SUMMER 17
STREAM RESTORATION | ACE ADVENTURES | SUMMERSVILLE LAKE
The
Coast Secret
BERRY NICE recipes
✚ FARM to TABLE, FOOD TRUCKS, and more
✚ HISTORIC
Tax Credit TOOLKIT
Discover the Mountain State’s summer-worthy shorelines
Our guide to
BEST POOLS pg. 71
VOLUME 10
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ISSUE 2
Summer 2017 NIKKI BOWMAN
features
86
94
100
Surf’s Up Summersville
Changing the Channel
Take the Plunge
West Virginia is landlocked— but don’t tell the folks in the state’s biggest beach town.
Sometimes it takes more than cleaning up the water to make a stream healthy again.
At ACE Adventure Resort’s Wonderland Waterpark, you can slip, slide, zip, and blob your way to a splashing good time.
wvliving.com 5
VOLUME 10
◆
ISSUE 2
37 21
59 71 live 53 Creatively Quilter and blogger Erin Cox
wrote a book to help needlecraft novices learn this traditional craft.
14 discover 14 Event West Virginia’s Largest Yard Sale draws bargain hunters from all over.
14 Folks Dive into the West Virginia songbook with Tim O’Brien’s Where the River Meets the Road.
39 taste 28 Maker Even at 94, Mannon Gallegly is still searching for a better tomato.
30 Libations For Swilled Dog Hard Cider of Pendleton County, cider-making is a family affair.
15 Artist Forget Instagram. Lisa Elmaleh takes
her photos with an old-school tintype camera.
16 Good News SW Resources makes intricate paper mosaics for a good cause.
17 King for a Day Hear ye the royal decrees of award-winning liar James Froemels.
18 Lessons The West Virginia Center on
Budget and Policy trains tomorrow’s problem solvers at its Summer Policy Institute.
21 Sounds A new double album supports
ongoing flood relief efforts—and local music.
22 How We Did It Natalie Roper reveals
the strategy behind Generation West Virginia’s successful push for a broadband expansion.
25 Roots Historic buildings abound at Calhoun County Park’s Heritage Village.
6 wvl • summer 2017
31 Town Bluefield’s blooming restaurant
scene is worth the trip down Interstate 77.
32 Local Flavor The banana split at
Draper’s at The Greenbrier is fit for a saint.
33 Restaurant J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works’
55 Away A Berkeley Springs family’s hard
work and good ideas put The Country Inn back on track.
59 Spaces Once a luxurious hotel, Salt Sulphur Springs has served as a grand private residence for nearly half a century.
71 Local Stay cool with a dip in the state’s best pools.
81 Out Loud Chuck Toussieng has a burning desire to make Richwood a better place.
in every issue 8 Editor’s Letter 10 Letters to the Editor
“Celebrate the Season” Dinner Series highlights local ingredients and culinary talent.
35 Vittles The Naked Olive in Berkeley
Springs sells gourmet oils and vinegars.
36 Restaurant Wheeling food truck The Cheese Melt serves gourmet takes on a childhood favorite.
39 This There’s nothing like a blueberry fresh
off the bush, but we’ve collected recipes that are almost as good.
ON THE COVER Summersville Lake is one of the best spots for memory-making family fun. Photo by Nikki Bowman
editor’s letter
right. AIR CONDITIONED! And each yurt has a bathroom. And a little kitchenette. And beds to sleep in. So no sleeping on rocks wedged in crevices I’d rather not mention or packing and repacking food so bears don’t ater is therapeutic. partake. Seriously, it was pretty darn cool. When I’m stressed, the The folks at Mountain Lake Campground first thing I want to do have it figured out. Whether you camp in is stand in the middle an RV, a tent, a cabin, or a yurt on their of a river with a fly rod immaculate grounds, you can play on the lake in my hand. If I can’t do that, put me in a pool during the day, sunbathe at the swimming (preferably one of our best pools in the state, see beach, or lounge by a pool. The kids can jump page 71)—or on a boat in a lake. I’ll even take a on the large jumping pillow, play putt-putt, soak in a hot tub. Last year, my vacation revolved or watch a movie at the outdoor theater. And around taking the family to Summersville Lake don’t forget to hike out to Serenity Point—this and neighboring ACE Adventure Resort’s spot affords some of the best views of the lake Wonderland Waterpark—and as I think about it, and is an amazing wedding site. I’m ready to go back. Another great campsite along the lake is I’ve been going to Summersville Lake since Summersville Lake Retreat. I’ve not stayed there, I was a child, and it holds so many special although I’ve heard great things about it. I made memories. It is where I learned to water-ski a quick visit to check out their lighthouse—West from the back of a boyfriend’s boat. When I was Virginia’s only lighthouse. Pretty cool views, I young—and had no fear—I would cannonball must say. You can stay at a cabin, park an RV, or off the rock outcroppings into the lake. I’ve tent camp here as well. And if you are visiting played volleyball on the beach as a 15-year-old, the lake, they make it easy to rent a pontoon and I’ve played volleyball on the beach as a boat, paddleboard, or kayak. 45-year-old with my 15-year-old daughter. Two We used Mountain Lake Campground years ago, I walked a bit of the shoreline with my as a base and traveled to ACE Adventure grandmother, holding her frail hand. It was our Resort, about 30 miles away. I’d heard about last picnic together. This lake is a place where my their Wonderland Waterpark and, with four family has come together my entire life. teenagers in tow, we were eager to give it the And last summer it celebrated 50 years. Bowman/Mills test. I’m happy to report that While I’m thinking, “Good Lord, I’m getting it passed with flying colors. Not only is there old,” Summersville Lake seems to just be getting a beach where parents can relax and watch all better and better. And although I’ve spent a lot the fun, there are a couple of restaurants on-site of time on West Virginia’s largest lake, there are so you can enjoy food and beverages without still things I’ve never experienced. I have yet to leaving your lounge chair. There’s a large scuba dive or paddleboard, but these things are water slide, a zipline, and massive inflatables on my to-do list for sure. that will keep the kids entertained for hours. Last year we rented a yurt at Mountain Lake If we’d had more time, we would have taken Campground—and let me tell you, this is the way to go. Glamping, baby! I’m a convert. Their advantage of some of their other activities like rock climbing, SUPing, or whitewater rafting. yurts are air-conditioned! Yes, you heard me
W
8 wvl • summer 2017
They also have a package where you can rent a pontoon boat on Summersville Lake. My son declared it was better than Disney. If you have children, you have to put this on your bucket list. Most of our summer activities involve cooling off in bodies of water. Although we don’t have oceans lapping at our borders, we do have some amazing lakeside coastlines and magnificent rivers. I have an even better appreciation for our rivers after reading Pam Kasey’s story “Changing the Channel” on page 94, about stream restoration and the folks that are working hard to make our waterways healthy. This work ensures that our future generations will enjoy our lakes and rivers for years to come. Savor the summer!
nikki bowman, Editor Follow us on
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letters to the editor
SPRING 17
SKYTRUTH | LIVING IN BARBOURSVILLE | SATURDAY NITE WRESTLIN’
Fresh RECIPES
✚ A Governor ’s INN
✚
Sweet Spring
Woodchopping FESTIVAL
Resuscitating Sweet Springs
Our story about Ashby Berkley’s plan to reopen Sweet Springs (“Springs Eternal,” Spring ’17) in Monroe County drew lots of excited response from readers. Here’s a sampling:
10 wvl • summer 2017
I love preserving the wonderful grand hotels and houses. Would love to visit Sweet Springs. Good luck with your adventure. t-bone starcher, via Facebook I hope it can be done. It is such a beautiful building and grounds. I am from Michigan and have stopped and poked around four times. It’s a fascinating place. We also have taken a spring “tour” and were able to stay at Pence Springs when Mr. Berkley owned it. We sat in the dining room and he was talking to us about the history of the springs. I hope folks in West Virginia appreciate these areas as much as we do. wendy sheppard maida, via wvliving.com Ashby Berkley is the man for this job. We all need to pitch in and give him a hand in doing this huge project. It will be the place to visit and stay. Looking forward to this experience. pam tilley, via wvliving.com It’s a beautiful place. The grounds and setting are peaceful. I hope the restoration is successful. Walking those grounds feels like going back through a time capsule. I love it there. judith gwinn jackson, via wvliving.com
As a lifetime member of the community of Sweet Springs, I’m so excited to see “her” restored. Thank you Mr. Berkley—your vision for the property is the dream of all of us in this beautiful valley we call home! marsha stone, via wvliving.com This is a very exciting undertaking and I wish it the utmost success. I know this property from visiting a relative there when I was a child and it was an old folks’ home. I’d love to be able to come there one day and stay as a resort guest. jimmy lee owen, via wvliving.com Visited here with friends from France when previous owner Warren Smith had undertaken this project. Saw great potential. Am confident Berkley will make it shine once again. phyllis whitley, via wvliving.com We drove by this property last October and were so impressed. It is a beautiful and peaceful area. I hope the plans to reintroduce it to patrons as a prime destination happens! susan todd, via wvliving.com
letters to the editor
I speak her name. Yes, you can always The Main Event go back home and still be a Mighty My love of wrestling started watching WOAY on Pirate. kathy jefferson mullins, Saturday nights (“Live from Oak Hill,” Spring via wvliving.com ’17) with my great grandmother—watching her yell at the TV because the referees hadn’t seen the Oh my goodness, I enjoyed this so heels cheating. Those were good times I will never much. I was in a horse show at what forget. robbie moore, via wvliving.com you are calling Saddler Field now, a long time ago. I love Barboursville and lived on Guyan River Road, on a farm Hats Off to Hoppy What a great article (“The Voice of West with my mom and dad. I also rode in a parade through Barboursville on my Virginia,” Spring ’17) about the very best of West Virginia, and the United States! I had the horse Tonka. It was some kind of a celebration Village Memories pleasure of working with Hoppy Kercheval and This is such a great salute to “B’ville,” as it was often Barboursville had going on at the time. Thank know firsthand his work ethic. No one else in the called (“It Takes a Village,” Spring ’17). Thank you, you for sharing your memories of Barboursville. radio business comes close. rick starsick, via Randall, for helping to honor and put Barboursville joan mccoy, via wvliving.com wvliving.com on the map! I will alway remember the years This is the best description of my beloved Let us hear from you. We want to know what we shared during our adolescent years. cindy Barboursville that I have ever seen. I moved here you think about the magazine, and we’d love shearin, via wvliving.com when I was 9, was married here, then lived in Ohio to hear your suggestions. close to 10 years. I was so happy when we moved What a great article! Barboursville is a place that Email: info@newsouthmediainc.com back. Don’t want to leave this safe town again. truly never leaves you. Even though we have lived Call: 304.413.0104 Mail: 709 Beechurst ruth ann sommerville, via wvliving.com in North Carolina for almost 35 years, whenever Avenue, Suite 14A, Morgantown, WV 26505 anyone asks, “Where did you grow up?” I proudly say “Barboursville, West Virginia.” Only a handful Great article! Leave it to our commissioner of the Take WV Living with you: Division of Culture and History to write with of people ever have known where that is. I am such knowledge and fondness. carol h. bailey, transported back to the place I love every time via wvliving.com
It Takes a Village
Randall Reid-Smith, West Virginia’s Commissioner of Culture and History, gives a tour of Barboursville, his Cabell County hometown. written by Randall Reid-Smith ✩ photographed by Steve Brightwell
wvliving.com 11
VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2
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12 wvl • summer 2017
Discover WEST VIRGINIA IS A PL ACE OF BOUNDLESS DISCOVERY. HERE’S YOUR GUIDE.
LISA ELMALEH
The Hard Way From beautiful old-timey photos to laws that improve the state, these are the stories of people who know good things don’t come easy. PICTURED: RALPH ROBERTS OF FRAMETOWN. PAGE 15
wvliving.com 13
discover ›› EVENT
FOLK S
Bargain hunters descend on Upshur and Lewis counties each August. for more than 20 years, locals and outof-towners alike have flocked to Upshur and Lewis counties for West Virginia’s Largest Yard Sale. The event—held this year on Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5—stretches across the two counties, with sales in downtowns and rural areas and everywhere in between. The Upshur County Convention and Visitors Bureau produces a map so visitors can easily find registered sales but, “for every registered yard sale, there are around three yard sales unregistered,” says Laura Meadows, the CVB’s executive director. “There are literally hundreds of yard sales happening the same two days.” One of the hottest items is baby products, but bargain hunters will also find lots of clothing, home décor, and some antiques. Although organizers have never been able to get an official count, Meadows says thousands of people show up each year. “It’s a well-loved event for sure,” Meadows says. visitbuckhannon.org written by kristen
uppercue witt ford
photographed by carla
Song Hunting A review of Tim O’Brien’s Where the River Meets the Road. it must been a strange sight back in the early days of the Great Depression, seeing that big, new, red Chevy bouncing down a rutted Appalachian dirt road. It got even stranger when the wire spoke wheels stopped, because inside the car was a tall, dourlooking hillbilly dressed in a three-piece suit and, beside him, a black bluesman, his right leg ending just below the knee. The men were A.P. Carter, one-third of the legendary Carter Family singing group, and his friend Lesley Riddle, a guitar player and singer who served as Carter’s “human tape recorder.” Together they explored rural hills and hollows, hunting down old songs for the Carter Family to put on their next 78 RPM record. In the process, Carter and Riddle became accidental musicologists, preserving dozens of almost-forgotten songs from obscurity. It is fitting, then, that Carter is the only non-West Virginian songwriter featured on Grammy Award winner Tim O’Brien’s new album Where the River Meets the Road Road. The project is an exercise in “song hunting,” to borrow Carter’s term. Just, instead of digging for material on the backroads of America, O’Brien did his hunting in the back catalogs of West Virginia’s best songsmiths. Some of O’Brien’s covers are faithful to the songs’ original arrangements. See John Lily’s “Friday, Sunday’s Coming” or Larry Groce’s “When the Mist Clears Away.” Other times, O’Brien draws on his deep understanding of American folk traditions to make familiar material into something new. Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands,” written as a slow ballad, becomes a Pentecostal stomp with a banjo accompaniment that recalls the instrument’s African roots. “Drunkard’s Grave,” an early bluegrass song by Kanawha County natives the Bailes Brothers, is here rendered as a Western Swing ditty. Billy Edd Wheeler’s “High Flying Bird” was originally a grooving folk song covered by the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Richie Havens, and Gram Parsons. O’Brien turbocharges the tune, making it a rollicking newgrass romp with the help of banjo licks by Noam Pikelny and vocals by songwriter-turned-country superstar Chris Stapleton. O’Brien, a Wheeling boy and member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, has made his own contributions to the West Virginia songbook through the years. He introduces two new compositions here. The title track is about his Irish immigrant grandfather’s first days in Wheeling. “Guardian Angel” is about the older sister O’Brien never knew. These originals are right at home in the company of the other songs on Where the River Meets the Road Road. Don’t be surprised when they start showing up on other people’s albums. Projects like this often resemble taxidermy collections: exact replicas of the originals, but no life left. O’Brien avoids this by respecting his material but not being too precious with it. Like Carter and Riddle before him, he set out to find historically important songs for Where the River Meets the Road Road—just good ones. The West Virginia songbook is obviously ripe for the picking. written by
14 wvl • summer 2017
zack harold
COURTESY OF HOWDY SKIES RECORDS
West Virginia’s Largest Yard Sale
‹‹ discover
ARTIST
Taking Time COURTESY OF LISA ELMALEH
Lisa Elmaleh prefers her photography slow. lisa elmaleh takes being analog in the digital age to a whole new level. Growing up with a camera-toting father and later, while studying photography at The School of Visual Arts in New York City, she loved watching an image emerge among chemicals in a darkroom. Now Elmaleh—who relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to Paw Paw in Hampshire County three years ago—travels the country in her 1996 Toyota Tacoma, which serves as her darkroom. She takes tintype photos with an 8x10 format camera, a circa-1930s Century Universal, using the 19th century collodion “wet plate” process. Once she has snapped the 8-to-15-second exposure, Elmaleh must work fast, before the plate dries. “In the desert, you might have six minutes,” she says. “In West Virginia, in the middle of the summer, when it’s really dry, you have, like, 20 minutes.” She does dabble in the digital world, though. She scans her prints to display them on her website, and she also can make printouts on paper of the scans to send to her subjects. Her work has been showcased in galleries all over the world—from Los Angeles to New York to Seoul, South Korea and Hong Kong—and she holds regular workshops for shutterbugs who want to learn the old ways. lisaelmaleh.com written by mary
wade burnside wvliving.com 15
discover ››
Art and Soul GOO D NE WS
A nonprofit draws on its clients’ talents to make unique gifts. sw resources of parkersburg provides a wide array of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Clients work in janitorial services, direct mail, fingerprinting, graphic design, printing, warehousing and fulfillment services, and even spring water bottling. But it’s the nonprofit’s Marble Tree division that has gained special recognition over the years. Here, SW Resources staffers produce an array of arts and crafts, from rag rugs and dog toys made from donated T-shirts to beaded lanyards and custom greeting cards. Marble Tree is perhaps best known, however, for its colorful paper mosaics. Each work begins as a line drawing, often made from a photograph. Artists next go through donated magazines, cutting photos into tiny, eighth-inch-square pieces with an X-Acto knife. They arrange these pieces by color, like a painter building her palette. Artists then affix these tiles to the line drawing with Mod Podge glue. “You blend the colors like you would if you were painting,” says Joyce Boone, who manages the Marble Tree Division. The vibrant, intricate images of animals, flowers, and landscapes can take anywhere from a week to a month to complete. Artists can also do custom pieces based on customers’ photos of their pets, homes, and weddings. While the detailed work might sound nerve-wracking, “it’s actually really relaxing because you’re so focused on what you’re doing, you don’t notice anything around you,” says Marble Tree artist Kristie Garrison. Garrison, who suffers from essential tremors, has been making mosaics at SW Resources for almost two years. “The first one took me four months. I thought I was never going to finish,” she says. She’s gotten faster with time: A recent mosaic of the Marietta-Williamstown bridge took only about 10 days. Garrison has also gained a following on Facebook, where she posts daily updates on her mosaics’ progress. Marble Tree now has six employees that work exclusively on mosaics. Some, like Garrison, are longtime artists. Others only discovered their talents after going to work at SW Resources. “We’re lucky to have a lot of really talented people here,” Annetta Douglas, SW Resources’ marketing manager says. Mosaics can be purchased at SW Resources’ in-house shop or at local shops around Parkersburg. They’re also available at the Tygart Lake State Park gift shop and online. 1007 Mary Street, Parkersburg, 304.428.6344, swresources.com written by zack
harold resources
photos courtesy of sw
16 wvl • summer 2017
‹‹ discover
KING FOR A DAY
JAMES FROEMEL After graduating from West Virginia University and working in theaters around the state, James Froemel returned to work at WVU’s College of Creative Arts. Itching to get back onstage, he signed up for the Liar’s Contest at the 2015 Vandalia Gathering in Charleston. He won and, after sitting out for a year as rules require, took the coveted “Golden Shovel” again in 2017. The storytelling gene runs in the family: His 7-year-old, Jack, won 2017’s Youth Liar’s Contest. If I were king of West Virginia for a day, I would: Encourage my subjects to all yell “Let’s Go!” as loud as they can at the next WVU game. Also make it acceptable to yell “Let’s Go!” when stuck behind an extreme couponer in line at Kroger. Create an eating-while-rafting contest called “The New River Gorge Gorge.” Provide complimentary maps of the U.S. to anyone from out of state who wants to tell my royal subjects about their third cousin or buddy from Richmond. wvliving.com 17
discover ››
LE S S O N S
Engaging Young People
If young West Virginians think through the state’s problems together, maybe they’ll get hooked and stay here to solve them for real. 18 wvl • summer 2017
better,” says West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy’s Tara Martinez of the center’s Summer Policy Institute.
