil that promised to bring life back to his beard, but was aghast at the price—a one-ounce bottle cost $20. “I thought, ‘I’ll just do this for myself.’”

After paying about $50 for bottles and ingredients, Young spent hours researching and testing formulas for beard oil. He listed the finished product—by now carrying a homemade label bearing the name “Mountaineer Brand”—on eBay and Amazon.

Within just four months, Young’s profits far exceeded those survivor benefits.

Young expanded the product line to include beard balms, beard washes, and other personal

An Eastern Panhandle father of three found business inspiration at the end of his chin. eric young has always had an entrepreneurial mind. He started his first business when he was just eight years old, growing and selling pumpkins and gourds door-to-door. When he got older, Young started building houses and ran an auto fiberglass shop.

Things fell apart during the Great Recession, however. Young lost the fiberglass business and spent a few years scrounging up contracting work before finally landing a job as a maintenance worker at the National Guard armory in Martinsburg. He gave up any ambitions of being a businessman. He couldn’t take the risks anymore—his wife Christina died in May 2009, leaving him to support their three children. Still, he needed to find a way to make a little extra income, to supplant the kids’ survivor benefits when those checks eventually stopped coming.

care products. When the operation outgrew his kitchen, Young built a separate shop on his property—only to add an extension just four months later as demand continued to grow.

By July 2015, he was able to quit his job at the armory. “I got to where I sucked at both jobs and I decided one had to go,” he says.

In addition to a booming online business, Mountaineer Brand makes its products available at Tamarack, The Greenbrier, and Stonewall Resort as well as some grocery stores in northern Virginia. Young has also signed agreements with companies to distribute Mountaineer Brand products in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Canada, and Russia. mountaineer brand

1098 Comstock Drive, Shepherdstown; 304.551.0250; mountainerbrand.com written by zack

harold bowman

photographed by nikki

wvliving.com 25

discover ››

LE S S O N S

Insourcing

Ralph Baxter explains the benefits of locating Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s Global Operations Center in Wheeling.

26 wvl • spring 2016

Center has demonstrated big opportunity for companies and for the state.

orrick, herrington & sutcliffe was growing fast in the 1990s. After operating from a single San Francisco office for 120 years, the law firm had in little over a decade opened in Sacramento, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Tokyo, and London. Still more was planned.

Amid that expansion, Ralph Baxter, chairman and CEO from 1990 to 2013 and a West Virginia native, proposed something totally new: centralizing day-to-day administrative operations in one location. Wheeling was chosen over San Antonio, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, as the location for the Global Operations Center (GOC), thanks to ardent courting by thenWheeling Mayor Nick Sparachane and by Congressman, then Governor Bob Wise.

At the time, Orrick operated like other multi-office law firms.

“When you interacted with someone on technology or finance and accounting, you picked up the phone and he or she came to your office,” Baxter says. So people worried about inconvenience. To sell the idea, he visited every Orrick location. “I started most meetings by putting up a U.S. map and asking if they could identify West Virginia. Somebody could at every meeting, but not everybody could. Then we talked about West Virginia’s history and why we were choosing it.”

Opened in 2002, the GOC now houses about 350 locally hired employees in billing, e-discovery, and other functions. The firm continued to grow: Law360 recognized Orrick’s reach in 2015 in its Global 20 ranking. How did the GOC benefit Orrick? “Everything,” Baxter says. “We do everything better.”

COURTESY OF RALPH BAXTER

Ralph Baxter says Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s Wheeling Global Operations

‹‹ discover

Q+A

with Baxter

There are logistical benefits ... This is true win-win-

win-win-win. Orrick is a market-leader in its compensation, so employees make as much as they could anywhere in the Ohio Valley, probably more—yet less than the firm would pay in New York or San Francisco. That means Orrick’s cost profile is lower and that benefit goes in part to clients and in part to partners.

… and human benefits.

I don’t like the expression “back office” that’s often applied to administrative functions, because it doesn’t seem like a compliment. When you show up to work at the GOC, you are the main event—that whole building is about what you do.

The people who work in the Orrick GOC are really delighted and proud. Turnover in general for these jobs is pretty high; turnover in Wheeling is approximately zero.

It helps to keep being appreciated. It was clear that, if

we went to West Virginia, we were going to be treated as important—and that turns out to be true. Orrick’s relationships with the colleges and universities of the state, with the government and business associations of the Ohio Valley, with the state of West Virginia are mutually supportive and very real. We didn’t show up and get forgotten. If you bring your business to West Virginia, you’re going to be embraced and treated as important, because West Virginia needs those jobs.

Our people want to stay home.

It’s a replicable model. All

up and down the I-79 corridor you could do this, just a little less conveniently to the Pittsburgh airport. In the Eastern Panhandle, from Shepherdstown to Dulles is only about an hour. And depending on the business, you could do it elsewhere in the state. This should be a very important part of the economic future of West Virginia. interviewed by

pam kasey wvliving.com 27

HOT FOR SPRING

at OLD MAIN SCARF “We designed a 100 percent silk scarf, a kelly green background with white West Virginias on it.

It’s something anyone, not just Marshall fans, might wear.”

WEDGE “There’s a green and white peep-toe wedge we’re excited about from LillybeeU— put a Marshall University bow on or leave it off.”

HANDBAGS “We’ve got a new handbag collection for spring, green bags, floral bags.

The selection changes frequently so they’re not online, but we’ll send pictures and do phone orders.”

S HOP

Marshall à la Mode Old Main Emporium helps Marshall fans show their team spirit with nuance and class. a few years ago, two Saras working together at a Marshall University bookstore lamented the lack of Marshall-themed dress and professional wear—pieces for the fan who wants to show pride without dressing down or displaying a logo. Their solution: Old Main Emporium, opened in August 2014.

“We’re doing something that hasn’t been seen in Huntington before,” says co-owner Sara Sturgen. Her partner is Sara Deel.

“We’re a fashion boutique—you can’t buy 28 wvl • spring 2016

Nike here, or Under Armour. We carry a few t-shirts but they’re quirky. Our first season we had one that had Vincent van Gogh on it that said ‘Gogh Herd.’ So it’s things you wouldn’t expect.”

Sturgen and Deel aim to put their customers in something for any occasion.

They offer polo shirts, khakis, and dress clothing for men and a full range of styles for women. They carry lines of clothing and accessories that are unusual for a university

boutique and for Huntington. “We have the Smathers & Branson needlepoint line, handcrafted belts and needlepoint caps,” Sturgen says. “We have Brooks Brothers for Marshall this year. We carry Tocca, a line of Italian perfumes that you typically see at Anthropologie and Barneys New York, and Caswell-Massey for men.”

Sturgen likes to say Old Main Emporium gives fans ways to wear kelly green without necessarily wearing logos. “People come in all the time saying, ‘We really needed this— we’re really excited to have you here.’” old main emporium

842 4th Avenue, Huntington; 304.522.6246; oldmainemporium.com written by pam

kasey bowman

photographed by nikki

‹‹ discover S O ME T HING NE W

INTRODUCING

WV LIVING Collection Bring our heritage into your home.

WV Living has partnered with Saw’s Edge Workshop, a social purpose enterprise of Coalfield Development Corporation, to create a line of products for your home. Your purchase helps to build quality homes, create quality jobs, and increase opportunities for a quality of life for folks throughout our region.

Our products are made from materials that are reclaimed from dilapidated buildings and abandoned structures throughout West Virginia. These West Virginia wooden wall hangings come in three sizes* and three options (solid painted, stripped oak, painted variation) and can be hung on a wall or used as a wedding guestbook.

Shown is the medium-sized wooden wall hanging in the painted variation option.

*These are handcrafted and sizes might vary slightly.

To purchase, visit wvliving.com/store or call 304.413.0104.

If you are a retail establishment and would like to sell our product line, please contact us at info@newsouthmediainc.com.

LARGE $175 plus shipping 41.25" x 43" Would make a great wedding guestbook!

MEDIUM $125 plus shipping 33" x 34.5"

SMALL $75 plus shipping 24.75" x 26"

wvliving.com 29

discover ›› Bridge Road Bistro has participated in all three Charleston Restaurant Weeks.

Generating Buzz

Restaurant Week takes off in Charleston. january is an awful time for the restaurant business. The weather is bad, everyone is still clinging to New Year’s resolutions, and no one wants to spend money after those Christmastime credit card statements arrive. Big restaurant chains can survive this slump without worry. But for locally owned restaurants, several weeks of slow business can be financially catastrophic.

That’s why the Charleston-based restaurant supplier Buzz Food Service decided to step in and help its local food scene. The company launched Charleston Restaurant Week in 2014 with eight restaurants offering special menus featuring three-course meals for $30.

“We thought anything that would get people 30 wvl • spring 2016

written by zack

harold

❝ WHY IT WORKS

“A lot of people don’t stop to think, what is a chain restaurant and what is a local restaurant. There’s a lot of room for us to make an impression on the people of Charleston. The line of people that wait outside Olive Garden could probably support three more restaurants downtown. I feel like this promotion is a step toward that goal.”

“What we really want to do is introduce new customers to local restaurants. The hope is they try something they haven’t tried before, love it, appreciate the quality of the service, and come to the conclusion, ‘This is where I want to come for my birthday.’”

“I think part of the why Restaurant Week is a success is, eating in a crowded restaurant makes the food taste better. We’re so spoiled in Charleston—most Fridays you can get home from work and then decide, where do we want to go to dinner?

You don’t have to worry about a reservation. To have a week where you have to plan ahead, it changes the experience.”

“We have a lot of people who contribute time and labor, as a labor of love. We’ve got a volunteer who designed a great website. We’d never met. He just said ‘I thought you could use a website—and sent me a link. Things like that make me love Charleston.”

❞

ELIZABETH ROTH; ZACK HAROLD

HOW WE DID I T

considering eating out, that would be good for restaurants,” says Dickinson Gould, president of Buzz.

It’s a model that had worked in many other cities. Gould had his first experience with a restaurant week in Washington, D.C., when he was fresh out of college and strapped for cash.

“It just made an impression on me. It was a cool way to show people what you had to offer without the restriction of that really expensive meal,” he says.

The promotion worked in Charleston, too. Diners came out in droves that first year, snatching up every available reservation at some restaurants. Since then, Buzz Food Service has organized two more Restaurant Weeks. The most recent, held in January 2016, featured 20 participating restaurants, which sold more than 10,000 meals and contributed an estimated $500,000 to the city’s economy. “They get slammed, but it’s great. We’ve had clients tell us it’s the best week, financially, in their restaurant’s history,” Gould says.

Gould expects the event to keep growing.

“I’ve read editorials where people feel like the model is played out. Not here. I meet people all the time who say ‘I just heard about Restaurant Week!’ As more and more people become aware of it, I know we can keep two dozen restaurants very busy for this otherwise cold week in January,” he says.

‹‹ discover W V WE DDING S

Year of the Groom

Make sure the guys in your life get the dues they deserve and check out our groom and groomsmen feature in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of WV Weddings for great style and gift ideas.

Best friend, better half, hubs—whatever you call the guy in your life, we have the lowdown on keeping him stylish this wedding season. The next issue of WV Weddings will cover everything from pre-wedding getaways to trendy gifts to colorful jewelry and comfortable yet classic style for the young and the young-atheart. Your guy shouldn’t be relegated to the sidelines on your special day—he should dazzle as your co-star.

Into the W oods

FALL /WIN

TER 2015

Hundred s of real life we ideas to dding ins your big pire day!

Chic Cuffs and Clips Tie clips and cuff links are a perfect way for your guy—and his friends—to show off their personal styles and interests, especially on a big day when elegance is top priority. Is he a cyclist? Try these enamel cuff links from Greenbrier Avenue Men's Store.

Is he into Western movies? We love this smoking gun tie clip

by Stephen Webster found at Jacqueline's Fine Jewelry in Morgantown.

REBECCA DEVONO PHOTOGRAPHY

Watch Ya Wearing?

We’ve seen guys salivate over a great watch, such as this option from Movado offered by Calvin Broyles Jewelers in South Charleston, like ladies gush over a necklace or a timeless pair of shoes. This is something your guy may wear daily, so choose well.

Style on Flask Flasks are simple and stylish gifts great for any groomsman.

Choose flasks in easy-to-wear metals with understated designs and head to your local engraver to have initials, dates, nicknames, and short inside jokes—whatever your preference— engraved on the sides.

Feather in your Cap Great for all the guys in your life—especially the outdoors-lover.

This Brackish tie sold at Greenbrier Avenue Men's Store is handcrafted from dozens of bird feathers, creating a unique look.

The Cutting Edge William Henry makes knives as beautiful as they are functional like this one offered by Calvin Broyles Jewelers in South Charleston. We love this idea for the men in your life who use their hands and appreciate a surprise splash of style. wvliving.com 31

discover ›› C O U N T RY ROA D S

Germany Valley

Take a quiet drive through the Alleghenys to see sweeping vistas, rock formations, and deep, dark caves.

Germany Valley Overlook Cabins

Situated in northeast Pendleton County, Germany Valley is one of the most picturesque locations in the state. Known for its extensive cave system, with dozens of caves documented, it was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973 by the National Park Service. This 10-mile-long valley is named for the German families who first settled here. written by nikki

Enjoy unparalleled views of Germany Valley, Spruce Knob, Dolly Sods, and the eastern slopes of the Allegheny Mountains at these charming, self-catered log cabins. germanyvalleycabins.com

bowman witt ford

photographed by carla

North Fork Mountain One of the best hikes in the East is the North Fork Mountain Trail. Tabletop rock outcroppings overlook the valley and provide as perfect a sunset vantage point as you’ll find anywhere.