in 2016, the west virginia center on Budget and Policy’s first Summer Policy Institute brought 40 West Virginia college students together for three days of learning and networking. The WVCBP treated the students, selected through a competitive application process, to a primer on the state’s budget and related policy issues. Relationships forged there around a shared interest in the state’s prosperity gave WVCBP Policy Outreach Coordinator Tara Martinez hope. “I saw groups form of political science and pre-law students, geologists, social workers, from every political ideology, coming up with legislation they’d like to see passed,” she says. “They found commonalities.” Alumni still keep in touch. The 2017 SPI, to be hosted at West Virginia University in July for 50 participants, will offer a more visceral simulation: managing widespread flooding. Friday afternoon presentations will lay out the roles agencies play during disasters, with an emphasis on budget and economic impacts. Students will break into groups of five and choose roles like communications or social services among themselves. Saturday will alternate between presentations and group work, ending with speed networking with potential employers. “Going to a reception and marketing themselves and their strengths, that will help them with soft skills,” Martinez says. On Sunday, the groups will propose their best practices. “We envision a network of young people who have decided to stay here or come home,” Martinez says, “having organic conversations of, ‘The reality is that we have to find our common goals and work together.’ In 10 years, that could make a huge change in the state.”
ZACK HAROLD
“The thing I love about doing this work is that it really tweaks young people’s drive to understand the state
‹‹ discover
Q+A
with Martinez
What have you learned sparks the drive in young people to stay here and make West Virginia great? A more visceral understanding of the state’s challenges is what makes the lightbulb go off. We
need to build stronger relationships between young people and their state. When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to get out of West Virginia because I didn’t understand how much the state needed people like me to stay here and fight for her— how much my knowledge and the knowledge of everyone around me who decided to stay could build what we believe would make West Virginia a prosperous and wonderful place for everyone to raise families and live.
Meeting the people who are doing the work helps. Last year
we had students in social work interested in juvenile justice who had never met a judge working in juvenile justice. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit came and spoke, and we also had Stephanie Bond there, the director of the state Division of Juvenile Services. The students got to ask questions about how the system works and how we can make it better and pitch their ideas. Making these connections between young people and potential employers is very powerful.
Hard skills are important, but they’re not enough. Many times
I’ve spoken with folks about hiring or about placement of interns, and they tell me that soft skills are really lacking—even if students have hard skills, they may not know how to connect with mentors and employers, how to sell themselves.
Connections make people feel, and be, effective. They say there are six
degrees of separation between any two people, but here in West Virginia it’s more like one or two: Someone knows someone. When students have those connections, they start to see how they can get things done.
interviewed by pam
kasey wvliving.com 19
20 wvl • summer 2017
‹‹ discover
S OU ND
After the Flood
TODD CERVERIS
Musicians offer help and healing with Take Me Home: A Concert for West Virginia. when floodwaters ravaged southern West Virginia in June 2016, Michael Cerveris started phoning home. The Tony Awardwinning actor, who grew up in Huntington, first wanted to make sure his friends were OK. Then he wanted to know what he could do to help. Drawing on both his New York show business connections and his friendships with the crew of West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s “Mountain Stage,” Ceveris put together two benefit shows at Manhattan’s celebrated Joe’s Pub. The line-up for each included actress and singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, folk royalty Suzzy Roche and her daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche, and Ceveris’s band Loose Cattle, among others. West Virginia’s music scene was well represented, too, with Todd Burge, The Carpenter Ants, Larry Groce, Ona, and Tyler Childers rounding out the bill. “It became a roster of old friends and new friends,” Ceveris says. “I think that’s what made such a heartfelt environment.”
Tickets sold out fast. The shows, held on a single Sunday night last August, raised more than $8,500 for flood relief between ticket sales, T-shirt sales, and donations. But Ceveris didn’t want it to stop there. “When we did the shows, they were so special—such a great assortment of musicians and such a great vibe in the room. That’s when I decided I was going to put it out,” he says. “I didn’t care if we sold 20 copies. I just wanted it to exist and be preserved.” He took the multitrack recordings of the concert captured by the sound crew at Joe’s Pub and had them mixed and mastered. Earlier this year, Low Heat Records released those recordings as a double album called Take Me Home: A Concert for West Virginia. All proceeds from the record go to the American Red Cross for the ongoing flood relief efforts in West Virginia. Listening to the album, “I think you get a sense of the joy and fun and celebration and care
that was a part of it,” Ceveris says. That’s especially true of the closing track. Ceveris gathered everyone onstage at the end of the night, and, with Groce leading the makeshift choir, launched into John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” “We never rehearsed it because, if you have to rehearse ‘Take Me Home,’ you’re in the wrong room,” Ceveris says. “The whole room sang it with us. It was really perfect.” Take Me Home: A Concert for West Virginia is now available on iTunes, Bandcamp, and Low Heat Records’ website. lowheatrecords.com written by zack
harold wvliving.com 21
discover ››
LEGISLATION CONSULTATION 1. Find a worthy cause Soon after becoming Generation West Virginia’s first-ever statewide director, Roper went on a listening tour to find out what issues mattered to young people across state. She returned with an intimidating list— education, technology, entrepreneurship, diversity, and quality of place. But then she came to a realization. “Broadband is fundamental to every one of those things.” 2. Identify allies In its second year fighting for the broadband bill, Generation West Virginia found what might seem like an unlikely ally: AARP West Virginia. The two groups realized young and old residents wanted many of the same things when it came to high-speed internet and, by joining forces, put additional pressure on lawmakers to pay attention to broadband-related legislation. 3. Be OK with compromise
HOW WE DID I T
Third Time’s the Charm What the “broadband bill” can teach us about effective lobbying. written and photographed by
zack harold
the “broadband bill,” passed during this year’s regular legislative session and signed by Governor Jim Justice a few weeks later, makes significant strides in expanding high-speed internet service in West Virginia. Among other things, the law allows for the formation of cooperatives to extend fiber optic lines to homes and businesses. It also creates a loan insurance program through the state Economic Development Authority to encourage banks make loans to small- and medium-sized broadband providers who want to build out their infrastructure. Getting the legislation passed was no easy endeavor. It took three years, countless committee meetings, and lots of lobbying from Natalie Roper, executive director of Generation West Virginia, one of the bill’s main supporters. She recently took some time to explain what it really takes for a bill to become a law. If you’ve got a pet cause you’d like to see considered under the big gold dome, consider this advice: 22 wvl • summer 2017
Some broadband supporters were upset that some ideas in the original legislation were cut in the committee amendment process. Roper isn’t too concerned. “You have to start somewhere. Small wins lead to big wins. But no wins gets you nowhere,” she says. “Policy is incremental change.” Roper has already heard from people wanting to start broadband cooperatives, and she expects the loan guarantees will soon jumpstart provider investments in infrastructure. “To me this legislation lays the groundwork to start.” 4. Complex legislation takes several tries When the broadband bill didn’t pass after Roper’s first year at the Legislature in 2015, “I remember being so upset,” she says. “And people told me it takes three years for legislation to pass.” Roper says each of the years she lobbied for broadband was important. In the first year, she introduced lawmakers to the idea of broadband expansion. In the second year, lawmakers began pitching different approaches to solve the state’s internet problems. By this year’s session, the Legislature was able to come up with a bill palatable to most parties involved. “Sixty days is not a lot of time to pass legislation,” Roper says. “It’s important for them to have heard about the same thing for multiple sessions.”
‹‹ discover Buildings collected at Heritage Farm date to the 1800s and 1900s.
ROOT S
Heritage Vil age Preserved buildings take locals back in time.
there’s more to calhoun county park than its pristine stargazing opportunities. Locals and out-of-towners also enjoy traveling back in time at Heritage Village, located inside the park. The area is maintained by the Calhoun County West Virginia Historical and Genealogical Society, with the goal of “gathering information about local history by bringing in and preserving different buildings from destruction—because many of them were not in very good shape,” says Bob Bonar. He chairs the historical society, which
is also responsible for an annual Civil War reenactment, the Calhoun Historical Society Museum, and the Stump Hotel, both located in Grantsville. The idea originally sparked in the early 1990s. Now, almost 30 years later, seven restored buildings make up Heritage Village. Moving the buildings is a long process because many have to be partially dismantled before being trucked to the park. Some have come from as far as 30 miles away. Each building, along with many of the items inside, was donated by people from around the area. There is a small grocery store where the shelves are stocked with items that are at least 50 years old, including fabrics, tobacco cans, medicines, and makeup items. The historical society rescued a local post office, where a 1917 “Buy War Bonds” poster hangs on the wall. A carpenter’s shop includes more than 50 tools and so many
other items, they “could hardly get everything in,” says Bonar. There’s a blacksmith shop from the 1950s. Also sitting on the land is a log cabin that was renovated into a chapel, complete with a steeple, church pews, and an organ. Another log structure, a two-story home dating back to the late 1800s, was owned by a family with 18 children. The home is tied for the oldest building inside Heritage Village, along with a one-room schoolhouse. The village has become a popular destination for photographers, which is fine with members of the historical society. They want Heritage Village to not only preserve old buildings, but bring the past alive for those who come to visit. “We’re a historical society. That’s why we do it,” Bonar says. written by kristen
uppercue bowman
photographed by nikki
wvliving.com 25
26 wvl • summer 2017
Taste NO MEAL IS COMPLE TE WITHOUT A GOOD STORY
CARLA WITT FORD
Fresh is Best Tomatoes fresh off the vine. Blueberries right off the bush. A grilled cheese sandwich hot off the griddle. Summertime is ripe for the picking. PICTURED: FRESHLY PICKED BLUEBERRIES FROM BLUEBERRY RIDGE FARM, MARION COUNTY. PAGE 39. wvliving.com 27
taste ›› maker
28 wvl • summer 2017
maker ‹‹ taste
A Better Tomato The father of the WV ’63 is still improving the tomato on our behalf.
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annon Gallegly grew up on a cotton farm in Arkansas. He took a faculty position at West Virginia University in 1949 and became the state’s vegetable plant pathologist. Gallegly put particular effort into hybridizing tomatoes against the dreaded late blight that can destroy fruits and whole crops. After 13 years, he released his WV ’63 hybrid for the state’s 100th birthday: a blight-resistant plant that yields medium-sized fruits with “a flavor that just yells ‘SANDWICH!’” according to one seed catalog. Recently, Gallegly and research partner Mahfuz Rahman took on the worsening problem of the Septoria leaf spot fungus on tomatoes. WVU unveiled their WV ’17A and WV ’17B this spring and mailed 150 seed packets of both varieties to growers. The feedback will determine the plants’ futures. Gallegly is now 94 and a professor emeritus of plant pathology. We caught up with him to talk about tomatoes, bugs, and the land grant mission.
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I put potato and tomato plots out in the Tygart valley in 1950, and my plants were killed by this tomato blight. I had been collecting wild tomatoes and a few of them stood there and were kind of resistant. They were very small tomatoes, some of them about the size of an end of a pencil eraser. So I started working with that resistance, crossing it to tomatoes with large fruit. It took me 13 years to get the size up, segregating bad habits and selecting for good characters. We started distributing seed in 1963, and we charged a quarter—“Send 25¢ and we’ll send you 25 seeds.” This new marmorated stink bug hides in the daytime, comes out at night, gets the sticky Septorium spores on its body, and spreads the spores on the tomato plants. That’s what causes this increase in severity of Septoria leaf spot. I was 90 years old, so I went to a young colleague and said, “Would you join me in a breeding program? Because it took me 13 years the first time, and you may have to take over and finish it.”
That’s Mahfuz Rahman. We crossed the WV ’63 with this new variety from Cornell, Iron Lady, that has resistance to Septoria leaf spot, and we came out with these two lines that looked really good for fruit quality and size and yield. The resistance is not good enough—the Septoria resistance in the Iron Lady was not good enough—but what little bit it had, we captured it in the ’17A and ’17B. The timing of the release is due to our dean of agriculture (Daniel J. Robison). He said, “Mannon, we have our 150th birthday of the formation of the college of agriculture and the university coming up. Could you release a new tomato variety in its honor?” So we did. The ’17A has a little heavier fruit set, and it’s a little more tart than the ’63. The ’17B is larger, more beefsteaksize, and it’s sweeter than the ’63. So we’ll see how it goes. They’ve both got good color, uniform ripening, and resistance to other diseases. And only a slight tolerance to Septorium, but for people
who spray their plants with a fungicide to control the leaf spot, it makes it easier. They also need to combine an insecticide to control the stink bug at the same time. The land grant mission for a plant pathologist is to learn how to more economically control plant diseases. Breeding for resistance is the best way to do it, if you can find resistance. It takes a while. Also, if you can have resistance, you don’t have to spray fungicides and chemicals into the environment, so it’s a more organic method of control for plant disease. Because we’re not happy with the resistance, we’re continuing breeding. It looks like we’re going to have to go back to wild tomatoes like Solanum peruvianum and Solanum corneliomuelleri. They actually have immunity, so we’re working with those. We’re going to continue and maybe come out with a 2020 variety: WV ’20. interviewed by pam
kasey
photographed by m.g.ellis,
west virginia university
LOOK TWICE wvliving.com 29
taste ›› libations
A Taste of Apple-achia Swilled Dog, West Virginia’s second commercial hard cidery, has something for everyone.
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aking hard cider is a common household tradition in Pendleton County. “There’s cider everywhere,” says Brad Glover, co-owner of the new Swilled Dog Hard Cider in Franklin. “I’ve been making small batches as a hobby for nine or 10 years. So, about a year ago, I approached everybody to see if they wanted to start a business.” “Everybody” means his wife, Brooke, his two sisters and their husbands, and his parents—eight in total. “Everybody brings something different to the table.” It was stressful ramping up from 5-gallon batches, he says. “But we knew we had something that would resonate with the people in West Virginia. We’re not making artisanal-type ciders or sugary-sweet ones—we think we’re pretty approachable for most people.” Swilled Dog produces three flagship varieties year-round: the dry, tart Walk the Dog; the hopped Bunny Slope, this writer’s favorite; and Caramel Apple. Its summer 2017 seasonal offering is Island Vibes, with pineapple. Due later this year is West Virginia Scrumpy, made annually from any apples local residents donate in the fall. “You don’t know what it’s going to make and we’ll never make it again,” Glover says. The family business has a strong commitment to West Virginia, sourcing as many of its apples in the state as possible and planting cider-specific trees every year. It also sets aside 1 percent of its profits for West Virginia causes. Swilled Dog distributes to shops and restaurants across the state in 750 milliliter bottles and in kegs, and plans to eventually get into cans and go regional and national. swilleddog.com written by pam
kasey
photo courtesy of swilled
30 wvl • summer 2017
dog hard cider
town ‹‹ taste
Bon Appetit Bluefield
Owner and pitmaster Travis Harry’s new restaurant, The Big Whiskey BBQ Co., dishes out some of the best barbecue in the state.
Don’t miss the food scene in this Southern West Virginia city. Bluefield blooms in the summertime, literally. But what locals are most excited about is the town’s blossoming culinary scene. With new establishments like The Big Whiskey BBQ Co. and Patty Joe’s joining mainstays like David’s—now called David’s Downtown—there are several places to refuel after spending the day in “Nature’s Air-Conditioned City.” Here are a few restaurants worth raving about: written and photographed by nikki
bowman
The Big Whiskey BBQ Co. 610 Raleigh Street, 304.800.4547 bigwhiskeybbqco.com
The RailYard 530 Raleigh Street, 304.800.4141 railyardwv.com
This barbecue joint started as a food truck and because of the demand has expanded into an über-cool brick-and-mortar space. It has quickly become one of the best places in the state for mouthwatering barbecue. Pork, chicken, brisket, and ribs take center stage and can be enjoyed in a wrap or on a brioche bun.
Located in the depot district, The RailYard’s eclectic pub-like atmosphere—and awesome bar—is the perfect backdrop to casual fare like Chicken Waffle Nachos, lip-smacking wings, and Philly Cheesesteak Sliders. This go-to spot for entertainment comes alive in the evenings, when you can hear local musicians perform while you unwind with a crafty cocktail.
Patty Joe’s Restaurant 3029 East Cumberland Road, 304.800.4582 pattyjoesrestaurant.com This casual dining spot is where the locals go for classic comfort food. From seafood to burgers to Shepherd’s Pie, you won’t leave hungry. Start with Fried Calamari or, if you are in the mood for something really spicy, order the Stuffed Quahog. The po-boys are popular, as are the seafood dinners. And save room for their Key Lime Pie. wvliving.com 31
taste ›› local f lavor
Five Scoops of Fun When dining at Draper’s, save room for the mountainous banana split.
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ven in a restaurant decorated with pink-and-white-striped wallpaper and bold floral print booths, the Draper’s Signature Banana Split stands out. Tiffany Rodzach, food and beverage manager at the Greenbrier, has witnessed customers’ eyes grow wide when they set their sights on the football-sized dish that features five scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, three maraschino cherries, and, of course, two or three bananas. “It’s really fun to watch it walk through the restaurant,” Rodzach says. “It’s all eyes on the prize. ‘Honey, did you see that?’ and ‘Oh, we want one of those.’” A banana split has been on the menu at Draper’s since the restaurant opened in 1990. But after now-Governor Jim Justice bought the resort in 2009, he wanted something larger and more decadent. “Mr. Justice wanted a really big banana split,” says executive pastry chef JeanFrancois Suteau. The typical Draper’s Signature Banana Split comes with three scoops of vanilla ice cream and one each of chocolate and strawberry. But customers can switch it up. “If you like mint chocolate chip or our peanut butter ice cream, you can do that,” Rodzach says. Draper’s offers 15 varieties of ice cream made in-house daily, as well as a flavor of the month. Although single ice cream scoops are the most popular desserts, the banana split is the restaurant’s best-selling custom treat, with staff assembling about 1,600 each year. When the New Orleans Saints football team held training camp at The Greenbrier last year, the delicacy helped to fuel their workouts. “I don’t want to say they were betting, but they were racing to see who could eat them the fastest,” Rodzach says. written by mary
wade burnside photographed by nikki bowman 32 wvl • summer 2017
J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works ‹‹ taste
Salt to Taste J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works’ dinner series highlights local ingredients and homegrown culinary talent.
wvliving.com 33
taste ›› J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works In addition to highlighting local food producers, J.Q. Dickinson’s Celebration of the Seasons dinner series
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also benefits local food causes—$10 of each ticket goes to groups like Future Farmers of America.
t’s safe to say the secret’s out. Since opening its doors in 2013, Malden’s J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works has gained a reputation with both chefs and home cooks for its top-quality artisanal products, such as ramp salt, smoked salt, and nigari, a mineral-packed byproduct of the salt making process often used to make tofu. But J.Q. Dickinson wasn’t content with just seasoning other people’s foods—they wanted to make some of their own. Last year, the company launched a series of farm-to-table dinners, bringing people together to celebrate the summer with delicious cuisine by local chefs. It wasn’t long before Celebration of the Seasons became one of the hottest tickets in the Charleston area. “By the third one, there was so much interest they sold out within 10 minutes,” says CEO Nancy Bruns. The company started the dinners as a way of promoting West Virginia-made products and Mountain State culinary expertise to create a unique experience centered around Appalachian flavors and influences. “I really like to promote the talent we have in the state. It was important to me as a former restaurant owner,” says Bruns. Chefs have full creative control over the menu, although J.Q. Dickinson does set parameters on which ingredients can be used, to ensure local ingredient sourcing. J.Q. Dickinson provides the salt and the kitchen, and the chefs do the rest.
34 wvl • summer 2017
An event begins with an educational tour of the grounds. “We take groups of people on tours at the beginning of the dinner and teach them about our process and agriculture and sustainability,” Bruns says. After the tour, guests make their way to the outdoor dining space for an unforgettable culinary experience. Seated at a long, rustic wooden table with wildflower centerpieces and tealight candles, guests chatter amongst themselves, drinking the wine or beer they’ve brought along. This community-style BYOB dinner encourages conversation—guests become acquainted with people they didn’t know before the dinner, almost always leaving with a few new friends. Bruns enjoys the conviviality, too. “It’s fun. You get to meet people you might not otherwise if you sat at a table for two or six,” says Bruns. “I try to go to all of them. They take you to Tuscany with these dinners,” says Anna Dailey, a regular guest and resident of
Charleston. Dailey loves to take coworkers and friends from out of town. She regularly buys four tickets for dinners so she can introduce others to this homegrown supper club. After attending eight dinners, her favorite dish so far has been a salt-crusted salmon with roasted vegetables and marinated tomatoes and cucumbers, served with a lemon-caper aioli— prepared by Chef Noah Miller of Noah’s Eclectic Bistro in Charleston. The rolling fields in the background and the family feel only added to the experience. With a recent remodeling of J.Q. Dickinson’s facilities, Bruns and company plan to expand the dinners into a year-round series. She would also like to bring in bands for dinners, adding local sounds to the sights and smells of an already genuine Appalachian experience. jqdsalt.com written by anna
saab bowman
photographed by nikki
vittles ‹‹ taste
Oil Change Discover gourmet olive oils and vinegars at Berkeley Springs’ Naked Olive.
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hanks to a flat tire, Irv and Laura Miller stumbled across an olive oil and vinegar tasting store outside Ocean City, Maryland. They liked the store so much, they decided to bring the concept to Berkeley Springs’ historic downtown. The Millers are originally from Baltimore but have been living in Berkeley Springs for 19 years. They knew an olive oil and vinegar tasting gallery would be a welcome addition to the town’s artistic atmosphere. They opened their store, The Naked Olive, in 2016 and now offer a selection of more than 60 oils and vinegars from around the world. Chipotle, butter oil, and garlic oil are just a few of the unique flavored oils the Naked Olive offers. Friendly staff are on hand to guide shoppers through the store’s extensive selection and explain where the products come from and what makes them special. The oils and vinegars are kept in tanks, called fusti, that block light and extend the oils’ shelf life. The Naked Olive bottles directly from the fusti to ensure freshness. The Millers also take pride in selling various West Virginia-made products such as chocolates and jams. And on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, they open the doors to the Naked Olive Lounge, a full-service bar that also serves tapas plates. You can sit down and enjoy a special cocktail made from balsamic vinegars as Frank Sinatra plays in the background. “This is where adults come to unwind,” Irv Miller says. 87 North Washington Street, Berkeley Springs, 304.258.0900, thenakedolive.com written by kristen
uppercue bowman
photographed by nikki
wvliving.com 35
taste ›› The Cheese Melt Some customers of Thomas Gilson’s The Cheese Melt just want the traditional bread and cheese sandwich. Others prefer a grown-up
take, swapping out different kinds of cheese and adding a variety of top-quality meats, fruits, and vegetables.
The Cheese Stands Alone A Wheeling food truck takes a childhood favorite to the streets.
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homas Gilson was tired of working for other people. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and had spent time as a probation officer, but decided it wasn’t for him. Then he worked construction. The pay was better, but not enough to justify the 90-hour workweeks and nights away from home. So in 2013, he quit to devote his time to grilled cheese sandwiches. He got the idea from a trip he and his wife Tricia had taken to a festival in Telluride,
36 wvl • summer 2017
Colorado, where they saw a woman selling the childhood favorite from a booth. “I thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever seen,” Gilson says. He had no culinary experience outside of cooking for family and friends but, back home, he started experimenting in his kitchen with different combinations of bread and cheese as Tricia took notes of the various successes and failures. He bought a small trailer, about the size of a hotdog cart, and began hawking sandwiches at festivals around Wheeling. The enterprise, which Gilson dubbed The Cheese Melt, showed promise. The next year he upgraded to a larger trailer with a full kitchen set-up and parked the rig in downtown Wheeling. That didn’t work the way he’d hoped, however. “In downtown Wheeling, you’ve got the same people down there every single day. They knew I was going to be there, so there was no sense of urgency,” he says. In 2016 he began moving his operation from place to place each day. This, coupled with The Cheese Melt’s ever-growing social media following, has led to a steady stream of customers clamoring for his “grown-up grilled cheeses.”
Diners can build their own sandwiches from a list of top-notch ingredients: nine kinds of cheese, four choices of meats, and nine fruit and vegetable toppings. But Gilson’s 10 specialty melts are the crowd favorites. Try the Beale Street Melt, topped with both hot pepper and gorgonzola cheese, bacon, golden delicious apple slices, and kale. Or, for something with an international flair, order the Taco Melt with chipotle cheese, taco meat, red onion, and tomatoes. Gilson has big plans for this business— he plans to grow a fleet of Cheese Melt trucks in multiple cities and eventually sell franchises. The way he sees it, there’s no more universally appealing food than a grilled cheese sandwich. “Grilled cheese is so great. You can do so much with it. You can appease the purists who just want straight-up cheese only, and you can get into all the fancy concoctions,” he says. “And no matter what, you’re going to get melty cheese.” written by
zack harold bowman
photographed by nikki
EAT + DRINK + BE LO CA L |
this ‹‹ taste
Summer’s Perfect Pleasure
You haven’t tasted blueberries until you’ve picked your own. written by
zack harold carla witt ford
photographed and styled by
taste ›› this
Y
ou’ve never had a blueberry. Not really. Not according to John Connolly. “There’s something about them right off the bush, before they’ve been refrigerated,” he says. The fruit is firmer, with a more nuanced flavor. “It’s just the next level up.” Connolly is, admittedly, a little biased. For more than a decade, his Blueberry Ridge Farms in Fairmont has drawn droves of blueberry fans who prefer to pick their produce right off the bush. When he bought the farm in 2000, he started looking for a crop he could grow organically and one that would do well in north central West Virginia, which often sees rainy summers and early frosts. He
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found some wild blueberries growing on the property, which showed the soil was acidic enough for successful blueberry production. Seeing the success of another local pick-yourown operation sealed the deal. It takes a while for blueberry bushes to get established. For the first few years, growers remove all the blooms so the plant focuses all its energy on establishing a root system. Connolly welcomed his first group of pickers the fifth year after planting. Now, when the berries are ready for picking in early June, cars line up outside Connolly’s farm like that scene from Field of Dreams. Blueberries cost $20 a gallon, or $19 if you bring your own container. Customers eagerly watch Facebook to find out when the berries will be ready. Even when the fruit is set, it still needs
a few more warm, sunny days to fully ripen. “It’s very weather-dependent,” Connolly says. Usually, the berries are ready to pick around the first week of June. The season typically lasts until the first week of July. “It’s really become a new tradition for families in the area to pick blueberries right around that July 4 weekend and have berries for their celebrations.” Connolly’s a big fan of blueberry smoothies, and he makes a mean blueberry pie. But his favorite way to eat them is, of course, right off the bush. “Just the idea of picking a perfectly ripe, sun-warmed piece of fruit, it seemed like one of summer’s perfect pleasures,” he says. “There’s nothing like it.” Tom Moran Lane, Fairmont; 304.368.8294, “Blueberry Ridge Farms” on Facebook
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Pickin’ and Grinnin’ Here are some other pick-your-own blueberry farms around the state. Be sure to call or check the website before visiting, to make sure the berries are ripe.
Blueberry Hill, 2524 Flat Top Egeria Road, Flat Top, 304.787.3930, blueberryhillwv.com Buckhart’s Blueberries, 780 Poor House Road, Martinsburg, 304.229.2391, “Buchart’s Blueberries” on Facebook Floral Acres, 385 Bridal Ridge Road, French Creek, 304.924.6462, floralacres.com Herot Hall Farms, 1593 Emma Road, Kenna, 304.993.7799, herothall.com, “Herot Hall Farms” on Facebook McConnell Berry Farm (by appointment only), 340 Old Sawmill Road, Independence, 304.291.0015, mcconnellberryfarm.biz
Shady Oaks Farm, 5790 Manilla Creek Road, Poca, 888.304.5638, shadyoaksblueberry.com, “Shady Oaks Farm” on Facebook Sizemore Farm, 2003 Triplett Ridge Road, Clay, 540.687.0566, “Sizemore Farm” on Facebook The Briarpatch, 207 Briarpatch Lane, Mount Hope, 304.673.0568 White Oak Farms, 1700 Brownstown Road, Renick, 304.497.3577, whiteoakberryfarm.com, “White Oak Farm” on Facebook
this ‹‹ taste
Blueberry Scones Blueberry Hand Pies 4 ready-made refrigerated pie crusts ½ cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 ½ cups fresh blueberries pinch of salt 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons water Sanding sugar, for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 375°. 2. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, gently mix blueberries with lemon juice to coat. Sprinkle sugar mixture over blueberries and gently mix until blueberries are completely coated. 3. Combine egg yolk and water to create egg wash. 4. Using a small, 4-to-5-inch bowl as a template and a sharp knife, cut 3 or 4 circles
out of each prepared pie crust. Leftover pieces can be used to form complete circles if necessary. Place dough circles on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
5. Fill the center of pie crusts with 1–2 tablespoons of blueberry mixture. Brush edges with egg wash. Fold crust in half and seal edges by pressing the back of a fork down on top edge of dough. 6. Chill hand pies for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking. Remove from refrigerator and brush top sides with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar. Cut a small slit in the tops of the hand pies to let steam escape during baking. 7. Bake 20 minutes or until pies have turned golden brown and are flaky. 8. Let pies cool for 5 minutes before serving.