32 wvl • spring 2016

Pike Knob Preserve Carry a topographical map with you while you enjoy some of the best views of the state at The Nature Conservancy’s Pike Knob, a 1,600-acre preserve. Make sure your four-to-five-hour round-trip hike includes the mountaintop pasture called Nelson Sods. Open Monday-Friday. nature.org

‹‹ discover

Spruce Knob

This privately owned nature preserve encompassing 145 acres, including the monolithic fins of Nelson Rocks, is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream.

Climb the via ferrata or try your hand at ziplining. nelsonrocks.org

Seneca Caverns Seneca Caverns is home to the oldest recorded cave in the state.

The caverns include two caves available for tours, where visitors can travel 165 feet below the entrance on cement steps or don a helmet and go wild caving with a guide. senecacaverns.com

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY; NROCKS; WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

You might already know Spruce Knob is the highest point in West Virginia, towering above the rest of the state’s terrain at nearly 5,000 feet above sea level. But it’s also the tallest peak in the Allegheny range.

Travel to the top by car on Forest Road 112. Once there, a quick walk on the Whispering Spruce Trail offers many panoramic views over its half-mile course.

Nelson Rocks Outdoor Center

wvliving.com 33

discover ›› T HE NE X T B I G T HING

Fitness to Forensics West Virginia looks to the future.

WVU at the Forefront

west virginia university has long been a leader in forensic science research and education. Its program, established in 1997, draws students from across the nation and internationally, as well as top faculty. The university created a full-fledged Department of Forensic and Investigative Science in 2014. And WVU has recently been one of just seven programs in the nation to offer both bachelor of science and master of science degrees in forensics.

Now a new Ph.D. program, approved in February 2016, makes WVU the only university in the country offering a bachelor of science, master of science, and Ph.D. in Forensic Science.

The new Ph.D. program helps establish the department’s position as a leader in this growing field of study. The program is expected to increase the department’s ability to recruit research-oriented faculty and further contribute to the growth of the university’s research activity.

“We are in a very select group of institutions,” says Gerald Lang, Forensic and Investigative Science Department chairman.

“We define the frontier.”

The program welcomes its first students in the 2016 fall semester and expects to keep enrollment numbers low for the first two to three years in order to ensure the students are receiving the quality of education that is intended by the department.

34 wvl • spring 2016

SHUTTERSTOCK; ELIZABETH ROTH

WV Physical Activity Network ➺

not sure, but just guessing you don’t know where in West Virginia you can take hooping classes—that’s the 21st century name for hula-hooping.

If that’s true, the West Virginia Physical Activity Network wants to help. WVPAN provides a growing online directory of physical activity groups all over, organized by type of activity. Want to take up cycling? WVPAN lists bike shops and cycling clubs across the state. Interested in yoga? Find dozens of classes, from Wheeling to Berkeley Springs to Fayetteville. Boating, climbing, skiing, dancing—it’s all there. And if you’ve gotten curious about the hooping, the database has you covered, too.

The website is also a clearinghouse for maps that can get you where the activities are. There are trail maps for everything from hiking to kayaking to off-roading, along with public lands and places to hunt and fish, all compiled in one easy-to-use resource.

If you’re feeling uninspired, check the website’s physical activity and health news feed for inspiration. Stories there list competitions and events and highlight successes, and remind us there are lots of healthy ways to have fun.

WVPAN is a coalition of nonprofit, academic, and state partners launched in 2015 to help communities foster more physically-active lifestyles. To add your activity or club or to get connected with resources that can help you organize an event, contact WVPAN. wvhub.org/what-were-doing/wv-physical-activity-network

‹‹ discover

SP OR T S

The Ultimate One-on-One

first Tennis Pro Emeritus, a role which brought him face-to-face with his old rival at the 2015 Greenbrier Tennis Showcase. He and Agassi faced off before 2,500 cheering fans at The Greenbrier’s brand-new Center Court at Creekside tennis stadium.

Although they were no longer battling to be the top player in the world, Sampras says the competitive spirit was still there. The match came down to a nail-biting 10-point tiebreaker before Agassi pulled ahead to win. “You can’t get around the fact it’s the ultimate one-on-one,” he says.

This year’s Greenbrier Tennis Showcase, scheduled for June 2-7, will see Sampras

COURTESY OF THE GREENBRIER

The Greenbrier Tennis Showcase keeps old rivalries alive. it was one of the greatest sports rivalries of all time. In 34 matches over 13 years, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi shook the world with each smash of their racquets.

They last met on a professional court at the 2002 U.S. Open finals, which saw Sampras claiming his 14th Grand Slam title in four grueling sets. It would be his final professional bout.

But the rivalry did not end there. In 2014, Sampras was named The Greenbrier’s

one-on-one with another old foe, Andy Roddick. The showdown will take place in The Greenbrier’s first-ever night match. It will be a challenge—Sampras hasn’t played under stadium lights in 15 years and Roddick is about 10 years his junior. “He’s still playing quite well. But I’ll do what I can,” he says.

Pros aren’t the only ones who will have a chance to share the court with Sampras, however. The annual Pete Sampras Tennis Clinic offers 20 fans a chance for one-on-one instruction from the pro emeritus. Sampras puts his students through their paces, but tries not to be too difficult. “We try to have a fun couple of days. As long as they get their tennis fix, I’m happy.” 844.831.4622; greenbrier.com written by zack

harold wvliving.com 35

36 wvl • spring 2016

‹‹ discover

Tickety Boo Mercantile This quirky marketplace operates according to an equally quirky mission statement: “Preserving our history, one piece of crap at a time.”

Co-owners Nancy Chambers and Sasha Cantley founded Tickety Boo with a commitment to refurbishing and repurposing old furniture and household items to give them new life. You can find handmade jewelry, metal art, and stained glass items by local artisans, too. Tickety Boo is also happy to make custom pieces if a family heirloom needs to be preserved and updated. 337 Neville Street; 304.575.8202; ticketyboomercantile.com

Dobra Zupas

OPEN: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday noon to 5 p.m.

One of the hottest restaurants in Beckley’s burgeoning food scene, Dobra Zupas actually means “good soup” in Slovenian— although the menu contains much more than that, with delicious made-fromscratch food as well as beers from its in-house craft brewery. Owner Rebecca Zupanick says she strives to keep the atmosphere cozy. “People come here after they get off work. They like the fact we’re cooking like they cook at home,” she says. 600 South Oakwood Aveue; 304.253.9872; dobrazupas.com

TOWN

Beckley ZACK HAROLD; COURTESY OF TICKETY BOO MERCANTILE

This southern city deserves a closer look.

In many ways, Beckley is the gateway to southern West Virginia.

From here, you can take U.S. Route 19 and travel to the New River Gorge. Or head eastbound on Interstate 64, toward Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs. West Virginia Route 3 will take you to Hinton, and pointing your car southbound on Interstate 77 gets you closer to Princeton and Bluefield.

Beckley is more than just a place to fill your gas tank and set off on another adventure, however. This city of nearly 18,000 people is a destination unto itself, a required stop on any road trip. Plenty of people know about Tamarack, which features works from West Virginia artists and artisans, and the Exhibition Coal Mine, which gives visitors a firsthand look at the life of a coal miner. But it’s also home to a growing arts and culinary scene with locally owned businesses springing up all over town.

So if you’re itching for some springtime travel, consider taking a look around Beckley. We’ve collected a few of our favorite attractions to get you started.

MUST TRY: Cranberry walnut salad, which features dried cranberries and candied walnuts over fresh greens and tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and parmesan.

OPEN: Lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, dinner on Saturday, closed Sunday.

Neville Street Market Tickety Boo co-owners Nancy Chambers and Sasha Cantley launched this bi-monthly, open-air market in 2015 after another local flea market ceased operation.

Held in downtown Beckley, just a few miles from Interstate 64 and Interstate 77, the Neville Street Market has since become a favorite spring and summer event.

You’ll find vendors selling vintage furniture, jewelry, handmade arts and crafts, baked goods, and more.

304.575.8202; facebook.com/ nevillestreetmarket OPEN: The first and third Saturday of each month, from May 7 to September 10. wvliving.com 37

discover ››

T EC HNOLOGY

Farthest and Fastest

top The Valkyri-E battery is concealed in a purpose-built frame. The bicycle weighs 59 pounds and has a range of 50 to 60 miles, depending on conditions; MSRP under $4,000.

bottom ZEV’s most popular bike, the S6000L, has a range of 25 miles in heavy traffic and 50 miles on the open road and an MSRP of $5,000.

when darus zehrbach saw the civilian aircraft market losing altitude around the turn of the century, the former airplane builder with Taylorcraft turned to 21st century transport: electric vehicles.

His Z Electric Vehicle Corporation of Westover builds what it touts as the farthest and fastest electric motorcycles, motor scooters, and e-bikes in the world.

The secret behind ZEV’s impressive performance is its hub motor. “When you look at an electric vehicle, the limitation is always the battery: Put in more battery and it goes farther,” says the younger Zehrbach, the founder’s son, who has grown up in the company. “A motorcycle isn’t very large. But because we have a hub motor, meaning it’s inside the rear wheel, and that frees up space in the chassis for more battery—and then you go farther and faster.”

Managing heat in such a large hub motor is the company’s main innovation. “Magnets lose their magnetism the hotter they get, so that’s a limiting factor on hub-motor technology,” Zehrbach explains. “Our motors are oil-cooled, and that was a technical challenge to solve.”

ZEV has 16 models and introduces new ones every year. Because the company is small, with just 11 employees, research and development is nimble.

“My father draws his ideas up on a drafting board and we lay the full-size drawing on the floor and set up the frame right on it,” Zehrbach says. “We cut and weld and get prototypes going fast that way.”

ZEV sells 100 to 200 bikes a year in a couple dozen countries. Its largest market is commuters, who like the tens-of-miles range with overnight charging. With its low-center-of-gravity bikes that are easy for even smaller riders to handle and many price points from $2,800 and up, ZEV offers something for every commuter. The twoyear warranty—these bikes don’t need much maintenance because they have fewer moving parts and vibrate less than internal-combustion vehicles— adds to the appeal. zelectricvehicle.com written by pam

38 wvl • spring 2016

kasey

ZEV ELECTRIC

A little Westover company amps up the scoot in the electric scooter.

‹‹ discover

S OME T HING NE W

Avocado Shirt Company

COURTESY AVOCADO SHIRT COMPANY

Putnam County friends turn avocado advocacy into a business.

rob russo and jason hager hardly knew one another when Russo sent Hager a cryptic text message. “Do you like avocados?” It turns out Russo, a graphic designer, had an idea for a project and wanted Hager, a marketing consultant, to help out.

For years Russo had seen people profess their love of coffee on mugs, t-shirts, mouse pads, and other memorabilia. He wanted to do the same for the humble avocado. “The people who love it really love it,” Russo says.

Turns out, Hager did like avocados—and he agreed to be Russo’s business partner. In early 2014 the pair raised more than $3,000 with a Kickstarter campaign to get the fledgling Avocado Shirt Company off the ground.

The business settled into a steady rhythm, selling a few shirts a month to customers all over the world. A Tex-Mex restaurant in Canada ordered shirts for all their employees.

An order headed to Australia was even confiscated and destroyed because customs officials thought the package contained real avocados.

Then in mid-2015, out of the blue, Russo and Hager got an email from Avocados from

Mexico, a marketing group representing major avocado importers. “They wanted to do tshirts,” Russo says.

And just like that, the Scott Depot-based Avocado Shirt Company became the official licensed apparel provider for Avocados from Mexico, with a full line of products promoting the brand. Russo and Hager have made gear for special events like the Produce Marketers Association conference. Earlier this year, Avocado Shirt Company designed special game day shirts for Super Bowl 50, which Avocados from Mexico sponsored. “It’s a pretty cool relationship,” Russo says. “You never know when they’re going to call us and what they’re going to want.”

The little company still sells shirts to individual avocado lovers, too. Hager says the quirky designs are perfect for the “selfie generation,” tech-savvy kids who like to make statements with their clothes. “My 12-yearold daughter is our target market,” Hager says. “They want something that’s unique, that nobody else has.” avocadoshirtco.com written by zack

harold wvliving.com 39

40 wvl • spring 2016

Taste NO MEAL IS COMPLE TE WITHOUT A GOOD STORY

Family Style

CARLA WIIT FORD

Whether it’s Nana’s pasta sauce or grandma’s apple butter, the best food comes with a side of tradition.

PICTURED: CONTEMPORARY NEW AMERICAN CUISINE FROM TABLE 9 IN MORGANTOWN, PAGE 45.