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks 1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones 1. Preheat the oven to 400°. 2. Sift together dry ingredients. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in butter to coat pieces with flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. 3. Gently fold blueberries into batter. To avoid greenish-blue scones, do not mash or bruise blueberries. Make a well in center and pour in heavy cream. Gently fold everything together to just incorporate; do not overwork the dough. 4. Press dough out onto lightly floured surface, into a rectangle about 12 x 3 x 1 ¼ inches. Cut rectangle in half, then cut pieces in half again, resulting in 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut squares in half on diagonal to form triangle shapes. 5. Place scones on ungreased cookie sheet and brush tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Let scones cool slightly before serving. wvliving.com 41
taste ›› this
Blueberry and Peach Sangria
1 cup fresh blueberries plus extra for garnish 1 cup simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar heated until sugar dissolves: cool) 1 bottle dry, fruity red wine ¼ cup Triple Sec ¼ cup brandy 2 oranges, thinly sliced 1 peach, pitted and thinly sliced 1. Combine blueberries and simple syrup in a pitcher. Lightly muddle with a potato masher. 2. Add wine, Triple Sec, brandy, one orange, and peach slices. Cover pitcher and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 3. Serve over ice, garnish with remaining orange slices and blueberries.
Blueberry Buckle
1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup solid vegetable shortening 1 large egg ⅓ cup milk 2 cups blueberries whipped cream for serving (optional) 1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine ⅓ cup flour, ½ cup sugar, and cinnamon. Using your fingers, rub in butter until mixture is crumbly. 3. In a small bowl, whisk remaining 1 cup of flour with baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat remaining ½ cup of sugar with shortening. Beat in the egg. Beat in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with milk. 4. Spread batter in the prepared baking dish. Scatter blueberries over the batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon crumble topping and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool slightly. 5. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired. 42 wvl • summer 2017
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
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The Summer Fun Pass
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One day pass $40 Family 4 Pack (2 adults & 2 children) $99 $10 for each additional family member Season Fun Pass $109 Children age 5 and under Free INCLUDED 2 Hare Racer zipline Rides, 1 bag of range balls at the Raven, Unlimited Eurobungy, Climbing Wall, Split Rock Pools, Shavers Lake Activities, Scenic Lift Rides
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Activities Abound Hop in a 4-seat Polaris RZR or ACE 1-seater for the thrill of going off-road to experience the best of Snowshoe’s backcountry. Our more challenging, adrenaline-filled ACE tour scales Silver Creek’s rocky terrain and is truly a technical off-road adventure, while the more serene RZR tour features long climbs to scenic views, including the Cheat Mountain Ridge Fire Tower. Of all there is to do in the Village, flying above it at breakneck speeds is not to be missed. The Hare Racer Zipline features a side-by-side design so you can either race a friend or zip solo above the crowds below. It’s included in the FREE Fun Pass you get with lodging booked through Snowshoe Vacation Rentals.
Of all the ways to explore the Mountain, this is one we don’t think you’ll find anywhere else around--on a Segway! After a brief training session, you’ll be rolling across our trail system faster and smoother than you ever thought possible. Make your way down to Shavers Lake, where you’ll find a variety of watercraft, a beach area with chairs and umbrellas, an expansive swimming area with awesome inflatables, and the Boathouse Restaurant.
Shindig on the Shore is our one-of-a-kind evening featuring a chairlift ride to Shavers Lake, where you’ll enjoy four courses of fine Southern cuisine served family-style under the stars. Games for all ages, live entertainment, and yummy s’mores around the campfire round out this night to remember.
BOOK ONLINE at snowshoemtn.com OR CALL 877.441.4386
The calm, clear water of Shavers Lake is a paradise for paddleboats and paddleboards.
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Featuring one of the largest trail systems in the East, Snowshoe’s Bike Park includes nearly 40 trails and 1,500 feet of vertical, with gravity trails that cater to everyone from novice to expert mountain bikers. It’s also home to the largest bike rental fleet in the region and a lesson program that’s second to none. Best of all, the entire park is serviced by chairlifts and shuttles, so you’ll never have to pedal back up the mountain. Oh, and the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships are landing right here this July.
A LITTLE DIRT NEVER HURT ANYONE… Want to learn the exciting art of mountain biking? Snowshoe’s classes are unparalleled. CROSS COUNTRY TOUR
With a cross country tour, you'll explore some of our most scenic trails and get a taste of the mountain lifestyle all at the same time. This is an awesome way to begin your biking adventure.
MOUNTAIN BIKING 101
If you’re new to downhill mountain biking, or just need a refresher, our Intro to Biking course is a great place to start. Our certified coaches will build your confidence in the park and have you slingin' dirt in no time.
MOUNTAIN BIKING 301
If you want to expand your skillset and explore more advanced terrain with tips and tricks from our experienced coaches, Mountain Biking 301 is here to help you get it done.
PRIVATE/GUIDED LESSON
There’s no better way to learn the lay of the land and boost your skills in the Bike Park than with a private lesson. Your professional coach will help you define your goals, then guide you to them.
BOOK ONLINE at snowshoemtn.com OR CALL 877.441.4386
MOUNTAIN BIKE AND GEAR RENTALS
With the largest rental fleet around, the Mountain Adventure Center carries Specialized downhill and freeride bikes for the whole family. Bringing your own? We rent all the protective gear. $35/day gets you a helmet, body armor, and shin pads. Call 304.572.5917 to reserve your gear today.
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Top Eats After a day of adventuring, you’ll want to refuel at one of the many conveniently located restaurants. Here are a few favorites: THE JUNCTION RESTAURANT AND SALOON Step back in time with your family and friends for home-style cooking at its finest. CHEAT MOUNTAIN PIZZA COMPANY The go to place for the best pizza, salads, and subs on the mountain. They even offer an Express Menu for carry-out orders.
Whether you play Snowshoe’s Gary Player Signature course for the breathtaking scenery or the long, rolling terrain of its challenging fairways, The Raven will make you fall in love with golf all over again. Player made the most of the rugged terrain, stacking huge boulders to form dramatic greens and tees with views of valleys and mountains all around. Edged with rough and dense woods, the fairways are often tilted and many have drops in elevation. Ravines, lakes, rock walls, and a stream increase the course’s intensity. Looking for a little added competition? You’re in luck, we’re excited to announce the addition of league play this year.
3-DAY ADVENTURE PASS $169 Not one. Not two. But three full days of adventuring like it was your job. That’s the idea behind our amazing, incredible, unbelievable Mountain Adventure Pass, which gives you three back-to-back days of adventuring all over Snowshoe Mountain. Yes, with this exclusive all-access pass to the mountain, adventure is yours for the taking. It just might be the best deal this summer has to offer. So don’t wait, let’s go adventuring! Included: Polaris RZR Tours, Raven Golf Club, Segway Tours, Sporting Clays, Hare Racer Zipline, Snowshoe Bike Park, Intro to Mountain Biking PLUS UNLIMITED USE OF Split Rock Pools, Ballhooter & Western Scenic Lift Rides, Shavers Lake: Canoes, Paddleboats, Beach Games & More, Hiking and Cross Country Trail Access, Village Activities: Eurobungy & Climbing Wall BOOK ONLINE at snowshoemtn.com OR CALL 877.441.4386
ADVENTURE DINING What happens when our gourmet chefs team up with those wild adventure guides? You get an adrenaline-fueled offroad tour of the Mountain that ends with a decadent meal prepared and served onsite at our Sunrise Backcountry Hut. It all starts when you hop in one of our heated, 4-seat Polaris RZRs and hit the Cheat Mountain Ridge Trail that runs along a towering Spruce forest (we’ll even let you drive if you want, provided you’re 18 or over). You’ll cross exciting terrain while taking in some amazing views that few guests ever get to see, before reaching the Backcountry Hut located 2 miles away from the Village. THE BOATHOUSE Located steps from the base of Ballhooter lift, The Boathouse deck overlooks scenic Shavers Lake. The Boathouse is the perfect place to relax and recharge. THE RAVEN GRILLE The Raven Grille offers a complete breakfast and lunch menu as well as stunning views of our course and surrounding area from the top floor of the picturesque clubhouse.
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New for 2017: Mountaineer Camps at Snowshoe Mountain
MOUNTAINEER FAMILY CAMP JULY 2–9, 2017 - AUGUST 6–13, 2017
The family that bikes, hikes, swims, eats, and adventures together, selfies together. Mountaineer families are one-of-a-kind, so their camp should be, too. While your kids bounce from activity to activity, you choose your own adventures. Of course, you’ll still get to share your tales over a lakeside campfire, enjoy chef-prepared meals, and participate in organized alumni camp events together. Best of all, your big WVU family will always be just a horseshoe-toss away.
HIGHLIGHTS CENTER VILL AGE LODGING CHEF-PREPARED MEALS HIKING IN THE HILLS MOUNTAIN BIKING SHAVERS L AKE MOUNTAINEER MASCOT R ALLIES PERFORMANCES BY W VU MUSIC ENSEMBLES
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Mountaineer Family Camp includes 7 nights family lodging in Snowshoe’s mountaintop village (room sizes based on number of participants, upgrade options available). Includes all prepared meals as well as all Snowshoe adventure activities, organized alumni camp events, social gatherings, children’s activities, and final evening festival ticket.
ALUMNI MEMBER PRICING Adults $845 Age 12–17 $710 Age 7–11 $610 Age 3–6 $460 Age 2 and under $110 BOOK ONLINE at snowshoemtn.com OR CALL 877.441.4386
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Five Fabulous Festivals WANDERLUST
June 9-11, 2017 Find your true north at this unique festival that brings together yoga and meditation instructors, musical performers, speakers, artists, and chefs for a transformational retreat in the world’s most beautiful natural settings.
BOTTLES AND BARRELS July 15, 2017 From craft beer to a wide range of wines, you’ll drink in more than the majestic mountain views at this popular festival.
TREASURE ON THE MOUNTAIN
HIGHLIGHTS CENTER VILL AGE LODGING MOUNTAIN DINING STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING MOUNTAIN BIKING R AVEN GOLF COURSE
August 5, 2017 This Snowshoe Foundation event is unlike any other. It’s a raffle party mountain-style. Food and drink vendors, live entertainment, and chances to win more than $250,000 in cash and prizes bring people from far and wide. All the proceeds go to supporting the local community.
OFF-ROAD TOURS PERFORMANCES BY W VU MUSIC ENSEMBLES
WHAT'S INCLUDED
MOUNTAINEER ADVENTURE CAMP JULY 13–16, 2017 Mountaineers, get ready to say yes to four adrenaline-filled days of pure adventuring– WVU style. Mountaineer Adventure Camp is all about filling your lungs, testing your limits, and seeing just how much fun you can string together in the name of unbridled Mountaineer pride. Yeah, we thought you’d like that.
Mountaineer Adventure Camp includes 3 nights’ lodging in Snowshoe’s Mountaintop Village (room sizes based on number of participants in your party, upgrade options available). Includes breakfast daily, Brewfest event ticket, all Snowshoe adventure activities and organized alumni camp events. Does not include optional, off-site outfitter activities (Cass Railroad, Seneca Rocks, flyfishing, etc.) or Adventure Camp merchandise and meals outside of prepared dining.
PRICING
ALUMNI MEMBER PRICE $389 NON-ALUMNI MEMBER PRICE $449
BOOK ONLINE at snowshoemtn.com OR CALL 877.441.4386
BLUES, BREWS & BBQ
August 11-12, 2017 This is one weekend where it is okay to have the blues. Snowshoe’s showcase of the best craft brews paired with finger-lickin’ barbeque has become a perennial favorite.
FREEFALL FESTIVAL
Sept 1-3, 2017 Labor Day weekend celebration of the outdoor lifestyle with free concerts, demos, brew fests, games, and so much more.
Live
E XPLORING THIS E X TRAORDINARY PL ACE WE CALL HOME
Yesterday, Today
CARLA WITT FORD
There’s a reason people spend so much time saving old towns, old houses, and old artforms. They’re worth it. PICTURED: SALT SULPHUR SPRINGS. PAGE 59
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creatively ‹‹ live
COURTESY OF ERIN COX
Sew Much Better A Roane County blogger and author helps beginning quilters learn this traditional Appalachian art. written by zack
harold
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rin Cox dabbled in drawing, painting, and photography through the years but, in 2001, she decided to try her hand at quilting. It was something to keep her mind and hands busy as she sat with her ailing father. “I made a really bad quilt,” she laughs. Discouraged, she put her needles and thread away for a few years. Then in 2004 she was living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and found herself surrounded by Amish quilters. “They’d have their quilts hanging out on a line. I’d go to a shop and (the quilts) weren’t in my budget. I thought ‘I can make that.’” She dove into another project but was soon discouraged again. “If you spend hours doing something and it doesn’t look right, it’s so frustrating.” One problem was, Cox was going it all alone. She was trying to learn from books but didn’t have anyone to consult when she had questions. Cox eventually found a mentor, though. She met a veteran quilter who worked in the fabric department of the local Walmart and began spending hours every other Saturday among the Technicolor bolts of fabric, trying to absorb as much as possible from her blue-vested guru. She learned the importance of accurate seam allowances and better ways to cut out her 54 wvl • summer 2017
piecework. “Any questions I had, she would answer them,” says Cox, who now lives on a fiveacre farm in Roane County. As Cox’s craft improved, she became involved in an online community of quilters. She joined discussions on forums and participated in “quiltalongs,” the 21st century version of an old-timey quilting bee: Quilters all work on individual blocks before mailing them to the group’s leader, who turns them into a quilt. She also spent a lot of time reading fellow quilters’ blogs and began thinking about starting one of her own. “I didn’t know if I had enough to share. I didn’t know if I was good enough, really.” But, never one to shy away from a creative leap, she launched her site Why Not Sew? in spring 2009. The blog began as a place for Cox to post progress photos of her quilt blocks. When she finished a quilt, she would write a wrap-up post describing the process. “I would pretend I was talking to my mom or my friend. That was the easiest way for me to explain things,” she says. As she got more comfortable with the format, she began writing straightforward, easy-tounderstand tutorials with novices in mind. “I had such a hard time learning because I had no one to teach me. I thought quilting was the greatest thing ever and I thought everyone should be quilting,” she says.