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taste ›› maker

42 wvl • spring 2016

maker ‹‹ taste

Ordinary Evelyn’s A Clay County homemakerturned-entrepreneur keeps rural foodcraft alive. And people eat it up.

growing up in clay county, Evelyn McGlothlin canned alongside her

mother for their family of seven. She continued the practice after she had her own family—six children in 10 years—canning hundreds of jars each year of home-grown harvest, wild-picked berries, and hunted meats. She was working two full-time jobs when she started Ordinary Evelyn’s 20 years ago. She’s now 73 and still going strong. You won’t believe how many jars of vegetables, jellies, and other delectables she cans each year. ordinaryevelyns.com ➺ I didn’t even work outside the home until my two youngest ones were in high school, and I only went to work then because my husband had gotten hurt working in the coal mines. I went to work in a local deli in Clay, at the IGA. I worked there six years and then went to work as a school cook and worked there 19 years. So I’ve always cooked. ➺ About 1996 my youngest daughter went to Tamarack and she called me and said, “Mom, you know all those things you make and give away? Well, they’re selling them here.” She contacted the Department of Agriculture about how to do it. They took a while convincing me that I could sell my products—I didn’t realize there were all these places that people were selling these things. ➺ I do the cooking and my husband puts on lids and does all the labeling. A grandson and his girlfriend come in and help me sometimes when I need to make a lot, like in the fall months. Mostly family members help out—you can pay them with a jar of jelly, you know. If family members can’t help when I do a craft show, I have other people that help me. And I have a young man who comes in and makes my mixes, for cheeseballs and dip and salsa and chili. I’d rather be cooking. ➺ Two years ago I sat down at the end of the season and thought, I’ll see how many jars I actually bought last year. I’d bought 950 dozen (editor’s exclamation: That’s 11,400 jars!). It’s probably about the same in

the years since then. When I retire I’m going to go through all my invoices and see how many jars I actually bought altogether. ➺ This would be complete drudgery to someone who just wants to make some money. You’re not going to get rich at it.

Not at all. I really, really enjoy cooking and canning, but I also enjoy the camaraderie of it. I like doing shows and meeting people and talking. And it’s not that I want someone to brag on me, but then it’s good when someone comes along and says, “This is the best—I came here just for this.” I especially hear that with my apple butter.

Add a little European flavor to YOUR meal!

➺ Running a business is nothing I ever imagined doing or wanted to do. It just all came together slowly. I never thought I would ever get this busy. I didn’t know there was a market out there for home-canned goods. ➺ Canning was a necessity when I grew up, but I’m afraid it’s a dying art. I hope not. I’ve shown my grandchildren and my kids how to can. My boys can. I have one son, he’s married, but his wife just never enjoyed it, so he cans all the time. I believe more people are getting back into the gardening and wanting their home-raised vegetables and fruits. But I’d really like to see more of our young people get into preserving their food. interviewed by pam

kasey photographed by zack harold

Embellishments Too 106 East Main Street Downtown Bridgeport

304.848.2199

Your Local Source for Trollbeads, Brighton, Leather Products, and so much more.

Our Decorative Accessories and Wall Art will blow you away!!!

Fashion Apparel and Accessories from Head to Toe.

wvliving.com 43

44 wvl • spring 2016

sampler ‹‹ taste

TABLE 9 LOTS OF LIGHT

BAR-TALES The house drinks menu contains many great options to slake your thirst, but if you’re looking for something really special, head straight to the bar for a chat with the evening’s ’tender. You might even run into Kate Lewis, bar and general manager, who can take your requests and create a custom drink on the spot.

No matter the season, you can feel as though you’re dining outside while munching Sriracha fries or sipping light seasonal cocktails. Windows line the two long walls of Table 9, showing off excellent views of the mighty Monongahela River.

SEA-FARE

ALL ON DECK

This restaurant/ boathouse offers a maritime atmosphere at once casual and industrial, yet refined and comfortable. Boathouse design elements—like the hangers on the ceiling— complement the easy, open dining area that seems to float right on the water.

During spring and summer in Morgantown, there’s nowhere else to be but outside. Throw off your winter wear and wander out to Table 9’s deck—a long seating area with beautiful views of the river and, on temperate evenings, live music outside.

➻ Delish Dish!

THREE POPULAR CHOICES

morgantown residents love table 9 for its casual yet upscale atmosphere, stunning views of the Monongahela River, and everchanging specials and drinks menu. You’re as likely to see businesspeople holding lunch meetings as you are college kids trying to impress their dates and locals enjoying a Friday night with friends. Owner and chef Mark Tasker specializes in what he calls a “contemporary new American cuisine”—a style that relies on local ingredients, multicultural influences, and unique flavors. “America is a big melting pot,” Tasker says. “The food should be, too.” Try the duck confit with bok choy, butternut squash, and mustard seed, or the scallops paired with corn, fingerling potatoes, jalapeno, and tomato consommé. Granted, the seasonal menu may have changed, so ask your server for the chef ’s recommendations. ➻ 40 Donley Street, Morgantown; 304.554.2050; dinetable9.com written by katie

griffith

photographed by carla

witt ford wvliving.com 45

taste ›› libations

Crafting a Career

One day the bikers approached Phil at a show: “They came up and said ‘Hey it’s been nice knowing you. We probably won’t be seeing you.’” They explained they were starting, of all things, a winery—and even offered Holcomb a taste of their product in a Styrofoam cup. “It was spectacular. It was some of the best stuff I’d ever drank,” he remembers. “I drove back Artisans shift their creative here, threw open the door and said ‘Hey, we’re focus to the wineglass. starting a winery.’” eresa and Phil Holcomb were Holcomb was already making wine making a living with their hands at home, having learned the craft from long before they started Chestnut friends, and often gave away extra bottles to Ridge Winery in Spencer. For customers. “Eventually people were coming in years they traveled to craft shows to buy stuff just to get the wine,” he says. Still, all over, selling Phil’s woodworking and Teresa’s it would be a challenge scaling up this small handmade jewelry. They struck up friendships hobby into a moneymaking enterprise. The with other vendors, including a band of bikers couple spent the next few years researching who made leather crafts. “These are real bikers. recipes, equipment, and regulations, and Piercings, long beards, big stomachs—ugly guys applying for the myriad government licenses just like me,” Holcomb says. required to make alcohol. They also built a two-

T

46 wvl • spring 2016

story winery, making their business a tourist destination instead of just a factory. “Spencer is in the middle of nowhere. There’s no reason to come to Spencer. We had to have a reason for people to come here,” he says.

The pair opened Chestnut Ridge Winery in 2013, and business is booming. Holcomb says fruit wines are the most popular with customers—“You don’t have to be a wine snob to enjoy it”—but his favorites are the traditional dry wines. Whereas fruit wines are straightforward, dry wines allow vintners to tweak the end products’ alcohol content and complexities of taste. Critics have taken note.

Chestnut Ridge has won multiple awards for its products at wine festivals all over the state.

The Holcombs buy some of their grapes from vineyards in California, New York, and West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, where the climate is better suited to grow this somewhat finicky crop. They also grow four French hybrid

libations ‹‹ taste Chestnut Ridge Winery’s red, white, and fruit wines

WINE LIST

➥

DRY RED WINES | Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz SEMI-DRY WHITE WINES | Gewurztraminer, Riesling SEMI-SWEET RED WINES | Blackberry Merlot, Pomegranate, Blueberry Bliss SEMI-SWEET WHITE WINES | Peach Chardonnay, Crisp Apple, Strawberry Blush

have won awards at festivals all over West Virginia.

grape varieties, which have been bred to grow well in central Appalachia’s muggy summers.

The Holcombs are looking for ways to expand their business beyond wine. They pressed their first batch of apple cider in fall 2015, and it’s currently aging in barrels and will be ready by midsummer 2016. They hope to ramp up production this year, using West Virginia-grown apples from around the state to make the hard cider.

Also, the Holcombs got a license in 2015 to sell imported, hand-rolled cigars at their winery. “You can’t find that but just a few places in West Virginia,” Holcomb says. “All of a sudden we have people traveling to Spencer to buy cigars.”

While the business expands, the Holcombs’ primary focus is still on wine. Last year Chestnut Ridge produced about 12,000 bottles. In the next three years the Holcombs expect to be making 24,000 to 30,000 bottles per year. It seems Holcomb’s biker buddies were onto something. “It was the best decision we ever made. I wish we’d done it 20 years ago.” written by zack

harold bowman

photographed by nikki

wvliving.com 47

EAT + DRINK + BE LO CA L |

Figaretti’s ‹‹ taste

Figaretti’s This Wheeling favorite has kept customers coming back for almost 70 years.

S

icilian immigrant Anna Figaretti must have been some cook. Who knew, in 1944, when she canned her first spaghetti sauce for sale, what she’d started? Soon the operation was so big, her five sons were helping to run it. And in 1949, the brothers built on that popularity by opening Figaretti’s Restaurant.

In the nearly seven decades since, the Figaretti family has kept and grown a faithful following by balancing tradition with trend.

“Our focus is still Italian, but we’ve really evolved over the years to become a steak and seafood restaurant also,” says Dino Figaretti, the founders’ grandson and owner of the restaurant’s second incarnation. “Our older recipes have stayed the same, but we’ve maintained our edge.”

Figaretti’s bustles. It’s a cozy atmosphere with intimate booths and big, round, familystyle tables. Warm lighting, wood floors and paneling, and family portraits on the walls give it the feel of Nana’s dining room.

Soon after you’re seated, your server will bring a basket of fresh sliced Italian bread with Figaretti’s signature dipping oil—premium olive oil, balsamic glaze, and garlic—and tempt you with the day’s specials. Soups are made fresh on-site, with three or four varieties on hand every day. “We also do a variety of large Italian salads: We do antipasto, we do tomato and imported soft mozzarella salads,” Figaretti says. And don’t miss the fried calamari. “That’s a big seller,” he points out with satisfaction. “You don’t find it often around here where people use fresh calamari and season and bread it. We do that here.”

Customer favorites center on traditional dishes with Anna’s silky, fragrant sauce: spaghetti with meatballs or sausage, chicken parmesan over fettucine, lasagna. “Ours is more of a traditional meat lasagna, with pork, noodles, and provolone—it does not have ricotta, which a lot of people expect to see,” Figaretti says. “Stacked high, with our meat sauce on top.” You can’t go wrong with the steaks, all aged choice Black Angus beef, or with the always sushi-grade seafood. Looking for something a little different? The kitchen

is happy to take diner requests, he says, and there are always surprises, too. “We have so many specials every night. Our regular customers appreciate that because they come night after night.”

Figaretti’s sizable wine list rotates seasonally. Figaretti prides himself on the heft of the bar’s pour. “I hate when I go to a restaurant and get 4 ounces of wine in my glass—that’s just enough to make you mad,” he says. “We serve a true 9-ounce glass of wine. Not a lot of places do that.”

After dinner, if you’ve saved room for

Figaretti’s dessert, choose from Italian Restaurant in specialties like tiramisu and Wheeling serves Italian almond cake, all Italian favorites with generous baked fresh locally. Or try portions of Sicilianthe handmade spumoni ice style sauce, greatcream. “We have so many grandmother Anna Figaretti’s recipe. desserts on hand it’s crazy,” Figaretti says.

Even as a Figaretti’s newcomer, you’ll be welcomed like a regular.

“We have a small enough restaurant to be able to talk to all of our patrons day and night—they’ll either see my dad, Tony, or me

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taste ›› Figaretti’s Touches like fresh herbs finish Figaretti’s dishes with flair.

Intimate lighting gives a feeling of privacy in the cozy dining room.

The tomato and fresh mozzarella salad comes with plenty of extras.

there, or both of us.” The 25 to 30 staff take just as much pride as the owners in the food and atmosphere. “People stay with us, from the wait staff to the cooks,” Figaretti says.

“Which means the personal touch is there for our customers.” He also credits other family for the restaurant’s enduring success: his wife, Michelle, and son Enzio, as well as his brother Tony, who today carries on Anna’s sauce tradition through a local manufacturing facility that distributes widely to gourmet and specialty shops and to Kroger stores.

When you’re ready to try Figaretti’s, you might want reservations: Asked what’s 50 wvl • spring 2016

the best night of the week to get a table fast, Figaretti jokes, “before 6 and after 9 p.m.” But, he adds, no matter when you show up, you’ll have a good experience. “There can be a wait sometimes because of our size, but we do have a full bar with a wide variety of wines to choose from and we have a very good selection of beers that we keep updated. We keep people happy.” figaretti’s

1035 Mount DeChantal Road, Wheeling; 304.243.5625 figarettis.net written by pam

kasey

photographed by carla

witt ford

vittles ‹‹ taste

Von Blaze Pickles

A chef-owned and -operated pickle company in Morgantown.

Chris McDonald, executive chef at Stefano’s in his native Morgantown, started out making bread and butter pickles to go with his Kobe sliders. “But a lot of people just wanted to buy jars of the pickles,” McDonald says. So he’s coming out with four varieties this spring: Bread and Butter, Garlic Dill, Spiced Spear, and Torpedos—an India pale ale dill. Von Blaze? It’s an old family name. Stop by the Saturday morning Morgantown Farmers Market this summer to pick up a jar and meet McDonald. “It’s a personal venture—I’m the one making the pickles and I’m the one selling them.” facebook.com/vonblazepickles wvliving.com 51

taste ›› local f lavor

Risin’ Shine

A Jackson County distillery makes authentic moonshine, on the right side of the law.

Dwayne Freeman makes corn liquor just like his grandfather did, with one notable exception.

The former coal miner uses the same basic ingredients, corn and sugar, to make honest-togoodness West Virginia moonshine. But unlike grandpa, who went to jail for his hobby, Freeman makes and sells his liquor without the fear that revenuers will come knocking at his door. He and business partner James Hager founded Appalachian Distillery in Ripley in 2014. Stop by for a visit—and a sip. 3875 Cedar Lakes Drive, Ripley; 304.372.7000; appalachian-moonshine.com spit fire As if moonshine wasn’t hot enough, this appropriately-named drink offers a spicy cinnamon flavor along with a 70-proof moonshine kick. One taste and you’ll see why this is one of Appalachian Distillery’s most popular products.

paw paw Named for one of West Virginia’s most overlooked indigenous plants—sometimes affectionately referred to as the “hillbilly banana”—Appalachian Distillery’s 40-proof Paw Paw moonshine offers a unique tropical flavor that’s still firmly rooted in the mountains.

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orange stuff This is a grown-up version of that old ice cream truck favorite, the Creamsicle. But don’t let this orange-and-cream flavoring fool you. This 40-proof blend still packs a powerful wallop.

V

straight moon This is the stuff your grandmother warned you about. This 90-proof unflavored liquor goes down as smooth as any barrelaged whiskey—only to be followed by the unmistakable burn of moonshine. White lightning, indeed.

The Dish Café ‹‹ taste Dish offers glutenfree option like Chicken Lettuce Wraps. The Roquefort Society Bread made with red grapes, roquefort cheese, rosemary, local honey is a favorite.

Dish it Out

This restaurant is serving up surprisingly healthy—and delicious—food in southern West Virginia.

T

ucked away in Daniels, in Raleigh County, there’s a little strip mall with a discount store and a doctor’s office—all the things you might expect. But this particular little strip mall in southern West Virginia is also home to The Dish Cafe, a restaurant serving up an eclectic menu of healthy, locally sourced food in a trendy environment. It’s the kind of thing you might expect to find on an urban street corner. “It’s just kind of a nondescript location, but as soon as you cross our threshold the decor is so hip and trendy and cool that it’s like you’re somewhere else,” says Michelle Rotellini, one of The Dish’s owners.

Rotellini lives in Raleigh County, likes good food, and has a group of friends who do,

too. “We’re people who are more interested in a fresh product that wasn’t genetically or chemically engineered or frozen and coming from trucks,” she says. “And we all talked about how nice it would be to have a restaurant that served food like that in the Raleigh County area.” Slowly, that conversation grew more and more serious, until Rotellini and a group of investors decided to actually open their dream restaurant themselves. They started working on a menu, gathering at someone’s home every weekend for a test kitchen of sorts.

“We’d make flatbreads without gluten and replace sugar with agave nectar and replace flour with quinoa,” Rotellini says. “Our goal was to see if we could make healthy things that also tasted great.”

Since it opened in the spring of 2013, The Dish has done just that. The menu includes things like chicken lettuce wraps and quinoacrusted quiche, as well as comfort foods done right—and a little differently. The house burger is made with grass-fed beef and the chicken tenders are fried in all-natural oil to avoid trans fats. “So you can still come in and get something that tastes like it’s bad for you, but because it’s made with real food, it’s not so bad,” Rotellini says. the dish cafe

1466 Ritter Drive, Daniels; 304.763.2366; dishcafewv.com written by shay

maunz witt ford

photographed by carla

wvliving.com 53

this ‚‚ taste

A Rhubarb Revelation A springtime darling, rhubarb offers a bit of snap and sass to any meal. katie griffith photographed and styled by carla witt ford written by

taste ›› this

Colorful, crunchy, and cringingly tart—

at least in its raw form— rhubarb is spring’s seasonal darling, right up there with ramps, morels, and strawberries. Wander into any farmers’ market or drive past any roadside produce stand and you’re sure to see lines of people clamoring to buy this veggie by the stalk.

Rhubarb pairs most often with succulent desserts, its tart flavor mixing well with sweets and its texture adding a satisfying bite to every mouthful. And like celery, rhubarb can add a savory something to everything from potatoes to pasta. Roll up your sleeves this season and shuck those colorful— but poisonous!—leaves from your rhubarb stalks.

It’s time for a rhubarb revelation.

56 wvl • spring 2016

Linguine with Garlic, Pepper, and Rhubarb 12 ounces dried linguine 3 cups fresh rhubarb, ¼-inch slices 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced ⅓ cup olive oil 1½ cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving 1 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1. In a large pot, cook linguine according to package directions in salted water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Place rhubarb in colander. Drain pasta over rhubarb.

2. Wipe pot dry and, in the same pot, cook garlic in hot oil over medium heat for 30 seconds or until lightly golden. Add the pasta mixture and remove from heat.

3. Add the 1½ cups of cheese and pasta water to the pot and toss to coat. Return the pot to medium heat and cook while stirring until dish is creamy, about 2 minutes.

4. Add parsley and pepper and toss to combine.

Sprinkle with additional Parmesan before serving immediately. yield: About 4 servings

this ‹‹ taste

Rhubarb Chutney 2 cups rhubarb, diced ¾ cup red apple, diced ½ cup dried cranberries or cherries ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped ¼ cup water ¼ cup honey 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste 1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

2. R educe heat to medium-low and cover the pot, simmering until rhubarb is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes more.

4. Serve warm or cold.

note: Dish can be covered and refrigerated for

up to 1 week. This chutney is delicious served over grilled veggies and meats like pork chop.

yield: About 4 servings

Very Berry Rhubarb Jam 2 pounds (about 6 cups) rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces 5 cups sugar ¾ cup water 21-ounce can blueberry pie filling 2 3-ounce packages raspberry-flavor gelatin 1. In a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot, combine rhubarb, sugar, and water and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Stir in blueberry pie filling and return mixture to a boil. Boil for 6 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in gelatin. Return to boiling and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Ladle hot jam into half-pint freezer containers, leaving a ½-inch headspace.

Seal and label. Let stand at room temperature for 8 hours or until jam is set.

Store for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator or for up to 1 year in the freezer. yield: 8 half-pints

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taste ›› this

RhubarbAlmond Cake 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for pan 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed 1¼ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup blanched almonds 1 teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large eggs ¼ cup sour cream 1 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter tart pan and sprinkle with sugar, tapping out excess.

2. Slice rhubarb in half lengthwise or in quarters if the stalk is very large. Set 8 of the prettiest pieces aside for the top of the cake, and then chop remaining rhubarb into ½-inch pieces.

3. Pulse flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground and the texture is sandy.

4. Place 1 cup butter and ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Using an electric mixer on a high speed, beat until butter mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend into the butter mixture before adding next egg. Beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

5. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, followed by sour cream. Beat the mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed to combine.

The batter will be thick. Fold in chopped rhubarb and scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth batter and arrange reserved rhubarb over top; sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar.

6. Place tart pan on a large baking sheet to catch any rogue juices and bake, rotating once, until cake is golden brown and rhubarb on top is soft and beginning to brown, about 70–80 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool before removing from pan.

this ‹‹ taste

Strawberry Rhubarb Margaritas 2 cups white tequila ½ cup fresh lime juice ¼ cup triple sec such as Cointreau ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, ripped Crushed ice for the shaker 8 fresh strawberries, hulled and finely diced

to make rhubarb syrup:

1 ½ cups water 1 ½ cups sugar 2 large stalks rhubarb, coarsely chopped

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rhubarb and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and steep the rhubarb for 1 hour.

Drain the liquid into a small saucepan and cook over high heat until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the syrup to a bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

to make margaritas: Combine the Rhubarb Syrup, tequila, lime juice, triple sec, orange juice, mint leaves and some crushed ice in a shaker.

Place the strawberries in the bottom of 4 margarita glasses. Strain the margaritas over the strawberries. yield: 4 servings

the shoppes at seneca center Âť 709 beechurst avenue, morgantown

60 wvl • spring 2016

Live

E XPLORING THIS E X TRAORDINARY PL ACE WE CALL HOME

Seize the Day

NIKKI BOWMAN

From whitewater rafters to bold artists to modern and historic homes, these stories introduce us to unique people and places.

PICTURED: GLASSBLOWER ALEX BRAND’S GALLERY AT THE ART COLONY SHOPS AT THE GREENBRIER, PAGE 67.

local ‹‹ live

T

Alderson’s Green Grocer

This small West Virginia community rallied to save itself after the local grocer announced its closing. written by katie

griffith • photographed by nikki bowman

he mouthwatering scent of charcoal drifts on the air, as languid as the inner tubes floating down the Greenbrier River. Colorful tents, bathing suits, and camp flags intermix with the pinks and yellows of wildflowers, a cerulean sky, and green grass. Alderson is a town whose identity revolves around summertime, the Fourth of July, and the seasonal influx of visitors coming to camp by the river. It’s an idyllic setting around a historic town with as much charm as small-town America can hold.

But like other small towns in the country, that charm began to fade in the 1990s and 2000s as economic troubles mounted. Alderson became a bedroom community where residents increasingly rely on nearby centers like Lewisburg and Beckley for jobs and shopping.

But in 2014 something happened that reinvigorated the town’s sense of community.

Alderson’s only grocery store, an IGA, closed.

In any other town, the loss of the last grocery store would be a death knell. Alderson, however, took it up as a rallying cry.

“The fact that we could no longer say we have a grocery store in our community but ‘come visit us’ was a big deal. As soon as IGA announced they were closing, people had to respond immediately, because they need food,” says Kevin Johnson, board president of the Alderson Community Food Hub. The food hub, which started as a community market in 2010, had by 2014 grown to include an educational program, a community garden, and a co-op. No one imagined the hub would someday include a full-service grocery store— though that’s just what happened. Alderson raised thousands of dollars, volunteers spent hours painting and prepping the space, and the Alderson Green Grocer, as part of the Alderson Community Food Hub, launched in April 2015, just months after the IGA closed.

Opening day was rushed. The group had, only weeks before, finished its fundraising campaign. Volunteers were still painting.

“We were not full, by any means, with our inventory.” Yet, on the first day of business, wvliving.com 63

live ›› local

the store was jam-packed. “ We were slammed the first day with people coming in and looking around,” Johnson says. “It was amazing to see all the pent up demand.”

One year later, business has remained relatively steady, although the store does experience the seasonal ups and downs typical of commerce. That’s O.K. with Johnson. The Alderson Green Grocer wasn’t created to meet a certain profit margin. It’s a social enterprise, founded to fill a need, and it has done just that. The store generated almost $30,000 in sales of local produce this first year, enough to meet expenses, and customers keep coming back. The Green Grocer’s analysis of customers’ zip codes show nearly 500 of Alderson’s 1,200 residents have stopped by the store to make a purchase, and another 500 individual customers come from surround areas.

Johnson says it’s because Alderson is so small that the Green Grocer has been successful. “So many of the things that are private-sector retail operations in bigger communities are basic services in a community of this size,” he says. “Like a barbershop or a vet clinic, there’s just one. And when you lose it, it’s like losing your left arm. There are no options to fall back on. In a way it makes the community more vulnerable, but in another the community really rallies: ‘This is our gas station; this is our hardware store.’” This is Alderson’s Green Grocer. 109 Cherry Avenue; 304.445.7893; aldersonfoodhub.org/alderson-green-grocer.html 64 wvl • spring 2016

out loud ‹‹ live

Paddle Battle

Sweets of the East, West Virginia’s only home-grown rafting team, is headed for a national competition.

L JO-BETH STAMM

written by shay

maunz

ast winter, like every winter, most West Virginians spent their time inside, huddled up next to the fire or in front of a TV. Or maybe, if they were ambitious, they bundled up and strapped on some skis or snowshoes. Meanwhile, in Fayette County, a group of five women met twice a week to take to the freezing waters of the New and Gauley rivers. Alright—to be fair, they didn’t do this all the time. “We try not to get on the water if it’s less than 25 degrees out,” says Jo-Beth Stamm.

These women are the Sweets of the East, a whitewater rafting team made up of five female raft guides at Adventures on

the Gorge. They spent all winter training for the April 2016 United States Rafting Association Nationals on Oregon’s Klamath and Rogue Rivers. Right now, they’re the only competitive whitewater rafting team in the state.

If you’re shaking your head while you read this, thinking, “There are whitewater rafting races?” you’re probably not alone. Generally, when we think of whitewater rafting guides, we think of chill outdoorsy types hanging out in the back of the boat. “Even a lot of raft guides don’t get the racing thing,” Stamm says. “They’re like, ‘Rafting is for fun and you’re taking it and making it competitive.’ But I think they don’t get how much fun the competing part is.”

The national competition consists of four parts. First there’s a timed sprint, with each team racing against the clock. Then there’s a head-to-head race, where two teams start on a short course at the same time, racing to reach the finish line. It gets intense. “Usually they’re heading to a spot on the river where both rafts won’t fit through at the same

“The New and the Gauley are fantastic training grounds for this.” jo-beth stamm

time,” Stamm says. “They’ll end up colliding and have what they actually call ‘battles.’

You’re not allowed to hit people with your paddles or push their boat away, but there are techniques that you can use, like putting your wvliving.com 65

live ›› out loud

paddle in front of theirs.” Competitors still occasionally—and accidentally—get hit sometimes.

The third race is a slalom, where teams navigate through metal poles in the river—sometimes by paddling upstream. If you start to make it through and lose momentum, the team loses time. The team also loses time if a rafter hits the gate. “The gates are wider than the rafts,” Stamm says. “But they’re not very wide. The last race is one of endurance. All the boats start at the same time and race to the end of a long course. It’s paddling as hard as you possibly can for a really long time,” she says.

Sweets of the East formed after its members got a taste of competitive rafting at the annual Animal Rage on the Gauley River race. They liked it so much that they wanted to do more competitive rafting, so they formed the team and started training for nationals. Luckily, they have world-class whitewater right at home in Fayetteville. “The New and the Gauley are fantastic training grounds for this,” Stamm says. “You get these big rapids but there are also a big number of small pools. It’s really been perfect.”