Her site started gaining attention as Cox’s blocks were featured in “blog tours” and online fabric shops enlisted her for special sponsored projects. Quiltmaker magazine featured her work both in its printed pages and on its website, which sent her blog’s web traffic through the roof. Then, one day, Cox received an email from That Patchwork Place, a book publisher dedicated to quilting. They had seen her blog and wanted to know if she would like to put together a book. Thrilled, she wrote back and agreed to the project. When she started trying to come up with a theme for the book, however, she couldn’t decide on anything she loved. That’s when her husband spoke up. “He said, ‘I’m telling you. Do the birds.’” Cox had been making quilt blocks featuring simple applique birds as a fun break between larger projects. It was quick work— she could knock one out in the morning before her children got up. The birds were endlessly adaptable, too. She used them on Christmas ornaments and patterns inspired by Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. She had never thought about making a pattern for the bird blocks. But her blog readers loved them and, she realized, her publisher might, too. She spent a weekend reworking the book’s outline and, sure enough, That Patchwork Place was thrilled. Cox’s first book, Sweet Tweets: Simple Stitches, Whimsical Birds, hit the shelves in August 2015. The book contains 11 projects along with sections on quiltmaking basics and free motion appliqué, all written in the easy-to-understand instructions that made Cox’s blog so popular in the first place. The book has sold well and earned dozens of glowing reviews, enough for the publisher to tap Cox for a second book. That probably won’t happen for a while, though. With four kids ranging from 4 to 17 years old, Cox’s family life is a little too hectic to do much writing right now. But she’s updating the blog when she can and kicking around concepts for her follow-up. One idea: a quilting book that also includes some slow cooker recipes so moms—or dads—can carve out quilting time and still have dinner on the table. In the meantime, Cox still hears from fans about her first book. She recently received an email from a woman—a novice quilter just like Cox once was—who thanked her for the book’s clear instructions and quick projects. “That’s what I want. I want people to be a beginner and not put it down because it’s too hard.” whynotsew.blogspot.com
COURTESY OF ERIN COX
live ›› creatively
COURTESY OF THE COUNTRY INN
Making Country Cool Again A Berkeley Springs family’s hard work and good ideas put The Country Inn back on track. written by christine
snyder
live ›› away
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Meet Matt Omps
Credit 35-year-old Matt Omps with much of The Country Inn’s invigoration. The Berkeley Springs native—who also own the Best Western just outside Berkeley Springs, the local Ace Hardware, and other businesses in town—has served as general manager since his family purchased the hotel in August 2013. The Country Inn had been closed for more than three months when the Ompses made the top bid. Omps says his immediate goal was to get the hotel into shape as quickly as possible and begin welcoming guests again. Omps, his parents, siblings, extended family members, contractors, and other workers put in long weeks to completely renovate a number of rooms and finish other upgrades. The County Inn’s doors were back open that December. No one would have blamed the Omps family for feeling daunted at the prospect of turning around the biggest hotel in this world-famous spa town. A three-story Georgian brick structure that boasts a picturesque white-pillared 56 wvl • summer 2017
portico, the hotel is on Berkeley Springs’ main thoroughfare, right next to Berkeley Springs State Park and the warm mineral springs that have a fan base dating back to founding father George Washington. But Omps says his family put The Country Inn back on track largely by working to make the hotel elegant but unpretentious. “We wanted to keep the charm of a bed and breakfast—a place with a comforting, welcoming feel—but still provide all the modern amenities that guests expect,” he says. “The feedback we’ve gotten from guests, including guests who stayed here years ago and have come back since we bought the inn, has been thoroughly positive.”
Giving Guests More
In the months and years since taking over the inn, the Ompses have been chipping away at additional room upgrades and other improvements, all the while keeping hotel and restaurant patrons satisfied and hosting
wedding receptions, New Year’s Eve parties, business banquets, the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, and other big events. When all the renovations are done, The Country Inn will have 25 rooms in the historic center of the hotel and another 35 rooms in an annex tucked behind the main building. The Country Inn’s overhaul wouldn’t have been complete without revitalizing its Renaissance Spa. Many hotel guests choose “Stay and Spa” deals with stress antidotes ranging from a mineral water soak in a whirlpool tub to hot stone massages, detoxifying Thai body wraps, pedicures, manicures, and a host of facials, along with other spa standards. Omps says the hotel’s expanded couples massage area has gotten rave reviews, as has Renaissance’s tranquility lounge, where the newly relaxed spa visitor can sip herbal tea and prepare for reentry into the real world. Omps also has worked to amp up the entertainment profile of the hotel, lining up
COURTESY OF THE COUNTRY INN
ourism officials and others in Berkeley Springs spent years worried about the future of The Country Inn, the stately hotel in the heart of downtown. But after a period of decline and then the historic spot’s closure four years ago amid a bankruptcy filing, the town’s oldest and most recognizable hotel is enjoying a brand new day. The Omps family—who also own the Best Western hotel just outside of Berkeley Springs, Ace Hardware, and other local businesses—have expanded and updated The Country Inn’s suites and created an outdoor dining area that’s the town hot spot on summer weekends. And while locals happily spend time and money here, the Ompses are also finding other ways to attract out-of-town visitors. Jeanne Mozier, who operates the vintage movie theater just a stone’s throw from the hotel, cannot contain her delight that the hotel that’s been a fixture of Berkeley Springs since the 1930s is now better than ever. “There was great rejoicing when the gavel at The Country Inn auction dropped and the winners were the Omps family. And now, there’s no question we were right to be pleased,” says Mozier, who is also the longtime vice president of the local travel council, Travel Berkeley Springs. “The Country Inn had been in decline for several years, but this family that’s hands-on about everything from marketing to maintenance has come in and worked hard. And now it’s once again the centerpiece lodging property in town.”
away ‹‹ live
COURTESY OF THE COUNTRY INN
musicians to perform on weekends. They perform in a piano bar in the hotel’s gallery in cold weather but, for much of the year, the shows moves to a garden that has grown from four small tables to a setup that includes a stage and room for 100 guests. “It’s packed out there most of the time,” Omps says. “You’re under the trees and it’s just a really pleasant place to spend time. The events we have there are free for anyone to attend. They can order drinks or enjoy dinner. People love it.” Another big hit for The Country Inn has been its Oktoberfest. Admission is free, with music, dancing, and, of course, outstanding German beer and food available for purchase under tents on the hotel grounds. This year’s event, the Omps’ fourth, is set for September 30.
George Washington Stayed Here (For Real) The Country Inn’s 2.5-acre site on Washington Street has been the town’s prime hospitality site going back to 1777. The Throgmorton’s Inn, which stood where The Country Inn’s parking
lot is today, opened its doors that year. Countless bigwigs of the day, including the nation’s future first president, were guests in attendance. In 1848, John Strother, a Berkeley County court official who’d won commission as a colonel in the War of 1812, built the Berkeley Springs Hotel on the same site. With room for more than 400 guests, the resort soon attracted movers and shakers such as thenPresident James K. Polk. Strother’s son, David Hunter Strother— who would become famous during the Civil War writing articles and inking illustrations for Harper’s Magazine under the nom de plume “Porte Crayon”—took over the hotel after his father’s death. A fire destroyed the hotel in 1898 and the site stood empty for more than a quarter-century until Berkeley Springs native Walter “Toad” Harmison and his family opened the Park View Inn in 1933. The phrase “farm-to-table” was still a ways off. But the Harmisons believed in fresh fare, so much so that every day dozens of chickens that awoke in Berkeley Springs ended the day in the dining
room, the golden-fried centerpiece of a piled-high plate. The Park View Inn’s practice of serving every hotel guest three substantial home-style meals a day made it a beloved stopover for decades. Betty Lou Harmison—who ran the inn through the early 1970s with her late husband, Bill, a nephew of the founder—still lives next to The Country Inn and has been impressed with Matt Omps’ work so far. Merchants around town are smiling, too, according to Mozier. With The Country Inn busy again, guests are happy to leave their cars at the hotel and explore the vibrant downtown. Mozier says her 325-seat Star Theater and the distinctive shops, restaurants, galleries, spas, and other spots nearby have all seen an uptick in foot traffic now that The Country Inn is back in fine form. “All the time I hear from folks in town how glad they are to see what’s happening here. They love seeing our parking lot full again,” Omps says. 110 South Washington Street, Berkeley Springs, 304.258.1200, thecountryinnwv.com wvliving.com 57
Old Salt
The main hotel building at the former Salt Sulphur Springs resort in Monroe County, now nearly 200 years old, has served the same family as an elegant private residence for half a century. written by pam
kasey witt ford
photographed by carla
wvliving.com 59
live ›› spaces this page Longtime
Salt Sulphur Springs resident Betty Wylie Farmer greets invited guest to her 1820 home with a warm smile.
opposite top right This view of the former resort’s ballrom show the musicians’ balcony.
bottom, left to right The hall showcases
framed art relevant to the resort and family history. The 1960s Wylie renovation carved out a cozy living space. This staircase was added during the renovation.
D
uring the height of wealthy families’ summer treks to the Virginia springs resorts—from roughly 1800 until the Civil War—one popular circuit encompassed “the fountains most strongly impregnated with minerals, heat, fashion, and fame,” according to one chronicler. For those arriving from eastern Virginia and points northeast, the circuit started at Warm Springs northeast of Lewisburg, in the Allegheny Mountains. From there, it ran south and west to the Hot, the White Sulphur, the Sweet, the Salt Sulphur, and the Red Sulphur, then back in the opposite direction. But for resort-goers from South Carolina, Salt Sulphur Springs in Monroe County—The Salt, or Old Salt—was simply the resort of choice. South Carolinians outnumbered Virginians by three or four to one at The Salt. It served the finest food of any of the springs resorts, for their Southern tastes. The resort’s main stone hotel building held a grand, high-ceilinged ballroom with a musicians’ balcony for evening amusements. Its impressive three-story, sevenchimney, 72-room Erskine Building, added in the late 1830s when celebrated proprietors Erskine and Caruthers ran the place, was built largely on South Carolina cotton and rice money—as was its chapel, where Episcopal services took place on Sunday mornings and Presbyterian services Sunday afternoons. Distinguished visitors over the years included presidents Madison, Monroe, and Van Buren; Jerome Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon; Kentucky Senator Henry Clay; South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun; and governors of many states. Old Salt was famed for its three springs: sweet, salt sulphur, and iodine, curative especially for “chronic diseases of the brain” such as headaches. The resort flourished into a complex of buildings that included springs pavilions, a bathhouse, the main stone hotel building and an
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adjacent large stone accommodation, buildings named for both Erskine and Caruthers, a row of brick cottages, the chapel, and a store, all arranged on expansive, gracious lawns with strolling paths. Like other inns in this part of the country, The Salt served as headquarters for both the North and the South during the Civil War. And like many springs resorts, it regained some of its former glory for a time after the war—Colonel J.W.M. Appleton managed a comeback that was surprisingly robust, given that he was a Northern officer running a Southerner-favored establishment, until he was gored by a bull on the front lawn. But the resort was unable to carry on through the Great Depression. Old Salt sat empty for decades. Then, in 1963, Dr. Ward Wylie, a Monroe County native, longtime state senator and former
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live ›› spaces upstairs have a homey feel. An adjacent building offered additional guest rooms as the
delegate, and one-time president of the National Boxing Association, bought the entire complex. He and his family lived on Cottage Row, rehabilitated the main hotel building that dates to about 1820, then moved into it. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, Salt Sulphur Springs Historic District holds one of the largest groupings of pre-Civil War native stone buildings in West Virginia. Wylie’s daughter, Betty Wylie Farmer, lives there still today. The iconic two-story portico of Old Salt’s former central building, with its seven monumental Doric columns, is thought to have been added during the resort’s second 62 wvl • summer 2017
heyday of Appleton’s tenure. Ten-foot-tall windows spaced between the columns look on a wide lawn with mature trees, a true expression of the site’s gentility and old wealth. The Wylie family’s rehabilitation of the hotel respected the architecture and earlier uses, retaining the building’s symmetrical internal structure. The front door, at the left on approach, opens on a light, airy entryway with a stairway to the second floor. Framed historical photographs and portraits line the walls—an early photo of the hotel hangs alongside images of Colonel Appleton, Confederate generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, and county namesake James Monroe.
resort grew. Near the main building are the chapel, left, a springhouse, and a former store.
To the right lies what must be the largest private room for many counties around: the resort’s ballroom. Larger than 30 feet by 40, the chamber centers on an ornate fireplace on the back wall; its ceiling soars to 15 feet and holds two dazzling empire-style chandeliers that hung there when Wylie bought the property. The musicians’ balcony still overlooks the dance floor. It’s a vast room but well-lit through the large windows on opposite sides, and antique furnishings break the space into intimate seating areas. Farmer’s main living space at the far end of the house is a room that mirrors the entry hall: the former ladies’ sitting room turned to a combination kitchen, dining, and living room, furnished on the scale of day-to-day life. The modern kitchen occupies the room at the front side of the house and, at the back, comfortable seating surrounds a cozy fireplace. The family’s renovations added a stairway at this end of the building, mirroring the one at the entryway. Upstairs, six bedrooms open on a central hallway, two of them with dedicated bathrooms. Decorations include items historical to the property and antiques that complement the home’s character, as well as memorabilia from Wylie’s political career and the later accumulations of Farmer’s own family. Farmer still owns most of the Salt Sulphur property. The Erskine and Caruthers buildings deteriorated and have been demolished, and only two of an unknown number of brick cottages remain. Although the store and chapel were sold off, Farmer still has the 1820s springhouse and bathhouse that stand at the foot of the driveway, near the road. The chapel now belongs to a local group that she is a member of, and it sometimes hosts weddings. She offers her Salt Sulphur Springs property for select community events. It’s a hard property to take care of but, for her, it’s a labor of love. “People say, ‘You could sell it and live anywhere you want to,’” she says. “I don’t know where else I’d want to live.”
NIKKI BOWMAN
clockwise Bedrooms
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O R T S I TAX IC
H CREDIT TOOLKIT Preservation is a powerful economic catalyst for community revitalization. Historic tax credits are one of the most effective tools to ensure the viability of rehabilitation projects and are often a crucial financial consideration for developers. Our go-to guide will help you navigate the process.
REBECCA KIGER FOTOGRAFIA
sponsored by
REBECCA KIGER FOTOGRAFIA
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
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here’s no doubt that preservation of historic buildings connects us to our heritage, but it provides a profound economic benefit to our communities, too. Property owners take note: Our federal and state governments offer substantial incentive for investment through their rehabilitation tax credit programs. The process may seem daunting, but here are the nuts and bolts to help you take full advantage.
Rehabilitation tax credits—available from both the federal government and state—are dollar-for-dollar reductions in income tax liability for taxpayers who rehabilitate historic buildings. The federal credit is 20% of eligible expenses for income-producing properties that are certified historic structures and 10% for non-historic buildings built before 1936. The state credit is 10% of eligible rehabilitation expenses for income-producing buildings, and 20% is available for owner-occupied residential buildings. In some cases, taxpayers can qualify under both programs. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) administers both the federal and state tax credit programs in West Virginia. Historic tax credits are the most significant reinvestment tools in the revitalization of West Virginia communities. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Historic Tax Credit Coalition, the economic impact of historic tax credit investment in West Virginia from 2002 to 2015 was substantial. During this time period the tax credits created nearly 3,600 jobs and generated $36 million in taxes. Applying for tax credits can be overwhelming. Hiring an architect or a consultant will help you maximize the potential. Applicants are strongly advised to consult the SHPO before beginning the process.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Frequently Asked Questions taxable year in which it is earned may What buildings qualify? Under the federal and state programs, be carried backward one year and forward for up to 20 years. the credits are available to certified historic structures that are: Can I transfer the ➻ Listed on the National Register of tax credits? Historic Places either individually or The tax code may permit the party as a contributing building in a historic that earns the credit to syndicate it district that is listed on the National outright to a third party with adequate Register of Historic Places. tax liability to use it. Both commercial ➻ Listed on the National Register credits and homeowner credits may be prior to submission of the Historic Preservation Certification Application directly transferred or transferred by disproportionate allocation. The code Request for Certification of may allow a tax credit not fully usable Completed Work. in the current year to be carried back to offset taxes previously paid for prior How much money do I tax years. have to spend? For commercial income-producing Under the federal program, the projects, the tax credits can be project must be a “substantial rehabilitation” to qualify the investor syndicated to a third party through the establishment of a partnership. for the credit. The Internal Revenue Contact the Internal Revenue Service Service defines “substantial” as for additional information on federal exceeding the owner's adjusted tax credits. The West Virginia tax basis in the building, or $5,000, credits can be transferred to a third whichever is greater. The adjusted party. Contact the state revenue basis is generally defined as the department for additional information purchase price, minus the value of on state tax credits. the land, minus any depreciation already claimed, plus the value of any earlier capital improvements. The threshold requirements for the state program are different from the federal requirements. In order to qualify for the state credit, the rehabilitation expenses must: ➻ For owner-occupied projects, undertake “material” rehabilitation that is an expenditure of more than 20% of the assessed value of the building, not including the value of the land. The expenditure necessary to qualify as “material” rehabilitation must take place in the 24-month period ending on December 31 of the taxable year for which the credit will be claimed. ➻ For income-producing projects, must take place in a 24-month period or a 60-month period with the starting date determined by the taxpayer.
Can a tax credit be carried backward or forward? For commercial projects, any portion of the federal income tax credit that cannot be fully used for the taxable year in which it is earned may be carried backward one year and forward for up to 20 years. Any portion of the state income tax credit that cannot be fully used for the
What are the eligible expenses? Any expenditure for a structural component of a building is eligible for tax credits. In addition, construction period interest and taxes, architect fees, engineering fees, construction management costs, reasonable developer fees, and other fees that would normally be charged to a capital account are eligible. For a list of structural components, visit wvculture.org/shpo.
in total volume); fencing; feasibility studies; financing fees; furniture; leasing expenses; moving (building) costs (if part of acquisition); outdoor lighting remote from building; parking lot; paving; planters; porches and porticos (not part of original building); retaining walls; sidewalks; signage; storm sewer construction costs; and window treatments.
How do I apply for the credit? Applying for the credit is a three-part process. PART 1
If the property is individually listed on the National Register, you must complete portions of this section.
Can I sell the building after I complete the rehabilitation?
■ Two copies of the completed Part 1, with signatures. Cover sheets should be on a blue form.
Under the federal program, if the building is disposed of, or if it loses its income-producing status, within five years after the rehabilitation is completed, the taxpayer will face recapture of the credit. The amount of recapture is reduced by 20% in each succeeding year after the year the rehabilitation is completed—in other words, if the building is sold after one year, there will be recapture of 80% of the credit, if it is sold after two years, there will be recapture of 60% of the credit, and so forth. In addition, the National Park Service reserves the right to inspect a rehabilitated property any time during the five-year period and to revoke certification if work was not undertaken as presented in the application, or if further unapproved alterations have been made.
■ Two sets of photos depicting general view of exterior of building and any special interior features. Photos will be used to evaluate if building is eligible for listing on the National Register; or to ascertain that the building still reflects the historic character from time of listing.
How do I obtain National Register status?
In order to receive tax credits, the building must be listed on the National Register prior to submission of the Historic Preservation Certification Application Request for Certification of Completed What expenses Work. First, research the WVSHPO aren't eligible? website to see if you are indivually The following items aren’t eligible listed or part of a historic district. for tax credits: costs of acquiring Owners of buildings within historic the building or interest therein; districts must complete Part 1 of the enlargement costs that expand Historic Preservation Certification the total volume of the existing Application—Evaluation of building (Interior remodeling is not considered enlargement); expenditures Significance. The owner submits this application to the SHPO. The SHPO attributable to work done to facilities reviews the application and forwards related to a building, such as parking it to the NPS with a recommendation lots, sidewalks, and landscaping; new building construction costs; appliances; for approving or denying the request. The NPS then determines whether cabinets; carpeting (if tacked in place the building contributes to the and not glued); decks (not part of historic district. If so, the building original building); demolition costs then becomes a certified historic (removal of a building on property structure. site; enlargement costs (increase
■ If the building is already listed on the National Register: On the cover sheet provide the name of the individual property or the historic district where the building is located. Under description, state if the building appears the same as the time of listing, or if changes have occurred. ■ If the building is not listed on the National Register, contact the SHPO for further steps. PART 2
■ Two copies of completed tax application with signatures. Cover sheets should be on a blue form. ■ Two sets of “before” photos of each planned construction activity; photo numbers should be tied to the numbered box on the form and to a floor plan. ■ Two copies of any specifications or blueprints. (This may depend on the scale of the project.) PART 3
■ Two copies of completed form with signatures. ■ Two sets of “after” photos of each planned construction activity listed on the application under Part 2. Also send good photographs of general changed appearance of project whether interior or exterior. Do not send digital images unless of particularly high resolution.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT
➻ wvculture.org/shpo/taxcredit.html ➻ nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation.htm
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation Your rehabilitation work for the entire project must meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, as interpreted by the National Park Service. If the project does not meet these standards, no part of the credit may be claimed. WVSHPO does the intial review. If the work is certified as meeting these standards, the credit is based on all eligible expenses. The standards are applied to projects in a reasonable manner, taking into consideration economic and technical feasibility. The standards apply to historic buildings of all periods, styles, types, materials, and sizes. They apply to both the exterior and the interior of historic buildings. The standards also encompass related landscape features and the building’s site and environment as well as attached, adjacent, or related new construction. • A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment. • The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
• Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. • Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
• Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding • Chemical or physical treatments, such as conjectural features or architectural elements from sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials other buildings, shall not be undertaken. shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, • Most properties change over time; those changes that if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
• Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken. • New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. • New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
Profiles of Successful Projects in West Virginia
NAME: First Ward Senior Living Building
NAME: The Ritz Theatre
NAME: The Kaley Center
LOCATION: Elkins
LOCATION: Hinton
LOCATION: Wheeling
ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION YEAR: 1909
ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION YEAR: 1929
ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION YEAR: 1922
REHABILITATION YEAR: 2014
REHABILITATION YEAR: 2009
REHABILITATION YEARS: 2011–2012
ORIGINAL USE: School
ORIGINAL USE: Movie Theater and Performing Arts Venue
ORIGINAL USE: The Riley Law Building
NEW USE: Movie Theater, Performing Arts, and Multi-use Venue
QUALIFIED EXPENDITURES: $6,000,000
NEW USE: Senior Housing QUALIFIED EXPENDITURES: $3,488,587
“
The First Ward School project would not have been possible without historic tax credits. The building required extensive renovation. While we were able to secure equity through low-income housing tax credits, it simply wasn’t enough to complete the project.” - rcha executive director karen jacobson
QUALIFIED EXPENDITURES: $750,000
“
Historic tax credits allowed the Ritz Theatre to become a vital community asset, contributing to the local economy by bringing people from surrounding counties to enjoy its amenities.” - owner ken allman
NEW USE: Office Building
“
When the owners hired me to work on the building, they weren’t pursuing tax credits. I brought it to the table. It saved them a lot of money and enabled them to do other things that they had put on hold.” - architect vic greco
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
What You Need to Know Before Hiring an Architect Tax rules for historic preservation can be complicated, but the financial rewards are worth the effort. The process includes significant research, filing of paperwork,and planning, so it is often worthwhile to seek professional help. A historic preservation architect can be instrumental as a trusted advisor throughout the process. Consider the following when hiring: An experienced architect understands what the character-defining historic features are and compiles historic research such as deeds, historic drawings, oral histories, and photos to substantiate the findings. The architect understands original design intent and structural framework and has an important knowledge of compatible materials.
tax credit experience has the ability to advise the owner of the project timeline and the entitlement process for the regulatory agencies. Historic projects not only require typical reviews and compliance with local, state, and national fire and building codes but, in order to receive tax credits, they also have the added layer of State Historic Preservation Office and National Park Service reviews.
will have worked together in the past.
An experienced architect designs for 21st century needs and lifestyles with a rehabilitation mindset. Knowledge of how to balance life safety, health, and welfare with historic preservation standards along with local and state regulatory compliance will save you time and money. An experienced historic Is the project financially An architect will serve as the architect should advise an and structurally feasible? owner on material selections team's quarterback for the An architect experienced with required consultants, who may and a design approach that will historic structures has the comply with the Secretary of include structural, mechanical, ability to “unpeel the onion” Interior Standards, and the work electrical, and geotechnical by providing the owners with engineers. To make the process should be executed with future an understanding of what they maintenance in mind. Very flow more easily and quickly, it have, what condition it is in, and often maintenance plans are is important rtant when hiring an ar arwhat the priorities are along with chitect to consider the complete developed in concert with the the associated costs. rehabilitation plans. team—ideally, all members will Does the architect have past have historic tax credit experihistoric tax credit experience? ence, will have worked with the specific review agencies, and An architect with past historic
9 Tips to Take Away When the Mills Group works with clients on historic tax credit projects, they offer them the following advice: 1. Hire an architect or consultant to shepherd you through the process. Consultant fees are eligible for tax credit. 2. Apply as soon as possible—preferably before beginning work. 3. Consult with the SHPO before beginning work; get them on site and familiar with the property. 4. Photograph the building inside and outside—before and after the project. “Before” photographs are especially important. Without them, it may be impossible for the NPS to approve a project. Key these photos to a floor plan. 5. Read carefully the program application, regulations, and any other information the SHPO supplies. 6. Wait until the project is approved in writing by the NPS before beginning work. Work undertaken prior to approval by the NPS may jeopardize certification. In the case of properties not yet designated certified historic structures, apply before the work is completed and the building is placed in service. 7. Read and follow the “Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation” and the “Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.” If you are unsure how they apply to your building, consult with the SHPO or the NPS.
NAME: Flatiron Building
NAME: Montwell
LOCATION: Wheeling
LOCATION: Lewisburg
ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION YEAR: 1895
ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION YEAR: 1818
REHABILITATION YEARS: Ongoing
REHABILITATION YEARS: 2002–2004
ORIGINAL USE: Riverside Iron Main Offices
ORIGINAL USE: Residential
NEW USE: Loft Apartments with Commercial
NEW USE: Residential and Multi-use
QUALIFIED EXPENDITURES: Ongoing
QUALIFIED EXPENDITURES: $1,017,861
“
Federal and state historic tax credits are invaluable tools for success. It is important to utilize the expertise of professionally qualified architects and accountants. The process is multi-faceted and requires a team approach.” - owner kevin duffin
“
One of the first things we did was hire Michael Gioulis to document the property and shepherd the tax credit project through the SHPO and NPS. We received around $200,000 in federal and state tax credits and, with the help of our attorney, we transfered a portion of those credits.” - co - owner paul lindquist
8. The SHPO has Development Grant funds available for the rehabilitation of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These funds may be used in conjunction with Rehabilitation TTax Credits to complete a project. Contact the SHPO for additional information. 9. If any changes in the scope of work occur over the course of a project, an amendment form must be submitted to the SHPO and NPS for review and approval. Contact SHPO prior to submitting an amendment form. For an interactive roadmap on historic tax credits, visit millsgrouponline.com/resources/roadmap
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
THE BOURY LOFTS
leased units—with Wheeling Nailers hockey players occupying the entire first floor—and a fitness room, coffee bar, lounge, and off-street parking. With rental rates ranging from $829 per month for a single-bedroom apartment to $1,059 per month for a 1,380 square-foot two federal and state historic tax credits bedroom unit, the apartments rented out in 90 (HTC) are one of the most significant days. It’s no wonder—the apartments combine community reinvestment programs in the unique historic character with exposed brick, country. By attracting private capital to heavy beams, and oversized arched windows revitalize buildings, it not only aids historic that frame a breathtaking view of downtown rehabilitation but also serves as a catalyst for Wheeling with state-of-the-art conveniences like economic development. According to a study stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, commissioned by the National Park Service, and in-unit washers and dryers. the Treasury receives $1.25 in tax revenue for But getting from an underutilized building every dollar invested. The federal HTC anchors with boarded-up windows to a high-demand complementary state historic tax credit programs. residential building doesn’t happen overnight. In West Virginia, several successful projects “The Regional Economic Development have used federal and state tax historic tax Partnership approached us about doing some credits. In Wheeling alone, since 2000, 14 market-rate housing in downtown Wheeling,” projects have benefited. One of the most recent explains Jeff Woda, president of The Woda and influential commercial developments, The Group, the owner and developer of Boury. Boury Lofts, transformed an inactive warehouse “After looking at various sites and buildings, the into modern market-rate residential lofts. Boury building made the most sense, especially The former Boury Warehouse, located on having the Wheeling Nailers as a tenant. The the corner of 16th and Main streets, had lived federal and state historic tax credits helped several lives in its 120-year history. It once finance the deal and were an important deciding was a warehouse, a grocery company, a biscuit factor.” The Ohio-based developer invested $16 factory, and a booth manufacturer. Today, it is million in the project. The Woda Group hired one of the most exciting residential developments Mills Group, a historic preservation architecture in the state. The six-floor structure houses 73 firm based in Wheeling and Morgantown.
Mills Group principal architect Vic Greco worked on the Boury Lofts and has been helping developers and residential clients navigate the tax credit process for 25 years. “The Woda Group had experience with tax credits before, but they were really smart because they involved us from the beginning of the process,” he says. “The difficulty with a building like Boury is that it doesn’t meet modern life safety codes. You want to preserve the historic architecture—the feel of the brick walls, windows, and timbers— while modernizing it so that the building code authorities were convinced that the preservation would also meet life safety acquirements.” Woda says, “It was a great collaborative effort. Vic was a wonderful part of the team. It is good for developers to have someone serve as a buffer between us and the reviewers.” As the project progressed the State’s Historic Preservation Office frequently reviewed the process. Woda says, “West Virginia has a robust SHPO that is very involved. We knew what the office's priorities were going to be and what was historically significant. We did not feel like we were trying to hit a moving target, which we sometimes do in other states. Because of that, when we submitted the design for Part 2, we had minimal changes to make.” The Woda Group applied for and received additional grants as well. Greco says, “The
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
PRESTIGE PHOTOGRAPHY
THE PRICHARD HOUSE research, work, and advice we give enable our clients to seek out complementary funding. Tax credits are often used in combination with other grant programs. We help our clients seek those opportunities.” Thanks to projects like Boury Lofts, Wheeling is abuzz with excitement and poised for a renaissance. Jake Dougherty, executive director of Wheeling National Heritage Area, believes that without historic tax credits Wheeling would not be experiencing this resurgence. “The historic rehabilitation tax credits are critical to the development of historic downtowns and communities. The tax credit makes projects viable and spurs private investment,” he says. “The major development projects that have resulted in hundreds of jobs being located in downtown Wheeling have used historic tax credits. This is adding vibrancy and a population that lives, eats, shops, and spends free time in downtown Wheeling, and that creates more business opportunities.” Woda, who has developed properties in seven states, praises the city and the Regional Economic Develoment Partnership. He says, “The RED helped us get over every hurdle. Without them, Boury wouldn’t have happened. The city was allin. They were committed to making this happen. We aren’t used to that in the development world. Bureaucracy stymies development. Our experience in Wheeling was the exact opposite. It was a great experience.”
“we don’t have as many residential homes seeking historic tax credits as we could,” says Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Susan Pierce. “Although owner-occupied homes do not qualify for federal historic tax credits, they do qualify for state historic tax credits. Structural projects like roof repair, windows, doors, plumbing, or central air conditioning and heating systems are just a few examples.” When homeowners Ann and Bruce Ratcliff of Huntington decided to restore their historic home, the Prichard House, they knew they wanted take advantage of state historic tax credits. Ann says, “The first thing we needed to do was to find out if we could place our home on the National Historic Register.” The Prichard House, built in the 1920s by Frederick C. Prichard, is predominantly Italian Renaissance, or Italian Villa-style, clad in gray granite from North Carolina that was brought to Huntington by riverboat on the Ohio River. Each stone for the outer walls was cut to a unique shape before being laid in a random, puzzle-like pattern. One of the distinguishing vertical architectural features is a tower that leads to a flat rooftop deck, originally covered with Spanish tiles. “Since the home was built, the flat roof has never been waterproof,” Ann says. “Water is your biggest enemy. Over the years, water has leaked through chimneys and damaged the living room fireplace.” The roof had been tarred and rubberized in the past. Ann says, “In addition to restoring the house and the carriage house, we wanted to waterproof the flat roof.” The Ratcliffs also hired architect Vic Greco, principal of Mills Group. “The most important thing to do when beginning a project like this is to have someone like Vic to help you through the process. He planned the work and was sensitive to the historic nature of the house,” Ann says. “He did a wonderful job. He was the most important person involved. Without the Mills Group we would never have found the right roofer.” The Ratcliffs worked on their home in stages. “Historic tax credits were very important to us. They allowed us to rehabilitate the house and our guesthouse, install a central heating and cooling system, and repair and waterproof the roof, among other things.”