To see U.S. Rafting Association race results, visit usaraftassociation.com.

66 wvl • spring 2016

trained all winter for the U.S. Rafting Association Nationals in April 2016.

JO-BETH STAMM; STONEWALL GROUP

Sweets of the East, a team of whitewater rafters from the New River Gorge,

creatively ‹‹ live

Heart of Glass

Alex Brand uses a familiar medium to make objects that delight and surprise. written by shay

maunz • photographed by nikki bowman

live ›› creatively After a catastrophic fire destroyed Alex Brand’s studio in upstate New York, he moved his operations to The Greenbrier’s Art Colony.

often, glass is strictly utilitarian. It lets light into our homes while shielding us from the elements, or forms vessels to hold the water we drink. And then there’s the glass blown by Alex Brand: sculptural, beautiful, and bright.

Brand uses glass to make stunning works of art—think colorful bowls, shapely vases, shining tumblers, and elaborately formed urns.

He sells his hand-blown glass at the gallery he owns with his wife at The Art Colony at The Greenbrier. That store, Virtu, is in a cozy little cottage on the historic resort’s grounds, in a row of shops that all belong to an exclusive group of West Virginia artisans. Brand and his wife, a jewelry maker named Susan Chapman Thomas, have been making and selling their work there since 2010. Brand’s glass studio is in a building behind the gallery. “I can’t really imagine a better way to work,” he says. “It’s a pretty idyllic setting to come to every day.”

Stepping into Virtu is like stepping inside a candy shop. You’re surrounded by shining baubles just begging to be picked up and 68 wvl • spring 2016

examined, each in a more vibrant hue than the last. Brand’s work includes high-end pieces that would make a stunning centerpiece for any art collection. But he also makes plenty of smaller pieces so that his work is accessible to the general public. He does regular demonstrations, so visitors can learn about the craft of glassblowing.

Brand’s artistic approach to glassblowing is no accident. He knew he wanted to be an artist even before he learned to work with glass. Even when he was still a high school kid in Pennsylvania, Brand knew he’d make his living with art. “There was a really conscious decision that this was what I was going to do and there was not going to be a Plan B,” he says. “It really made me happy to make art and be creative and that’s all what I wanted to do.”

He made pottery as a teenager and studied jewelry making in college, before finally settling on glass as his medium. “I didn’t see myself sitting at a bench making small scale things. I liked the scale of glass,” he says. “And I liked playing with fire.”

creatively ‹‹ live Alex Brand and his wife Susan Chapman Thomas run Virtu, a store

showcasing his glass work and her handmade jewelry. They

have been making and selling work there since 2010.

“I didn’t see myself sitting at a bench making small-scale things.

I liked the scale of glass.” alex brand

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When he graduated from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, in Philadelphia, Brand started working for a small glass shop in Massachusetts. After just a few years he decided to venture out on his own. “In the early ’80s when I got into it, the movement of artists doing glass on a smaller scale in a glass studio was still pretty new,” Brand says. “It was easier to break into.” He went to one wholesale craft show in Baltimore, secured just enough orders to get started, and put together a ragtag little glass studio. “It was a risk,” Brand says, but he doesn’t really seem phased by the boldness of the gesture. For him, starting his own studio was the natural thing to do—after all, he didn’t have a Plan B. After a few years he relocated to upstate New York, opened his second studio, and stayed there for 25 years, making and selling glass. He also spent a lot of time traveling to craft shows all over the country—he even met his wife at one of them.

Then, in 2009, a fire destroyed Brand and Thomas’s home in upstate New York. They decided not to rebuild on the spot, and moved to West Virginia instead. Thomas grew up in Bluefield and Brand had always loved the state— plus there was an opening in the Art Colony at The Greenbrier. “We figured we might as well try it,” Brand says. He gained an eager audience of people appreciative of West Virginia-made art, and West Virginia gained a skilled glassmaker.

Brand’s work has been shown at museum shows, including the Smithsonian Craft Show, has appeared in several books and magazines, and is included in private collections all over the country. “I think this is really something I’m supposed to be doing—I really had no choice,” he says. “I was blessed to have some talent at it.”

300 W. Main Street, White Sulphur Springs; 855.453.4858 70 wvl • spring 2016

Artful Abode

After living abroad for several years, the Wallers made The Greenbrier Sporting Club their permanent home. written by nikki

bowman • photographed by the greenbrier sporting club //jurge lorenzen

spaces ‹‹ live

michael and betsy waller lived abroad for several years before making West Virginia their home. “The Greenbrier Sporting Club was a great choice for us. It is an easy drive from Washington, D.C., and once you get here, you are as far from the city as you can imagine—but you still have all the luxuries and amenities that you expect to have in the city,” Betsy says.

Their nearly 5700-square-foot house, designed by The Highland Group and built by Southern Builders, is an interesting combination of a mountain Craftsman-style exterior with a more contemporary and minimalistic interior. “When we designed our home, we wanted to blend livability with clean architecture lines that complemented our artwork and the way we live,” Michael says.

The Wallers are avid art collectors.

Evidence of their travels and life experiences are an important part of their home. Having lived in Russia for four years, when Michael opened Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s Moscow office, they became good friends with

an art dealer in Moscow, and she taught them about Russian artistic techniques. Michael says, “In the late ’90s Russia was experiencing a headlong rush from communism to capitalism.

We acquired some great pieces during that particular time.” Several of those pieces are on display throughout the house. The couple also lived in Brussels and Indonesia, so when it came time to return to the United States, they were looking for a special place to call home.

“We love this area. It has personal significance to us. My father had worked on the railroad for many years, and I had been coming here for years. We are close to Betsy’s parents. We love to golf and hike, so the activities, beautiful scenery, and setting made it perfect,” Michael says.

The Wallers chose a private and secluded 10-acre lot. “Our home is situated in the ridges, and not on top of the mountain or on the golf course, so we had to give a lot of thought on how to take advantage of the views of the woods,” says Betsy. “In our living room, the windows look straight up to an old

logging road. The fireplace hugs an interior wall and doesn’t obstruct the viewsheds.” The clean and low profile of the fireplace, not a soaring focal point like what is often found in many mountain homes, is functional and artistic. Artwork hides the television above the fireplace. “We designed a system to hide the television when not in use because we didn’t want the television to compete with our paintings,” Betsy explains. The European furnishings in the room came from Brussels, and the large square coffee table, sofa tables, and square dining table were handmade by Larry Durey of Goose Creek Woodworks in Bedford, Virginia.

“The square dining room table was designed so that the two sofa tables (one in the living room and one in the front foyer) will cinch up to the square table, making it a long rectangular table for larger gatherings.

Michael and I are all about functionality,” wvliving.com 73

live ›› spaces

spaces ‹‹ live clockwise from top left The square

The study is one of Michael’s favorite rooms.

dining room table was crafted from a single black walnut tree from Betsy’s family farm in Virginia.

The master bedroom features a built-in dog bed.

The living room brings the outdoors in with walls of french doors.

The Wallers were pleased with their choice of basic black, leathered granite. “It is easy to clean and doesn’t show any marks or rings.”

Clerestory windows provide light while giving privacy in the master bath.

Betsy says. “We wanted the ability to have an intimate dining setting for eight that fostered inclusive conversation at a square table but we also wanted the ability to host larger gatherings around the holidays without dragging table leaves out of the closet twice a year.”

The dining room is unique. It is an internal room, perfectly square, and windowless. Betsy explains, “We wanted to use it as a gallery for our paintings. At night when you have dinner and it is dark, you don’t look out the window anyway.

Our custom-built square table allows for much more inclusive conversation.” You also won’t find a typical chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Betsy calls it her own artwork. “We saw these little puck lights that created stars at a trade show in Brussels. I sat in the floor with coke cans and designed our dining room light,” she says. “I don’t like hanging chandeliers because they get dusty and are just normal. The dining room is used mostly in the evening, and the lights gives the impression of stars above you.”

For the Wallers the kitchen is the heartbeat of their family. Michael says, “I love to cook. I

have spent a lot of time taking cooking classes all over the world, and we wanted a space we could work in easily and efficiently.” Betsy adds, “Michael passed his passion of cooking to all four of the kids. For us, creating the dinner is as important as enjoying the meal. We have had four or five people cooking at the same time.”

The master bedroom is located on the first floor and has a sitting area overlooking one of the seasonal creeks on the property. Built-in cabinetry along the exterior wall incorporates a dog bed. The focal point of the room is the 10-foot-long primitive artwork purchased in Indonesia above the bed. The adjoining 600-square-foot bathroom area has Asianinspired lines and large his-and-hers closets.

Clerestory windows provide natural light, so there is no need to cover up the windows with blinds or shades.

There are three more bedrooms upstairs with their own private baths, and a large study and lounge. “This is where Michael spends most of his time. It is very secluded and has a beautiful view,” says Betsy.

In the full basement, there’s a Europeanstyle wine cellar built underground. “Although it is wired for a refrigeration system, we’ve never had to use it. It isn’t meant to be fancy display; it is meant to store wines. We wanted it to look like the dusty cellars you’d find in Europe.”

The Wallers built their home to serve as their primary residence. Now, they are looking to downsize and have put their home on the market for $3,600,000. For more information on The Greenbrier Sporting Club, visit greenbriersportingclub.com.

wvliving.com 75

home marketplace

76 wvl • spring 2016

home marketplace

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live ›› history

history ‹‹ live

The Permanent Collection With all-original artifacts, Henderson Hall Plantation north of Parkersburg is a one-of-a-kind historical treasure.

W

written by pam

hen it comes to illustrious West Virginia families, we all know the infamy of the Blennerhassetts.

Irish aristocrats Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett built a mansion on the Ohio River in 1798, where they hosted the most extravagant parties west of the Alleghenies. But within a decade, Harman Blennerhasset was arrested with former Vice President Aaron Burr under suspicion of treason.

A story less often told is that another illustrious West Virginia family was among those who reported the Blennerhassetts’ alleged crimes. Brothers John and Alexander Henderson came west around 1800 to settle lands their father bought in western Virginia on the advice of his friend George Washington.

When Blennerhasset tried in 1806 to recruit

kasey • photographed by nikki bowman

the brothers to Burr’s cause, they reported the sedition to family friends in federal government.

The Blennerhassetts were ruined, even though the case was dropped, and their elegant mansion burned in 1811. But the Hendersons went on to operate a wealthy plantation, develop oil fields, and assist in the formation of West Virginia—less flashy than the Blennerhassetts’ demise, but a far prouder legacy.

The fruits of the Henderson family’s labors may be seen at Henderson Hall Plantation just north of Parkersburg. Note that these are the real fruits. While sites like the recreated Blennerhassett mansion evoke places and times, the Henderson estate holds the genuine accumulations of five generations.

“This is not a ‘collection,’” Henderson Hall Director Randy Modesitt emphasizes. “This property has 200 years of artifacts, some dating back to the original family that came here from

Dumfries, Virginia: the guns they shot, the trunks they used. Even at Mount Vernon or Monticello, most of the artifacts were bought or are reproductions. This site has been called a one-of-a-kind historical treasure.”

The plantation

The Hendersons lived up the Ohio River from Parkersburg, then known as Newport, during the Blennerhassett debacle. But after Alexander’s son G.W. married Elizabeth Ann Tomlinson in 1826, they bought 1,100 acres of her father’s property closer to the renamed Parkersburg and began homesteading. Their homes over time reflected the family’s steady thrift and industry: first, log cabins, then a four-room structure of handmade red brick, and finally, in the 1850s, the handsome 29-room Italianate mansion that stands today. “The brick, the stone, almost all of the wvliving.com 79

live ›› history At Henderson Hall, 19th century life is preserved for visitors.

wood actually came from Henderson Hall property,” Modesitt says.

The early Hendersons kept slaves— possibly as many as 30. “G.W. Henderson sued David Putnam, Jr. for encouraging and helping their slaves to escape,” Modesitt says.

That was in 1849. Yet Henderson served as a delegate to the May 1861 First Wheeling Convention that led to western Virginia’s standing with the anti-slavery Union.

The family farmed, before and after the Civil War. “Longhorn and shorthorn cattle, Berkshire pigs—at one time there were over 200 peacocks. We have their still, and we know they made their own whiskey and sold that, too,” Modesitt says. In the late 1800s, the family also ran a renowned horse-breeding operation. “They trained trotting horses, and people would ship their horses here from all over the East Coast to be bred with Henderson horses.” And they did some entertaining of their own: among their guests, John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, and renowned wildlife artist John James Audubon.

All of this is known because remaining in place with original furnishings, paintings, photographs, and personal memorabilia are volumes of records. “We have more than 4,000 documents connected with the Hendersons, beginning in the early 1800s,” Modesitt says. “Detailed—they would write the grocery list on the back of a receipt and save that. There are diaries and personal letters that explain where they came from and what their interests were.” It’s thought that some of it may rewrite history.

Restored and on view

By the 1980s, the mansion had become too much for the last Henderson family daughter, Lorna. When she died in 1984, her cousin, New York graphic designer Michael Rolston, moved into the house and restored it enough for weekend and Christmas tours—a departure from longtime family custom. “G.W., Jr. decorated the ballroom for Christmas in 1862 to have a party with his friends and family,” Modesitt recounts. “After he died several weeks later of typhoid his 80 wvl • spring 2016

history ‹‹ live Period furnishings grace the rooms. A belvedere looks

out over the Ohio River and manicured grounds.