COURTESY OF STONEWALL RESORT
local ‹‹ live
Dive Right In From infinity edges to panoramic views, here are our favorite pools in the state for summertime relaxation and recreation. written by mary
wade burnside wvliving.com 71
live ›› local
Other ways to have fun in the sun at Adventures on the Gorge
Adventures on the Gorge, Lansing CANYON FALLS SWIMMING HOLE
Take in a view of one of the oldest rivers on the continent—along with hawks, forests, and a majestic gorge—while enjoying a state-of-the-art pool at Adventures on the Gorge. Installed in 2012, the 3,000-square-foot Canyon Falls Swimming Hole lives up to its name. It actually consists of upper and lower pools lined with native rock from the New River Gorge, and water cascades over the edge of the top one into the lower one. Both parents and kids love the beach entry that allows them to gradually wade into the water. A snack bar or takeout from Chetty’s Pub provides food to fuel the fun. 72 wvl • summer 2017
Choose among three ziplines and aerial options: Treetops Canopy Tour, Gravity Zip Lines, and Timbertrek Adventure Park. Take a rafting trip on the New or Gauley river. Float the New on a fishing boat. Let Adventures on the Gorge plan a hiking, climbing, or rappelling adventure. adventuresonthegorge.com
COURTESY OF ADVENTURES ON THE GORGE
Go stand-up paddleboarding or kayaking on Summersville Lake.
local ‹‹ live
What to do when you’re out and about in Shepherdstown Guests at the Bavarian Inn have exclusive passes to play golf at the Cress Creek Country Club, a quarter-mile away. bavarianinnwv.com Check out the Shepherdstown Farmers Market, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays behind the town’s charming white brick library. Rent a bike, canoe, or kayak at the Shepherdstown Pedal & Paddle and get a different view of the Potomac River, or explore the nearby C&O Canal. thepedalpaddle.com As in past summers, the Contemporary American Film Festival brings us new plays—six this year, July 7-30—that you’ve probably never seen before and will be glad you did. catf.org Nearby Harpers Ferry is not only a national historical park, it’s also home to River Riders, an outfitter offering river rafting, tubing, zipline canopy tours, and an aerial adventure park. riverriders.com
Bavarian Inn, Shepherdstown
COURTESY OF BAVARIAN INN
INFINITY 101
Guests at the Bavarian Inn can luxuriate in a pool 101 feet above the Potomac, providing an expansive view of The Nation’s River. In fact, those who swim toward the overflowing infinity edge sometimes experience the optical illusion that they are about to float into the river. What’s real, however, is the relaxing experience of wading into the beach entry pool that in 2015 replaced a smaller, more conventional model. The Infinity 101 pampers guests with a wraparound sun deck plus its own menu of snacks, sandwiches, frozen margaritas, and signature cocktails such as the Potomac Breeze. wvliving.com 73
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While you’re there
Try your luck at the subterranean Casino Club. Relax and rejuvenate at the Mineral Spa. Book a reservation at one of the resort’s 19 restaurants. Options include Prime 44 West— honoring basketball great Jerry West—along with Sam Snead’s, In-Fusion, and, of course, the formal Main Dining Room. Schedule an adventure for the whole family. Activities range from falconry and tours of the Cold War-era government bunker to culinary demonstrations and afternoon tea. greenbrier.com
The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs OUTDOOR INFINITY POOL
When then-Second Lady Pat Nixon declined to visit The Greenbrier in 1956 because it lacked a pool, owners built one to accommodate her. They had more modern users in mind when they replaced it in 2004. Today, guests and members can float and swim around the 7,000-square-foot kidney-shaped, zero-entry pool with an infinity edge and a spectacular view of White Rock Mountain to the west. Children can splash in the nearby kiddie pool. Everyone can enjoy wraps, salads, hamburgers, and hotdogs from the Tree Tops Café, which also has an extensive menu of drinks—from the Original Mint Julep to the appropriately named Infinity Margarita.
COURTESY OF THE GREENBRIER
Play a round at one of The Greenbrier's five golf courses. See PGA stars in person at The Greenbrier Classic, held July 3–9.
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When it’s time to leave the pool, the fun doesn’t have to stop Pick up some gifts for friends and family at Oglebay’s Farmhouse Sweets & Treats, Carriage House Glass, The Samara Shop at the Schrader Center, or the Palm Room. See more than 50 species of animals—20 of them endangered—at The Good Zoo, now celebrating its 40th anniversary at Oglebay. Check out more than 3,000 examples of Wheeling glass made from 1829 to 1939, including the largest piece of cut lead crystal ever made, The Sweeney Punch Bowl. Get exercise by walking, hiking, and biking on the resort’s many trails, or take a stroll through the Bissonette Gardens and enjoy vibrant floral displays. Challenge yourself with the new Aerial ropes course.
Oglebay, Wheeling
OGLEBAY OUTDOOR POOL, CRISPIN CENTER Fountains of Fun Splash & Spray Pad Built nearly 80 years ago along with the Crispin Center, the 12,388-square-foot pool at Oglebay is a testament to the quality of Depression-era projects. The hugely popular Fountains of Fun Splash & Spray Pad gives kids another way to get wet, with 30 individual features including fountains, sprayers, water cannons, and a custom Oglebay-logo tree that dumps water on those standing underneath. And, new for 2017, the resort has inflatables and a climbing wall from which daredevils can jump back into the pool.
COURTESY OF OGLEBAY
Take in a show at Wheeling’s historic Capitol Theatre or visit the Centre Market, which also offers dining options and boutiques. oglebay.com
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Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Snowshoe SPLIT ROCK POOLS
While on top of the mountain, check out these activities and amenities Schedule your trip around the Homegrown Music Festival, July 1–4; Bottles and Barrels Festival, July 15; Mountain Bike Camp Women’s Weekend, July 15–16; Treasure on the Mountain, August 5; or the Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival, August 11–12. Ride mountain bikes or watch the pros at the 2017 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships, held July 17–23. Hike backcountry trails, go fly-fishing on your own or with a guide, or tee off at The Raven Golf Club. Take in a concert in the nine-show Beats on the Basin series, including the Gin Blossoms on July 8. See Snowshoe Mountain Resort’s Village from a new perspective—by zipping over it on the Hare Racer Zipline. Get a massage or a paraffin mani-pedi at the Spa at Snowshoe. snowshoemtn.com 76 wvl • summer 2017
Stonewall Resort, Roanoke INDOOR/OUTDOOR POOL
When Stonewall Resort opened in 2002, officials wanted guests to be able to enjoy year-round amenities. Thus, the indoor/outdoor pool—two-thirds outside and one-third inside, with a door in between—keeps swimmers warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Both sides are open year-round. Those who venture outside can enjoy the view of Stonewall Jackson Lake and the surrounding hills. And from Memorial Day through Labor Day, they can also take advantage of poolside food and beverage service from TJ Muskies Lounge, the resort’s casual dining option.
Other Stonewall Resort activities Play a few rounds of golf on the signature Palmer Course. Cast a line in the 2,600-acre Stonewall Jackson Lake, which is full of muskellunge, crappie, and bass. You can rent a fishing boat, too. Rent a pontoon boat or the smaller CraigCat—sort of a jet ski for two—at the Marina at Stonewall Resort, or get some exercise with an Aqua Cycle. Relax with a massage, facial, and mani-pedi at Stonewall’s Mtn. Laurel Spa. Try locally sourced fish, produce, and other dishes at Stillwaters Restaurant, Stonewall’s fine dining option. stonewallresort.com
COURTESY OF SNOWSHOE MOUNTAIN RESORT; COURTESY OF STONEWALL RESORT
When Snowshoe replaced its lap pool about 17 years ago, it was decided that an indoor–outdoor activities pool geared toward kids would be a good fit. The two sections of the pool—located near the Allegheny Springs lodge—are separated by a soft, plastic wall that swimmers can easily duck underneath. The walk-in, zero-entry area is on the indoor side, as is a slide for younger kids. Once outside, swimmers can wind themselves around the lazy river-type pool, slip down a larger slide, or get doused by sprayers. A short ski lift trip away, Shavers Lake provides even more wet and wild activities, such as kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and separate inflatables sections for both kids and adults.
listings From historic houses to picturesque farms to quaint cottages, there’s a special place in West Virginia calling your name. Check out these extraordinary properties from around the state.
898 Main Street, Beverly - $499,000 MLS: 10110117
6BR, 2.5BA, Own a piece of history - Amazing Queen Anne style historical home known as The Humboldt Yokum House. 16 rooms and 6 large BRs on .6278 flat beautifully landscaped acres. Immaculate condition/turn key. Attention to detail & craftsmanship is second to none. Original hardwood flooring thru out. Electrical recently updated & moved underground. New GAF Weather Stopper Integrated Roofing System installed May of 2012. 40 year warranty conveys.
Howard Hanna Premier Properties by Barbara Alexander, LLC, 304.594.0115
Unit 411 Soaring Eagle Lodge - $450,000
MLS: 10052896 2 bedroom, 2 bath - Experience life on Snowshoe Mtn. in this incredible mountain top condo. Spacious enough for year-round living and exquisite decorator finishes. Many privileges and amenities included.
Howard Hanna Premier Properties by Barbara Alexander, LLC, 304.594.0115
The Residences at Waterfront Marriott 1BR - 1BA starting at $232,500
1701 Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place - $2,900,000 MLS: 10096837 This penthouse is refined condo living above a beautiful, fullservice hotel in the Wharf District. Indoor pool, state-of-the art fitness center, rail-trail, private deeded garage parking along with discounted spa, salon & dining services. Private appointments for qualified buyers.
Howard Hanna Premier Properties by Barbara Alexander, LLC, 304.594.0115
The Residences at Waterfront Marriott 2BR - 2BA starting at $356,250
A master plan for elegant living with crown molding, granite counters, GE stainless steel appliances, pool, work out room and many other hotel amenities. Use photo from previous penthouse listing.
Unique living atop the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place overlooking the picturesque Monongahela River; live atop the elegant Waterfront Marriott and enjoy the many hotel amenities.
Howard Hanna Premier Properties by Barbara Alexander, LLC, 304.594.0115
Howard Hanna Premier Properties by Barbara Alexander, LLC, 304.594.0115
Nature’s Retreat, 21 Black Bear Court, Albright - $199,900
340 Morgan Hill Road, Lakefront Home - $1,200,000
Compass Realty Group Barbara Phillips, 304.692.5868
J.S. Walker Associates Laura Walker, 304.288.4880
MLS: 10115062 MLS: 10111353 Surrounded by nearly 6 acres of partially wooded land, this traditional style home Own this custom-built home on Cheat Lake surrounded by 5.02 wooded acres & offers 3200 sq. ft. of living space, 4-5 BRs, 3 baths. Perfect weekend retreat or access to Rail Trail. Bask on your patio and back deck and enjoy your private dock. All all-year-round living. Less than an hour to Deep Creek, Maryland. updated amenities; potential guest suite over detached garage. Endless opportunity!
listings
METRO PROPERTY TOWNHOMES AND APARTMENTS, MORGANTOWN The communities managed by Metro Property Management are in the middle of it all. These apartments and townhomes are steps away from shopping, dining, professional facilities and offices, and so much more! Metro manages anything ranging from 1 to 3 bedroom apartments and townhomes. Check them out today at liveatmetro.com, or give 304.292.0900 a call and they can direct you to where you need to go!
Metro Property Management, 304.292.0900
out loud ‹‹ live
Man on Fire He’s not a native, but Chuck Toussieng has a burning desire to make Richwood a better place.
HOLLY K. CLARK
written by pam
kasey
F
or 10 days every summer on a dry lake bed in the Nevada desert, tens of thousands of people come together to co-create Black Rock City: a temporary celebration of art and community. Participants at the annual Burning Man Festival erect grand-scale sculptures, build movie theaters and yoga studios, run pop-up restaurants and throw spontaneous dance parties. For festival alums, the radical participation and creativity of “The Burn” becomes a new mindset—an experienced knowledge that, when people have a shared vision and give it their all, it will become reality. Take Chuck Toussieng. He’s gone to Burning Man from his hometown of Malibu, California, for the past decade. So when his wife-to-be, Summersville native Katie Fleer, brought him home to West Virginia in 2012 to meet the family, he saw raw potential. “We’re driving around, and I’m like, Wait a minute! Why doesn’t anybody talk about the mountains and the rivers and the waterfalls?” He jokes now that it seemed like a conspiracy among West Virginians to keep it all to ourselves. Toussieng fell in love with West Virginia’s beauty on that first trip. He especially liked the gateway nature of Richwood. “If you drive (U.S. Route) 19, you drive by Summersville, you don’t go through it. You drive by Fayetteville, you don’t go through it.
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But when you’re driving to Snowshoe or the Mon Forest or the Cherry River, you have to go through Richwood.” He learned on a later trip that Richwood has access to fast, 100-megabit internet. “And when I found out that in Richwood you could buy a house with five acres and a stream for less than I paid for my truck, I was interested.” The couple got married in 2012 and moved to Richwood in 2015. Toussieng became a key member of the community early on when he volunteered to manage the town swimming pool—how hard could it be? That underestimation turned out to be “a hilarious mistake.” In June 2016, the Cherry River flooded the town, ruined the pool’s pumps, and left four feet of mud behind. Seeing the pool’s value as a stress reliever during the clean-up, he raised money, bought new pumps, cleaned the mud out, and had the pool open again in just three weeks. Richwood’s flood response showed him not a dying former coal and lumber town, but a place of caring and resilience. “They’re like a family here,” he says. “They’ll gossip and complain about each other but, when the flood came, these guys stood back to back and made sure everybody was taken care of.” For the past year and a half, Toussieng has taught classes for free in a building he and his wife bought in downtown Richwood—most recently, a 12-week boot camp on how to write code. “I thought, I’ll do it two nights a week, you’ll have to do a lot—a lot—of
homework, but if you Graduates of Toussieng’s first coding commit yourself, I will boot camp, taken teach you not only how to outside his building in work as a programmer/ downtown Richwood. developer, but how to work as an independent, remote consultant.” Sixty people signed up on Facebook. Forty-five showed up to the first class, in January, and 30 to the second class. He graduated 14 dedicated students in April, and he was happy with that. Near-term, he plans to offer internships, hire some of his graduates for entry-level work, and start passing projects directly along to graduates as their abilities improve. He also hopes graduates will help teach future students. It’s his secret plan, he says, for building up amenities like a bookstore and a movie theater in town. “If I can get 20 people in Richwood making technology-level salaries, imagine all of the jobs it would create around that.” Richwood—and towns all across West Virginia—offer great opportunity, Toussieng says. “Say I wanted to open a microbrewery. If I wanted to do that in Los Angeles, I would have to spend a couple million dollars buying an old building and renovating it,” he says. “Or, it’d be really awesome to buy my own house on property where I could build a treehouse without going through a seven-year permitting process. It would be awesome if I could afford to only have to work four days a week, open my front door, hop on my bike,
CHUCK TOUSSIENG
live ›› out loud
CHUCK TOUSSIENG
out loud ‹‹ live
ride down to the river, and fish or paddle world-class whitewater. You can do that here. Opportunity is what you make it.” It’s a matter of perspective, in his mind. “You have to get the kind of people who, when they drive into a Richwood or a Clendenin, they see past the falling-down houses. Fallingdown houses can be picked up and rebuilt— they’re opportunities to create something new.” Some people might complain about having to drive two hours to the nearest airport, he says. “How about, you can drive six hours and be at the beach, in New York, in Lexington, in Columbus, in all of these places that are so close around here—and at the same time pay $20,000 for your house? It’s not for everybody, but I think it could be for a lot of people.”
Richwood’s town When old friends ask pool three days Toussieng to describe after the June 2016 flood, and Richwood, he tells them it’s three weeks after a Burning Man camp, only the flood. better. “The whole idea at Burning Man is, it’s a gifting economy. The goal isn’t to make a ton of money, it’s to make an amazing place that’s fun to come and live. The bummer about it is, you have to bring all your stuff out there—if you forget a bolt, you’re driving two hours to Reno to buy a bolt. Here, we’ve got water, power, infrastructure. “And Burning Man only lasts for a week. In Richwood, you can do anything you want to do, create whoever you want to be. And it could really last.”
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home marketplace
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Mountain Lake Campground's Serenity Point provides an unparalleled view of Summersville Lake.