Three Adena

mounds may be seen on the property.

mother, Elizabeth Ann, wrote in her journal that the hall would never again be decorated for Christmas. From 1863 until Michael started his Christmas tours in about 1987, the house was not decorated for Christmas.”

Rolston got the plantation listed as a 10-building, 65-acre historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

He worked with friend and local historian David McKain, co-founder of the Oil & Gas Museum in downtown Parkersburg, to document property and family history. And when he died in 2007, he left the plantation to the Oil & Gas Historical Association to be further developed as a museum.

Henderson Hall Plantation is open to visitors Tuesday through Sunday afternoons, March through December. The complex includes the oldest schoolhouse in the state, the family cemetery, and three Adena Indian mounds. Events planned so far for 2016 include an antique car show in May, a Civil War re-enactment in June, and a December candlelight tour. 517 River Road, Williamstown; hendersonhallplantation.com wvliving.com 81

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82 wvl • spring 2016

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Fire and Water

A Charleston artist turns crisis into creativity. harold

ZACK HAROLD

written by zack

wvliving.com 83

live ›› on the edge

At

first, it seems a little ironic to watch the artisans at Blenko Glass make giant water droplets out of glass.

Working with glass means working with fire.

Each step in the creation of these drops begins and ends with fire as workers move the molten orbs in and out of Blenko’s glowing ovens. But water also plays an important role in the process. Workers constantly dunk their charred wooden shaping tools in buckets of water before they touch the red-hot glass. The shop’s

84 wvl • spring 2016

hand-carved wooden molds are also doused with water before and after artisans blow the glass inside them. Water might not play a starring role, but it’s difficult to imagine what the glassblowing process would be without its aid.

Charleston artist Barrie Kaufman can imagine it. That’s why she designed these big glass droplets. Like hundreds of thousands of fellow Kanawha Valley residents, she spent days without potable water after the January 9, 2014 chemical spill at Freedom Industries’ site in Charleston dumped industrial cleaner into the Elk River, which flowed into West

Virginia American Water’s pipelines. It was a disturbing experience for Kaufman, to see something as essential as tap water snatched away by corporate carelessness. “Clean water is vital to all of us. You don’t know what it’s like to lose it until you don’t have it,” she says.

Kaufman responded to the crisis in the way she knows best: with art. This is where those giant water droplets come in. Shortly after the water crisis Kaufman began drawing and painting water pipes, twisting and turning around one another. Objects began to emerge from the pipes—flames, branches, leaves,

on the edge ‹‹ live

ZACK HAROLD; COURTESY OF BARRIE KAUFMAN

At left is a concept painting Barrie Kaufman made for her water crisis installation. Below,

workers at the Pittsburgh Arts Center bring the twisting pipes to life.

animals. It captured how Kaufman felt about the water crisis, how everything was connected and affected by it. The images were powerful, but Kaufman realized her idea would work best in a different medium. “I thought it would be dramatic to have this three-dimensional,” she says. “When you have a bigger scale, it calls more attention to something.”

She came up with an idea to turn her twisting, turning pipes into a six-foot-tall glass sculpture. She pitched the idea to the Pittsburgh Glass Center, which made Kaufman an artist-in-residence. She began working with its in-house glass artists, along with Washington-based glassblower Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, to bring the work to fruition.

But Kaufman also wanted to involve West Virginia glassmakers in her project. Blenko, the 120-year-old factory in Milton, was a natural choice. Where Pittsburgh Glass Center specializes in art glass, Blenko are experts at industrial glass production. She wanted to produce 100 raindrops in shades of blues and greens fading to greys and blacks, to serve as a backdrop for her larger sculpture. The mass-produced drops also would allow individual art collectors to purchase pieces of the work.

She wrote up a proposal and Blenko agreed to sponsor the project. Ron Hinkle, Blenko’s plant manager and a glass artist in his own right, says the company loves any opportunity to “become a part of what’s going on...to mix history with what’s going on now.” Kaufman sculpted a droplet from clay and then made a blueprint on a large sheet of graph paper. Blenko’s in-house pattern maker Daniel Chapman hand carved a mold from cherry wood.

WV Living stopped by Blenko as artisans were making Barrie’s water droplets. The process began with glassblower wvliving.com 85

live ›› on the edge glass exhibition in West Virginia after its debut at

the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in August.

Perry Bays gathering molten glass from a 2,100-degree oven onto the end of a metal rod. While the glass was still blazing hot, he used wooden hand tools and a slab of metal to roll the glass into a preliminary shape. When it cooled to 1,000 degrees, another worker drizzled a second color of glass onto the end of the bulb. The glass then went back into the oven to melt the two colors together.

With the glass again glowing bright orange, Bays climbed a five-step staircase and lowered the molten orb into a wooden mold while 86 wvl • spring 2016

worker Randy Rider held the mold steady.

Steam rolled out of the mold as Bays blew the glass. When Rider removed the mold, the glass finally resembled a water droplet.

The piece then went back into the oven, after which Rider snipped off the end with metal shears to give it a curved shape.

The finished droplet was transferred to an annealer oven to cool for four hours before heading to Blenko’s “cold shop,” where worker Michael Stratton cuts the droplets in half using a saw fitted with a diamond blade

and polishes the edges on a grinding wheel.

Back at her studio Kaufman affixed the droplet halves with pieces of wire, so they can hang on the wall.

The complete exhibit will be on display at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts from August 19 to October 19. After that, Kaufman hopes to move it to a gallery in West Virginia— somewhere audiences will understand the irony of an exhibit inspired by the water crisis that brings together between artist and industry, water and fire. barriekaufman.com

COURTESY OF BARRIE KAUFMAN

Kaufman hopes to display her water crisis-inspired

HINTO LIVING

Native Ken Allman shares why his hometown of Hinton is the heart of almost heaven. written by Ken Allman photographed by Nikki Bowman

ON

We invited Ken Allman to write about life in his hometown of Hinton. Allman grew up in Hinton and chose to headquarter his businesses there: PracticeLink.com, the nation’s most widely used physician recruitment resource, and MountainPlex Properties, LLC, a company dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the Hinton Historic District. Allman was named to Who’s Who in Business in 2009 by The State Journal and recognized by the Small Business Administration as West Virginia Small Business Person of the Year in 2014. You can reach Allman at ken.allman@practicelink.com.

E

ven though it’s slightly off the beaten track, my hometown of Hinton is at the heart of many things. On your way in from Interstate 64, take the Sandstone exit 139. Start at the National Park Service’s Sandstone Visitor Center to learn more about the area’s ecology and history. From there, you’ll cling to the eastern rim of the New River Gorge for 10 miles as you travel south on West Virginia Route 20, perhaps one of the state’s best-kept secrets. Route 20 is the unofficial highway of the New River Gorge, and it offers a little bit of everything: twists and turns for motorcyclists, scenic views for Sunday drivers, and parks and bald eagles for nature lovers.

As the two-lane highway passes the Sandstone Falls Overlook and drops into the valley below, you’ll pass the community of Brooks, Brooks Falls, and the recently

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restored Camp Brookside, which will offer outdoor and cultural activities this summer. Past the high school, Route 20 splits in two. No, you didn’t miss a turn. Instead, you’re about to enter Hinton’s residential West End, where Route 20 turns into Summers Street.

The West End is the neighborhood of my youth. It’s where my sister, Sheila, and I grew up. It’s where my friends and I staged weekend acorn battles and played football games on sharply sloped hillsides of glory. It’s where railroad workers, teachers, nurses, and other good folks have raised their families for generations. This is where modest cottages, nestled between road and river bluff, are blessed with priceless views.

Go a mile deeper into town, and this is where history lives: The Hinton Historic District.

The Hinton Historic District

Though beautifully nestled in the foothills of the Alleghenies at the confluence of three majestic rivers—the Bluestone, Greenbrier, and New—Hinton would not exist if not for the westward expansion of what became the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.

The town, which bears the name of its founding family, was established in 1872 to serve the needs of railroaders and the mighty steam engines that traveled east through the Big Bend Tunnel and west through the New River Gorge. The town came to life quickly, and a building boom lasted through the 1920s.

clockwise from left

Sandstone Falls is a popular tourist destination near Hinton, a historic rail town. The

Guesthouse Inn offers elegantly appointed lodging.

The Hinton Railroad Museum honors Hinton’s heritage. The

Hotel McCreery anchors the community and is seeing new life thanks to MountainPlex Properties.

Hinton and the railroad are two American histories forever linked. Even today, you can get to Hinton by rail.

The historic C&O railway depot, built around 1905, is undergoing extensive restoration by the city and is the thirdbusiest Amtrak stop in the state. Each year, the Hinton station serves more than 8,000 passengers on their way to New York, D.C. and Chicago via the Amtrak Cardinal.

For rail aficionados, the Hinton Railroad Museum, located near the intersection of Second Avenue and Temple Street, is a must-see for its priceless collection of railroad history and artifacts. For history buffs of all kinds, The Summers County Veterans Museum, housed in Hinton’s very own Carnegie building, preserves stories and artifacts from World War I to the Persian Gulf.

Though the role of railroad has diminished over the years, much of the turn-of-the-century architecture remains. Residents are preserving and restoring that historic architecture as part of the Hinton Historic District, more than 16 square blocks of commercial, residential, and church buildings that comprise one of the country’s largest national historic districts.

Built in 1907, the five-story Hotel McCreery is a centerpiece of the district. The McCreery served guests through the 1960s. In 2009, it was placed on the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s list of the 10 most endangered properties. Soon after, a massive restoration project was initiated to save, preserve, and repurpose the impressive structure. The roof structure has been wvliving.com 91

repaired, the parapet wall has been rebuilt, more than 200 windows have been restored, and almost 10,000 square feet of pressed-tin ceilings and mosaic tile floors have been cleaned and refinished. The McCreery’s first floor is now a conference and banquet facility, and upper floors are kept ready for future work.

The brick-lined streets and friendly faces of the Hinton Historic District will leave you longing for a simpler time, when the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame folk song writer Blind Alfred Reed played his fiddle and sang on Hinton street corners. Throughout the district, you’ll find plenty of places to eat, sleep, and play. Chestnut Revival is a coffee and teahouse with tasty breakfast and lunch options. Chris, the husband of the husband-and-wife team, is a New Orleans-trained chef who prepares world-class dinners each Friday evening. Dress is casual, reservations are limited, and you can bring your own bottle. On Saturday nights at Chestnut there’s an open mic, featuring country, blues, and folk music. Kirk’s offers fresh produce as well as the classic breakfasts and lunches you might find in any small-town diner, prepared by Mrs. Kirk herself. Diners can enjoy their meals on a large outdoor deck overlooking the New River.

Led by the talented culinary team of Kevin Hall and Samantha Grizzel Hall, The Market on Courthouse Square has established itself as one of West Virginia’s 101 “most unique places to dine,” according to the state’s Division of Tourism. The Market offers flame-broiled burgers, brick-oven pizzas, signature sandwiches, and entrees seven days a week. Collections from famous folk artist S.L. Jones line the walls (and that of the Smithsonian). Soon, the Market will be joined by a new sister option, Chessie’s, which will feature local microbrews and great food.

After dinner, it’s a short walk to the Ritz Theatre, a 300seat theater built in 1929 for film and vaudeville that has been beautifully restored with state-of-the-art digital sound and picture. The Ritz features the newest films every weekend as well as live performances. The Ritz was recently named a featured stop on the West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail.

Another favorite activity is Hinton’s City Sidetrack Park & Pool, with a steam engine-shaped swimming pool and waterslide made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The recently restored Hinton Freight Depot hosts community activities, including the annual Ladies Christmas Bazaar and Hinton’s Festival of the Rivers concerts.

Stop by the Summers County Visitors Center at the corner of Second and Temple to make sure you don’t miss a thing. While you’re there, check out the adjacent Otter & Oak and Rivertown Gallery. Otter & Oak is unique shop that provides everything you need to paddle or float the river, along with a seasonal collection of men’s and women’s apparel from leading outdoor brands. Rivertown Gallery features local artists, photographers, and potters. Other shops you won’t want to miss include Vickie’s Boutique, Grandma’s House Antiques, and Big Four Drug.

Once you’ve finished exploring the Hinton Historic District, we invite you to spend the night. The Guest 92 wvl • spring 2016

clockwise from top left Julie Allman and son enjoy lunch at The Market on Courthouse Square. The Ritz

Theatre has been beautifully restored. Hinton’s historic downtown is being revitalized.

Chestnut Revival is one of the

locals’ favorite places to eat.

An exhibit of the works of S.L. Jones, a famous folk artist, can be seen at The Market.

House Inn on Courthouse Square is a five-star non-hosted bed and breakfast perfect for a weekend getaway. The Magnolia Room Conference Center and Guest House veranda serve as indoor/outdoor venues for receptions and business events.

Follow the rivers

There’s plenty to do outside the Hinton Historic District, too.

In Hinton, even our Pizza Hut has a waterfront view. With more than 5,000 Facebook fans, the Hinton Dairy Queen may be the most popular DQ on the planet. It’s the original home of the Hinton Hot Dog (a split bun toasted on both sides with creamy coleslaw, diced onions, a dab of mustard, and secret hot dog chili sauce) and has a climate-controlled dining area overlooking the New River. Pop’s Sports Pub has a pool table and video gambling parlor. Its hot dog chili and Sandstone Potatoes—crinkle cut fries smothered in cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream—are hard to beat.

But Hinton is not just about food. At Jarrell’s Exxon, you can get your car serviced and your tank filled with personal service just like in the old days. PC Outdoors stocks visitors and residents with fishing gear, and Wilderness Adventures is ready for firearms enthusiasts, too.

Spectacular Summers County

Summers County has more than its fair share of shoreline.

If you can paddle or pedal it, hook or hike it, this may be the perfect place for you. The county is home to two of West Virginia’s 36 state parks: Bluestone State Park and Pipestem Resort State Park.

Pipestem Resort State Park is one of the crown jewels of the state’s park system, with amenities that include both par 3 and championship 18-hole courses, tennis, fly-fishing, horseback riding, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and casual and fine dining. The fine dining at Mountain Creek Lodge is well worth the tram ride required to get there. You read that correctly: The way to the lodge is on a four-person tram that’s 800 feet above the Bluestone River Gorge.

Just 10 miles from the Hinton Historic District and close to Pipestem’s entrance, you’ll find two other great dining options: The Oak Supper Club, named for the majestic oak tree on the property, and Brandon’s BBQ , which offers hearty steak and seafood in a woodsy setting. Also nearby is The Pipestem Spa, which has been recognized as one of the best spa experiences in the two Virginias.

The mighty Bluestone Dam at Hinton serves to protect Charleston and communities downstream from seasonal flooding. When Bluestone Lake is not holding back floodwaters, it provides a beautiful playground for water and nature lovers. Bluestone State Park is famous for its rustic cabins, mountain biking trails and the boating, fishing, and paddling available on Bluestone Lake. The Bluestone Wildlife Management Area offers visitors a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities on 17,632 acres: camping, hunting, boating, canoeing, and fishing. Avid fishermen enjoy float fishing and stocked-trout fishing in Indian Creek and the Bluestone River. The Bluestone Lake Marina provides boat rentals and essentials.

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One of my favorite activities is biking the New River Road between the Hinton Historic District and the easily-accessible catwalks that let you explore Sandstone Falls up close. This ride takes you down a beautiful stretch of the New River, nine miles each way. You’ll also see Berry’s Campground and maybe a kayak or raft navigating the Class III Brooks Falls while bald eagles and blue herons fly by.

If golf is your thing, the Resort at Glade Springs is a short 30-minute drive from the Hinton Historic District.

The world-famous Greenbrier Resort isn’t much farther— but the courses at Pipestem State Park and Willow Wood Country Club on the Greenbrier River offer excellent experiences and are both just 15 minutes away. If fishing or paddling are more your speed, consider New River Trophy Outfitters for professional fishing guides or Richmond's Meadow Creek Hideaway riverside cabins—or call on Cantrell Ultimate Rafting to navigate the rivers. Bird enthusiasts will cherish a visit to Three Rivers Avian Center. WinterPlace Ski Resort is close by, and so is

Otter & Oak with its Rivertown Gallery is a must-visit unique shop and art gallery.

Practical Firearms Training, which offers marksmanship and tactical training.

In addition to being named one of the 10 best fishing spots for smallmouth bass and muskie in the country, Hinton is perhaps best known for Hinton Railroad Days, when the Hinton Historic District plays host to thousands of visitors who arrive by car, bus, and the New River Gorge Excursion train on the third and fourth weekends of October. Hinton is also known for the West Virginia State Water Festival and Festival of the Rivers. John Henry Days draws more than 1,000 to the nearby village of Talcott and the mouth of the Big Bend Tunnel, where John Henry raced the steam drill.

Living here

For a small town, Hinton (and Summers County) has had its share of giants. From “Steel Driving Man” John Henry in Talcott to U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the people of Summers County have made their mark.

At Summers County High School, the next generation leaders proudly learn, play, cheer, and compete as Bobcats— the Lady Bobcats basketball team has won five state AA championships in the past 10 years! Summers County Middle School and three elementary schools serve our younger students. Summers County is also home to the Greenbrier Academy for Girls and the Pipestem Christian Academy.

Colleges are close, too: Within a short drive, students can commute to Concord University, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, or the new campus of WVU Tech.

The health care needs of the area are anchored by Hinton’s Summers County ARH Hospital, which has been recently recognized as a Level IV Trauma Center.

Hinton is also home to one of the top-rated places to work in health care, as recognized by Modern Healthcare and Becker’s Hospital Review. PracticeLink.com, the nation’s most widely used physician-recruitment resource, is headquartered in the Hinton Historic District.

And the Summers County Public Library is a priceless resource for young and old alike. Hinton has an active senior and retired community as well as youth sports and cultural programs. There are also many clubs and organizations focused on civic pride, community development, the arts, and education.

clockwise from top left Founder

and CEO Ken Allman stands in front of his PracticeLink.com headquarters. Bluestone Lake is a favorite among fisherman. Hinton’s pool provides respite from summertime heat.

Come stay, play, and enjoy!

Whether you’re in the mood for a culinary tour or an outdoor adventure, a place to spend the weekend or the rest of your life, I’d like to invite you to Hinton and Summers County. It’s where my heart is, the place I think of when I think of “home.” We may not be easily accessible—you have to want to go. But once you’re our guest here, if you’re anything like me, you won’t want to leave.

For more information visit exploresummerscounty.com wvliving.com 95

A JOB YOU

WEAR Danny Jones has a long résumé, but it’s being mayor that suits him best. written by Zack Harold photographed by Carla Witt Ford

On

June 15, 2015, elected officials, members of the public, and journalists crammed into the dark wood-paneled council chambers at Charleston City Hall to watch Kanawha Circuit Judge Todd Kaufman administer the oath of office to Mayor Danny Jones. He had been reelected just a few weeks earlier, carrying 62 percent of the vote over Democrat candidate Paul Monroe and independent challenger William Carpenter.

Although the swearing-in ceremony carried much less pomp and circumstance than a presidential or gubernatorial inauguration, it was a historic occasion for Charleston. Once Jones said “so help me God,” he officially began his fourth term as mayor, the longest tenure in city history. It was a milestone for Jones, too. With 13 years under his belt—and three more to go—he has spent more time as mayor of Charleston than at any other job in his life.

Since he returned to his hometown after a two-year stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, which included some time driving a truck in Vietnam, and a yearlong stay at Marshall University, where he studied political science, Danny Jones has worked as a bartender, bouncer, cook, waiter, gravedigger, bottled water salesman, restaurant owner, public relations man, county sheriff, state delegate, and radio talk show host, among other gigs. By his count, Jones has held 35 jobs in his 65 years.

Political opponents criticized him for this when he first ran for mayor in 2003. They said Jones, the Republican nominee, wouldn’t have the attention span necessary to run a city government. After he won that race with more than 57 percent of the vote, his Democratic opponent Chris Smith came to congratulate him and offer a word of advice. He told Jones, “I want you to stick with this.”

Little did Smith—or anyone else—realize how well the mayor’s office would fit Jones. “Some people are suited for a job, and some people aren’t. This is a job that he is more than suited for,” says Charleston Councilwoman Mary Jean Davis. “It’s one he can get out and move around, or sit behind a desk and face a challenge. He loves challenges.”

There have been lots of challenges since Jones took over.

His administration has faced budget problems, legal battles, and deadly tragedies. Jones was mayor during one of the worst environmental disasters of the century—when Freedom Industries dumped thousands of gallons of industrial cleaner into the Elk River, contaminating Charleston’s water supply and leaving its residents without potable tap water for days. While some government officials shrank from the ensuing media attention, Jones rose to the occasion, giving voice to the frustrations of his residents and demanding action against the perpetrators.

There have been personal struggles, too, which were often lived out in the local media. During his time in office Jones has been married, had two young sons, got divorced, battled prostate cancer, and dealt with the multiple drugrelated arrests of his eldest son Zac, who was 13 when his father took office. While he might not have handled all these challenges perfectly, he has earned a reputation for addressing any situation with unwavering candor. “The one thing I like about Mayor Jones is, I know where I stand. He is honest and direct with his thoughts,” Davis says. “It’s politically incorrect, but it works.”

This is Jones’ modus operandi. “What else is there but the truth? The truth is to be used. The reason we don’t get to the bottom of issues is because people won’t tell the truth,” he says. It’s difficult to believe such a figure exists in our cynical age: a politician who speaks the truth for truth’s sake. You might even be inclined to believe he’s lying, but Jones is not blowing smoke. He’s not that kind of politician.

He’s a mayor.

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Occupying the space

Most mornings you can find Jones at the only Starbucks in city limits, located in the center court of the Charleston Town Center mall. He reads the newspaper over a small breakfast: a cup of coffee, a PowerBar, and maybe a pastry from the counter. Jones says he comes here to look at women. True to his politically incorrect nature, the mayor is a notorious flirt. But that’s just a bit of his barroom days showing through. Sit and talk with him, and you begin to see what is really on his mind.

Sitting on a stiff couch at this shopping mall coffee shop, Jones is surrounded by his city. He often stops mid-sentence to shout a greeting to a federal judge, lawyer, police officer, journalist, or taxi driver. Sometimes he greets people he doesn’t know. The strangers inevitably return the greeting. Jones calls this “occupying the space,” a concept he picked up from a political science professor at West Virginia State University, where he took a few classes while serving as Kanawha County Sheriff. “You’re mayor every moment you’re awake,” he says. “It’s not a job you work. It’s a job you wear.”

Danny Jones is a performer. During his time as county sheriff, he acted in local productions of Li’l Abner, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Music Man, and Annie Get Your Gun, which also featured a young Jennifer Garner. He considers playing the titular character in Abner the highlight of his life— besides, of course, his children. What was the attraction? “The power. You’re onstage. There’s 750 people in the audience and you can raise your eyebrows and they start laughing.”

But having your name perpetually on a marquee isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Jones’ insistence on wearing his job and occupying his space often causes his critics to attack the man as much as his decisions. Not long after taking office, Jones pushed for a $1-per-week user fee on anyone who worked within city limits. The fee generated $2.5 million in its first year, money the city used to pave roads, hire maintenance workers, and put more than 20 new officers on its police force. Yet many people—particularly those who worked in Charleston but lived elsewhere—balked at the fee. Some still have not forgiven Jones for dipping into their paychecks.

Back then, commenters on local news websites gave him the disparaging nickname “Dollar Danny.” The name stuck and still gets regular use in some circles today.

But perhaps nothing has drawn more anger than Jones’ efforts to stop a 2014 state law that repealed all municipal weapons bans on city-owned properties. The mayor lobbied hard against the legislation, publicly calling on lawmakers to kill the bill. His efforts drew vicious criticism from gun rights supporters, and he eventually gave up the fight. “I don’t really fault them at all. I was basically a strawman. It was a tactic,” he says. “But nobody was there to help me. I was fighting that battle alone. I didn’t want to spend my last few years fighting something I cannot win.”

Either of these episodes, spun in the right way by opponents, could have ended his political career. Fighting to raise taxes and ban guns certainly would not work well for most candidates running on a Republican ticket. And yet he remains unrepentant about the battles he has picked even when, as with the gun ban controversy, he lost. He says being mayor brings you “nose to nose” with issues that affect your community—leaving little time for blind partisanship. Nanya Friend, former editor and

“Inevitably, what you have is a lot of plans gathering dust,” Davis says.

There aren’t many plans gathering dust now. Jones says he originally planned to end his mayoral career in 2011. But as he approached the end of his second term, he started to rethink his decision. “I thought eight (years) would be enough. But ... there’s so many things that couldn’t have been done.”

Making a mark

Driving into Charleston at night, heading east on Interstate 64, the first thing that will catch your eye is the gilded dome of the West Virginia State Capitol. If it’s a summer night, another very impressive structure will come into view just seconds later. Appalachian Power Park is home of the Charleston Power, a Pittsburgh Pirates farm team. Their games are a favorite social occasion for Charlestonians of all stripes, even those who don’t really like baseball.

But Appalachian Power Park almost didn’t happen.

Early on, the project was incredibly unpopular.

According to a Charleston Gazette article at the time, a poll found 75 percent of voters opposed the new park.

Democrat mayoral candidate Chris Smith promised in his 2003 campaign to divert the $12 million state lawmakers set aside for the project to other needs like sewer system upgrades or a new library. Jones also expressed doubts about the project, but promised to see it completed. Over the following two years his administration oversaw the demolition of an old factory and grocery store on the site, and dealt with lawsuits that temporarily tied up the state funding. In the end, publisher of the conservative Charleston Daily Mail newspaper a modern, $23 million complex rose on the city’s East who has followed Jones throughout his political career, knows End, and Power Park opened just in time for the 2005 what he means. “When you’re running a city it’s hard to be a baseball season. “It’s one of those amenities that make pure ideologue, because of the issues that come up,” she says. Charleston a better place to live,” Jones says. “It makes everything look better.” Now businesses and apartments “When you’re dealing with gun crime on the West Side, or need to make sure kids are safe in community centers, you get are moving into a side of town that once contained little more than abandoned warehouses. a different point of view.”

As you leave the ballpark, make your way toward the Amazingly, Jones’ habit of following his gut instead of Kanawha River and turn right on Kanawha Boulevard. the party line does not seem to have hurt him politically. If After a few blocks, you’ll spot another spectacular bit of anything, it might have helped. Councilwoman Davis says architecture: Haddad Riverfront Park. What began as a this is because city politics are decidedly nonpartisan. “If simple concrete amphitheater along the Kanawha River you asked me to tell you who is a Democrat or Republican, is now covered with a sweeping white canopy, a little I’d have to stop and think. When you come to the city level, reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House. Down front, you’re working for your neighborhoods. You’re working to the stage has its own arching canopy, designed to look make your city stronger. You don’t have time to think about who is what,” she says. “You don’t stay in office unless people like the paddlewheel of the sternwheeler boats that once frequented the adjacent waterway. feel you have the passion and they’re seeing change.”

This park is also a monument to Jones’ tenacity. In Davis, for the record, is a Democrat. She was elected in 2008 he secured $2.4 million in federal earmarks from 1999 and served for four years with Mayor Jay Goldman then-Senator Robert C. Byrd to build the roof at Haddad, before Jones took office. “When I first went into City Hall, which paved the way for additional donations from there was an area where there were hundreds of plans. Each local philanthropists. The park, where spectators once administration makes its own plans of what it would like blistered in the sun, is now the centerpiece of almost every to see in Charleston,” she says. The plans in that room had summertime celebration in Charleston’s downtown. never come to fruition. There’s only so much a mayor can By the beginning of 2018, Jones hopes to have accomplish in one term—and Charleston voters only allowed completed another ambitious improvement project for the one of the five mayors before Jones to serve a second term. wvliving.com 101

city. Workers have begun construction on a nearly $100 million revamp of the city’s Civic Center, largely funded by a half percent sales tax passed by City Council in October 2013. It’s a project he has wanted to tackle since he first took office. “When I was in a show (in the Little Theater) in 1986, I was performing and the lights went out. It was a worn facility and needed work,” he says. “We don’t know how many events we lost, but we lost some.”

Now the aging, utilitarian Civic Center will be updated with a towering glass façade and an overhanging roof, a stylishly updated interior, and an outdoor plaza along the Elk River.

Jones believes the project will attract bigger conventions and other events to the city, which will boost the local economy as a whole. “I’ve been in some world-class venues and I think this is definitely going to be one,” he says.

There have been other big changes since Jones took office.

Businesses are growing on the city’s East End and West Side.

Capitol Street in the heart of downtown was once a derelict row of boarded-up storefronts with a bad reputation; now it’s the city’s main cultural thoroughfare. But the accomplishment Jones is most proud of—the thing he hopes will define his legacy as mayor—is something you can’t see. It’s something visitors, as well as most residents, will never consider. “Barney Frank once told me you never get credit for what you prevent,” he says.

In 2009, the Pew Charitable Trusts named Charleston as one of worst cities in America for unfunded pension liabilities. At the time, the city had saved only a quarter of the $270 million it owed in firefighter and police pensions. Jones knew that kind of debt could bankrupt a city—pension debts are what drove Detroit, Michigan into economic disaster—so he began looking for ways to pay down the debt. The city instituted hiring freezes on its fire and police departments, then made deep cuts to the city budget in 2010, removing across-the-board raises for city employees for the first time since Jones had taken office. In 2015, the city instituted a half-percent sales tax, expected to generate $13 million a year by 2029. Although the city still has hundreds of millions in pension debts on the books, Charleston is now on track to have its accounts settled within 25 years.

Jones did not tackle any of these challenges alone, and he admits that. He’s proud to have built a team of smart people who know how to get things done. But he can be credited for creating an environment where good things can thrive. “Like him or not, you have to respect that he wants to push Charleston and make it move forward,” Davis says. Ric Cavender, executive director of Charleston Main Streets, says this will be the legacy of Jones’ administration. “He’s somebody that’s up for new ideas. His vision will have a residual effect. These aren’t changes that will go away.” Friend, of the Daily Mail, agrees. “I’m not sure I’d want to be his successor.”

Vacating the space

Danny Jones’ great-great-grandfather, Henry Clay Dickinson, was the sixth mayor of Charleston. His administration has only one notable accomplishment: Dickinson was the city’s shortest-serving mayor, lasting only a month in office before he unexpectedly died.

Dickinson’s great-great-grandson is now the city’s longestserving mayor. But he has no intention of dying in office. When Jones announced he would seek a fourth term as mayor, he made 102 wvl • spring 2016

it clear it would also be his final term. Will he change his mind?

“That ain’t gonna happen. We need to have younger people in these positions,” he says.

He believes leaving office in 2019 is best for the city. But you also get the feeling the job is wearing thin for Jones. “It is, by nature, selfish. You have to base everything around yourself because that’s whose name is on the line.”

In the meantime, Jones is content. In January, he made his return to local airwaves as the host of “580 Live with Danny Jones,” an hour-long news talk show on AM station WCHS. On a snowy morning in February, he arrives at the station a few minutes before the start of the show. He exits his black Toyota and heads into the building without feeding the parking meter.

The blue and yellow “Danny Jones, Charleston Mayor” sticker on his rear bumper ensures he won’t be ticketed.

Inside, Jones descends into the subterranean broadcast studio.

He carries no notes or other preparatory material other than the newspaper he had at Starbucks earlier in the morning. “When I go on the air, I never know what I’m going to talk about,” he says.

He has no difficulty filling the silence, however. In the radio studio, Jones is animated behind the microphone. He shakes his head, swivels in his chair, and talks with his hands. He muses about the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and the U.S. Senate’s promise to block any appointee from the Obama administration. He talks about the sentencing of executives from Freedom Industries. Owner Dennis Farrell and CEO Gary Southern each received 30 days in jail, while other officials got probation. “They should’ve gotten a lot more time,” Jones tells radio listeners. “The damage those people did to this community is incalculable when you think about it. Three hundred thousand people were affected by what they did ... and it lasted for days and days and days.”

He also talks about the political battles being fought at the State Capitol a few miles away. Jones, who served two years in the House of Delegates before leaving to run a barbecue restaurant full-time, says the state is in the worst financial shape he’s seen. He criticizes lawmakers—of both parties—for not doing more to fix it. “This is conviction-driven government.

They have no new taxes. That is what they believe,” he says.

“Where’s the money going to come from?”

Jones holds up Charleston as a model of effective government, touting his town as “a sea of certainty.” “A place where we give great service. A place that has good finances, unlike the rest of the state. I’m so glad we planned for 13 years. We put things in order.

We did things the way they needed to be done,” he says. But he doesn’t spend too much time congratulating himself—he wants to hear from listeners.

Throughout the hour Jones asks again and again for calls. Two people phone in wanting to talk about medical marijuana. Jones isn’t against the idea, but is skeptical state lawmakers would legalize pot. Someone else calls in to ask why the city hasn’t sued over the Freedom Industries spill. “Can I answer that? We have,” he says.

He continues pushing listeners to call in. He wants something to sink his teeth into. Danny Jones wants a challenge. “We have about four minutes left if you’d like to call the show,” he hums into the microphone as the show draws to a close. We’d like to hear from you if you’d like to ask me anything. You know, I am the mayor.”

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taste ›› this

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this ‹‹ taste

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y l l u f r c d n o W l a c R

There’s a bold new campaign to advertise West Virginia.

At the center of it? Real West Virginians.

COURESTY OF WILD, WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINA

written by Shay Maunz

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COURESTY OF WILD, WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINA

Some of the finest whitewater in the world, the best skiing in the region, a slew of skilled artisans and chefs.

But without the right marketing plan, people outside the state won’t make the trip.

When Amy was named the tourism commissioner in the spring of 2014, she knew she wanted to do something big. She wanted to build a new marketing campaign, sure—but she wanted it to be about more than just some glossy new photos or even a clever hashtag on social media. She wanted to change the conversation about West Virginia entirely. “It’s not just about a new campaign or a new logo,” she says. “It’s like our pedals were jammed. We were pedaling and pedaling but we weren’t moving very fast, and we needed a some oil in our gears.”

L

og into Facebook, click the search bar, and type #gotowv. Hit enter, and your feed will be flooded with the kinds of images that make a mountaineer’s hearts sing: The view from the top of Seneca Rocks, the state Capitol dome at sunset, Larry Groce introducing an act on “Mountain Stage.” There are smaller, more personal moments, too: a seed swap in a rural restaurant, a selfie on the ski lift at Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Larry Groce at the traditional “Mountain Stage” after-party in a hole-in-the-wall music venue just down the street from the Capitol complex. The images feel authentic, down to earth, and, above all else, West Virginian—because they are. The posts are all from real West Virginians who want to have online conversations about the things they love about their state.

But someone had to start that conversation, and that someone was Amy Goodwin, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Tourism. “I can’t take credit for a lot of things in this office, because we have such a great group of people and I rely on them for everything,” she says. “But I actually did come up with that.” She was sitting in a conference room two weeks after she took office in the spring of 2014 and pitched the phrase, “Go to West Virginia.” It stuck, and it’s now the center of the social media campaign that is a big part of the Division of Tourism’s big new marketing campaign.

Goodwin and her team are charged with marketing and advertising the state of West Virginia to encourage people to come visit. It’s a complicated and important task. West Virginia is filled with people who are fiercely proud of their state, and has some enviable attractions:

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So what’s the first step in creating a bold new plan for a state’s tourism industry? “It all starts with research,” Amy says. “That sounds like a really geeky thing to say, but we have to have that foundation so we know what has worked in the past and what hasn’t worked.” When she took office, one of the first things Amy did was order a massive study of the state’s tourism industry. The state had not undertaken such a comprehensive study in 11 years.

All that research found that previous marketing campaigns in the state generated an enormous return on investment. For every dollar spent marketing West Virginia, the tourism industry generated seven dollars.

But it also found West Virginia was missing out on some key opportunities. “It showed we score very well for the things you might imagine. We have beautiful scenery, we have mountains, we have incredible recreational opportunities,” says Pat Strader, the founder of Digital Relativity, the marketing firm the Division of Tourism brought in to work on the campaign. “But we realized we also had to show people this is a good place to bring their family, that the kids will enjoy it. We have to show them it’s a unique experience.”

Plus, the state wasn’t being marketed to millennials very well—that group of young people born between 1982 and 2004—even though millennials, as a group, love to travel. And it was barely being marketed at all to people within West Virginia, even though many West Virginians do a lot of traveling within the state. In all, the research proved West Virginia’s tourism industry was teeming with opportunity—which convinced lawmakers to up their investment in tourism. The Division of Tourism’s budget tripled in 2016, up to $6.5 million.

And then came the hard part: How to use that money to convince people to come here? How do you bottle up what’s special about West Virginia and deliver it to someone a state or a world away? How do even articulate that indescribable feeling of gazing across West Virginia’s mountains on a foggy morning? Or that jangly feeling you get in your bones listening to old-time mountain music? Or what it’s like to walk into a rural café as a stranger and be so welcomed by the people that you walk away feeling like a local?

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Studying West Virginia

The Real.

West Virginia marketing campaign has

changed the conversation about the Mountain State.

MOUNTAIN FLAVOR WILD, WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINIA

PLAY

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WILD, WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINIA

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Press Room, Shepherdstown, WV

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The thing about West Virginia is it never feels phony.

It’s not trying too hard. And the team at the Division of Tourism recognized the draw that has on people. “The word ‘authentic’ is often misused. It’s quite a buzzword in marketing and advertising,” Pat says. “But that’s what West Virginia really is, and we’re trying to show people that’s who we are here.” To that end, they settled on a communications campaign called “Real. Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.”

Other states have made similar efforts in the past.

“When you think of Virginia, you think ‘Virginia is for Lovers’ and when you think of Michigan, you think ‘Pure Michigan,’” says Tina Stinson, Director of Special Projects and Strategic Initiatives for the Division of Tourism. West Virginia needed to strengthen its identity—not just as a geographical place or political entity, but as a marketable brand.

Part of the problem was, West Virginia had several different identities. “Folks didn’t know if we were ‘Wild and Wonderful West Virginia,’ ‘West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful,’ or ‘Wild, Wonderful West Virginia,’” Tina says. To settle that once and for all, Amy led the charge to change the name of the Division of Tourism to “Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.” And to deliver the message they turned to—who else?—real West Virginians. “It’s so bothersome to see actors or models in these commercials advertising West Virginia,” Amy says. “It’s like, we have real people who do these things, let’s show them. Every person in our ads is a real West Virginian doing the thing they really like to do.”

Amy doesn’t want to show you a bunch of glossy photos of airbrushed actors eating staged food in a restaurant after hours. In these ads, real West Virginia chefs make food from West Virginia produce and feed it to real West Virginians. “It’s not a fabricated experience for the traveller,” Pat says. “It’s legitimately, ‘This is who we are, this is what we do, this is why we’re here.’ And it’s because we love it.”

The really beautiful thing about the “Real. Wild, Wonderful West Virginia” campaign is it’s the work of so many real West Virginians who are passionate about their home. It starts with Amy herself, who grew up in Wheeling in a family that cared about the state—her grandmother was one of West Virginia’s first female state senators. It includes Pat, who grew up in Parkersburg, and who made a very careful, conscious decision to come back home after a stint in Washington, D.C., and to start his company in Fayetteville. “I hate to sound corny or cliché, but it’s where I belong,” he says. And it includes all the people below them who helped build the campaign, doing everything from photography to web design to modeling.

And it even includes all those people on social media, tagging their own photos with #gotowv. By becoming a part of the conversation about what is beautiful and special about West Virginia, even real, ordinary West Virginians are becoming a part of the effort to share that part of West Virginia with outsiders.

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THE PA RTING SHOT

Spring in bloom Carla Witt Ford The Mountain State comes alive as the first signs of spring clothe the hillsides. photographed by

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