SUMMERSVILLE
West Virginia is landlocked—but don’t tell the folks in the state’s biggest beach town. written by Zack Harold
❖
photographed by Nikki Bowman
G Summersville Lake has been a popular summertime tourist destination since it opened in 1966.
rab your good camera before you start up the 122 spiral steps of Steve Keblesh’s lighthouse. The observation deck at the top of this gleaming white tower provides some Instagram-worthy vistas all year long. But in the summertime, you’ll want a zoom lens to get the full picture. Focus in on the water. Notice the families hanging out on big houseboats, pontoon boats, speed boats, and just about any other kind of craft you can imagine. There might be jet skis or kayaks or those new stand-up paddleboards. Zoom in more. Along the shores you’ll see swimmers practicing their strokes, sunbathers warming themselves like lizards on the rocks, anglers drowning some worms, and goggled scuba divers bobbing among their red-and-white signal flags. You’re not at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, or the banks of the Great Lakes—although you’d be forgiven for the mistake. No, the setting for this summertime scene is Summersville Lake, landlocked West Virginia’s largest, deepest body of water and one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations. Each year, somewhere around 1 million people flock to the lake to boat, camp, swim, fish, climb, dive, or just kick back.
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The lake is such a popular part of life in the New River Gorge, it’s amazing to think that, not even a lifetime ago, the whole thing was just a deep valley with a river running through it.
Float Your Boat
The U.S. Congress approved the Summersville Dam project with the Flood Control Act of 1936, part of a raft of legislation meant to revive the nation’s economy during the depths of the Great Depression. It would be nearly two decades before construction began, however—the government first had to acquire all the necessary property for the project, including the entire communities of Gad and Sparks. Construction started in 1960 and lasted for six years, culminating in a high-profile ribbon cutting in 1966 featuring then-President and First Lady Lyndon B. and Lady Bird Johnson. The boaters showed up not long afterward, motoring around the lake’s 2,800 acres and dropping anchor in its tree-shaded coves. The place got even more popular as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened campgrounds and a beach along the shores. Today, the Summersville Lake Marina is run by brothers Mark and Eric Allen. Slip spaces are a coveted commodity here, with a long waiting list for spots. But anyone can back
their boat into the water using one of the marina’s easy-to-access ramps. The marina also has several watercraft available for rent, including paddleboards, kayaks, and pontoon boats. The Allen brothers also run Sarge’s Dive Shop, located at the marina, where generations of adventurers have been introduced to a different side of Summersville Lake—the underwater side. “Summersville lake is the cleanest, clearest lake east of the Mississippi River,” Mark Allen says. That’s why a diving magazine long ago dubbed Summersville “the Little Bahamas of the East.” The rocky shoreline keeps the water clear, since waves don’t kick up mud or sand. On good days, divers can see anywhere from 18 to 25 feet. On really good days that visibility can go up to 40 feet. Mark has even seen as far as 80 feet. The lake is the perfect place for divers of all skill levels, with different areas suited to shallow and deep dives. And there’s plenty to see down there. The rock cliffs that jut above the lake continue below the water’s surface, some to depths of 100 feet. There are rock structures bigger than houses, giant boulders, and swim-throughs. The Allens, who took over Sarge’s in 1990 from the original owner, have by now dived every inch of the lake. They know all the best spots and, if you book a trip on their new custom-built dive boat, they’ll be happy to share that knowledge. The boat will be used for non-divers this season, too. Sarge’s is kicking off a series of two-hour evening cruises with catered meals. Guests will be able to “just sit back, see the scenery, take pictures, and eat some really good food,” Mark says. “I think it will be a big hit.” 1706 Airport Road, Summersville, 304.872.1782, sarges.net
Set Up Camp
The Summersville area offers a legion of lodging choices. In addition to hotels
and campgrounds, options also include cabins like the one pictured at the top at
Summersville Lake Retreat and yurts at Mountain Lake Campground.
The Mountain Lake Campground—located on the property next door to the marina—is also a family operation. The campground has been around since the early 1970s, but Susan James’s family took over 12 years ago from the previous operators. Now Susan, her husband Shawn, and their two children work hard to make the place feel like home. “We take pride in what we do. My family lives here and we want you to be part of our family,” she says. The campground features 250 campsites, primitive sites as well as spots with hookups for motorhomes and campers. Guests can also choose from four two-bedroom cabins, five “cozy cabins” that sleep six each, or one of the three yurts on the property. “I wanted something that not everybody has,” James says. The circular huts feature hardwood floors, two queen beds with twin bunks, a television, a bathroom, and an efficiency kitchen. Outside, each yurt has a grill, a fire pit, and a wooded view of the lake. But the campground isn’t just a place to sleep. There’s a campers-only private beach, plus playgrounds, basketball courts, and a jumping pillow. “It’s like a big trampoline in the ground,” Susan says. “Adults love it as well as the kids.” And, new for 2017, Mountain Lakes Campground will soon unveil its revamped miniature golf course. Mountain Lakes also holds special events throughout the year. Water Wars Weekend kicks off on June 23, offering a variety of aquatic activities for the little water dogs in your family. One highlight: campground staffers pull kids around in wagons while they throw balloons and shoot water guns at their parents. “Anything you don’t want your kids to do at home, we let them do it here,” James says. For more information about special events, visit the wvliving.com 89
Summesville Lake provides day-long entertainment. Tired of playing in the water? Kids will enjoy a round of putt-putt at Mountain Lakes Campground, which also has a charming store. Dining options abound at Summersville Lake. Lakeside BBQ offers ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and sides.
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campground’s website. 1898 Airport Road, Summersville, 877.686.6222, mountainlakecampground.com
Fill Your Belly
There’s nothing quite like a day on the water to stir up the appetite, and Summersville has plenty of dining options no matter what you’re craving. One of the newest restaurants in town is Craft Kings, located just south of Summersville in Mt. Nebo. Owner Clint Jones has a fierce commitment to supporting local suppliers. That extends from the fresh meats and vegetables on his plates to the draft beer menu. “I’ll never have anything on my six taps that isn’t made in West Virginia,” he says. The menu is a mix of delectable salads and sandwiches, along with dinner entrees of steak, chicken, and seafood. 26 Bounds Lane, Mt. Nebo, 304.872.9782, “Craft Kings” on Facebook Drive up a winding road in one of Summersville’s residential areas, and you’ll come upon a white stucco building with a blue roof. Although the outside looks more like a Greek villa than a restaurant, the appropriately
named Cafe Acropolis serves up Greek specialties including moussaka, souvlaki, gyros, and tzatziki, along with Italian favorites like lasagna, manicotti, and pizza. It might be difficult, but try to save room for a piece of baklava. 331 McMillion Drive, Summersville, 304.872.0254, “Cafe Acropolis” on Facebook Fran’s Family Restaurant & Coffee House is a cozy local favorite for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Start the day with a hot cup of coffee and some pancakes, waffles, or a breakfast sandwich on made-from-scratch biscuits. Fran’s, located in downtown Summersville, also has a full menu of soups, sandwiches, and salads, dinner entrees, and daily dinner specials. 607 North Main Street, Summersville, 304.872.6184, “Fran’s Family Restaurant” on Facebook Any visit to Summersville would not be complete without a stop at Fat Eddie’s. This roadside joint, located just up the road from the dam, is the place to stop for hot dogs, cheeseburgers, or any other fast-food favorite. But Eddie’s is just as famous for its dessert menu of ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, and “storms,” a cup filled
ZACK HAROLD
with crushed-up candy and soft serve that bears a striking resemblance to another meteorologically inspired ice cream treat. 2243 Summersville Lake Rd, Mt. Nebo, 304.872.0788, “Fat Eddie’s” on Facebook
weeks later, the top section of a windmill was damaged just enough to make it unusable. Keblesh bought the slightly-damaged section and spent the next several years working with technical schools in Nicholas and Fayette counties to design and build the spiral staircase inside and the octagonal gazebo that sits on Light on a Hill top. The work was finally completed in October 2012, but Now, about that lighthouse. Keblesh held a dedication ceremony the following June to “It started as a joke,” says Keblesh. “But it grew legs and took on a life of its own.” He opened the Summersville Lake commemorate West Virginia’s sesquicentennial. It is now the state’s only functioning lighthouse, the Retreat in 2000, building the property from a few primitive only West Virginia entry listed in the University of North camping sites to a facility that now includes motorhome Carolina’s extensive Lighthouse Directory. Although hookups, cabins, a playground for kids, boat rentals, and a it’s not really used for maritime navigation, the beacon gift shop. But there was a problem, early on. is registered with the Federal Aviation Administration “For the first dozen years we were open, people didn’t and used as a landmark for passing aircraft. And it draws know we were here,” Keblesh says. He’d decided to make crowds that, in years past, might’ve driven past without a some extra money off a large field near the campground’s second thought. entrance by allowing people to store their campers and Summersville Lake Retreat stays busy all summer long, boats. “What I didn’t anticipate, it effectively camouflaged but the campground is open the rest of the year, too. In the our campground.” People drove past, not realizing what sat fall, snowbirds from as far away as Canada stop by on their behind all those dry-docked boats and campers. way south. They stop again when they’re headed north in the The lighthouse changed all that. Years ago, an engineer spring. “It’s neat. We feel like the stagecoach operator when from Canada came to stay at the campground while he worked on a wind farm in Greenbrier County. Keblesh joked these cowboys come to town. We water their horses and we listen to their stories,” Keblesh says. 278 Summersville Lake that, if the engineer could score any leftover parts, he’d be happy to disguise them as a lighthouse. As it turns out, a few Road, Mt. Nebo, 304.872.5975, summersvillelakeretreat.com
The lighthouse at Summersville Lake Retreat is West Virginia’s only functioning lighthouse. Who said we don’t have beaches in West Virginia? Summersville Dam was built 51 years ago.
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Changing the Channel Nature knows best, it turns out, so West Virginia’s stream restorationists work to reverse human intervention and make waterways healthy again.
written by Pam Kasey
w
Water cuts its own path. It follows the lay of the land, sure, and it’s guided by the plants and rocks that give way or resist its influence. But culvert a river to build a bridge or let pastured cows trample in and out, and it can start eroding its banks in ways that are ugly and hard to stop. Erosion also disrupts the food chain. Stream-bottom creatures prefer a rocky streambed, so a muddy bed means fewer fish—and fewer frogs, salamanders, and even birds. Where that happens, nature becomes an unnatural kind of quiet. “What folks want to see now is ecosystem processes restored,” says Ryan Gaujot, president and principal geologist at Green Rivers of Thomas, which restores streams and wetlands. “A lot of that starts in the stream channel.” Engineering a stream channel back to health takes skill. The conventional fix for erosion has been to line the bank with rock, but water doesn’t always take the hint. “You’ve seen where the State Road keeps dumping rock in the same spot on a creek bank,” says Chris White, president and co-owner of Appalachian Stream Restoration of Danville. “Or a whole stream channel will just be rocked, and they keep coming back and putting up gabion baskets”—those wire crates that are filled with the large, loose stone called riprap. “That tells you the creek isn’t following its natural pattern, profile, and dimensions.” Stream restoration that looks natural and lasts is part science, as White’s comment hints, and part art. And it’s going on all around us.
COURTESY OF APPALACHIAN STREAM RESTORATION
Calming a restless creek
The Preston County headwaters of the Cheat River wind across upland plateaus. The area was once forested, and native trout thrived in its cool waters. But aggressive grazing and row cropping damaged the creeks and their floodplains in some spots. Even where agriculture has retreated, the waterways haven’t all recovered. In 2015, a private fishing club hired Green Rivers to help out with a creek on its Preston County property. “There was a bare floodplain along one section of the creek, a previously cleared field that never could get any vegetation established, and there just wasn’t any stream stability or any habitat,” Gaujot says. “The stream had put a big twist in the channel and it was eroding downstream. The bend was getting tighter and tighter, and the bank was getting taller and taller, and they didn’t know how to stop it.” The way to stop it is to re-create a natural sequence of riffles and pools. Green Rivers engineers installed about 20 structures in a third-of-a-mile stretch of the creek to do just that. They created “cross vanes” made of wood and rock to keep the main flow in the
River tributary in Preston County restored to a natural shape by Green
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Rivers of Thomas. New habitat has improved the stream life—and the fishing. below An engineered
cross vane directs flow to the center of a channel, relieving stress on the banks and reducing erosion.
COURTESY OF GREEN RIVERS
above A section of a Cheat
center of the channel—that reduces stress on the bank and encourages formation of a riffle upstream and a pool downstream. They also secured tree root wads at the toes, or bases, of the banks, within the channel. The toe wood adds stream bank protection as well as habitat. “So you build something that looks like the natural river, as opposed to traditional fixes where they just pile stuff up to armor the stream bank,” Gaujot says, “and then it also functions like a river.” When the in-stream engineering was finished, Green Rivers immediately revegetated the banks—an essential part of a stream restoration project. “We place sod mats, and we reseed and mulch. We also go in with live stakes and containerized plantings,” Gaujot says. “That helps with stream stability, to reduce the bank erosion.” Almost two years later, in mid-2017, the engineered reach is functioning stably. Downstream segments are likely seeing benefits, too: less excess sediment, more oxygen for stream life. Green Rivers will monitor the recovery for five years. The fishing club is happy with the results and has hired the company to restore a section of similar length farther downstream. Most often, Green Rivers is hired by energy businesses or developers to offset or minimize their damage to waterbodies in compliance with state requirements. This project—“not because of flooding or water quality or industry impacts but for the fish”— was refreshing, Gaujot says.
above Removal of
COURTESY OF APPALACHIAN STREAM RESTORATION; COURTESY OF CANAAN VALLEY INSTITUTE
the Two-Lick low-head dam on the West Fork River in Harrison County in 2016 as neared completion. right A stranded mussel rescued and documented during the dam removal.
Letting the West Fork flow free
Stream restoration isn’t always about erosion. A century ago, to secure its drinking water supply, the Clarksburg Water Board (CWB) built a series of low dams on the West Fork of the Monongahela River: the Hartland Dam right in town, and the Two Lick, Highland, and West Milford dams upriver. But as locals turned to the river for recreation, the lowhead dams became hazards. Boaters headed downriver sometimes couldn’t even see the dams, and anything that goes over one gets caught in the churn at the bottom. “They’re called drowning machines,” says Todd Miller, deputy director of Canaan Valley Institute (CVI) in Davis, which does stream and wetland restoration. “I think about a dozen people have drowned on the dams.” After trying a solution earlier this century that didn’t improve public safety, the CWB needed new options. It asked the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to do an assessment. Only the Hartland Dam among the four was still needed for water supply, the agencies noted in their 2010 report: The huge Stonewall Jackson Dam, 40 miles upriver, has ensured since 1990 that the river never runs dry. Because of their conservation missions, the agencies also looked at mussels, which filter a lot of water and serve as food for otters and other river creatures. Of 25 species ever documented in the river, two were already endangered—the clubshell and northern riffleshell—and two others were proposed for listing. So for both public safety and habitat improvement, the agencies recommended removing the upper three dams.
CVI coordinated design and construction of the 2016 project, an unusual one in the state. “Seventy-two dams were removed in 2016, in 21 states,” Miller says. “We were just among the first to do it in West Virginia. That probably made all of us extra cautious.” The pool above each concrete dam was several miles long and six to 10 feet deep, and that water had to be released gradually. CVI’s subcontractors started with the uppermost dam and used a process called “notching,” removing up to a foot of dam height each day. “We used a large excavator but, instead of a bucket on the front end, it had a hammer that looks like a big steel driver,” Miller explains. “It hammers bup-bup-bupbup-bup into the concrete and breaks off chunks little by little.” Another machine swapped in from time to time to build the refuse up into a pad the excavator could perch on as it worked its way across. “And then, as the water level dropped, we had folks from USFWS and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) and a private West Virginia firm called AllStar Ecology, and they rescued any stranded mussels and relocated them to suitable habitat.” Each dam was about a three-week project, so the full project took much of the summer of 2016. It reconnected almost 500 miles of stream habitat, improving conditions for species like mussels that need flowing water and muskellunge that spawn in cool tributaries but live in warmer waters. Some locals miss the series of deeper pools, Miller acknowledges. But others like the ability to canoe or kayak right through where the dams used to be. People tell him the fishing is as good as it ever was—maybe better. A side benefit was the chance to clean up the West Fork upstream of Clarksburg’s water intake. The USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program organized seven volunteer cleanups to collect exposed trash, and the state Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) hauled it away. That volunteer–nonprofit–for profit–state–federal collaboration collected 54,000 pounds of garbage and hundreds of tires. “I’ve heard that the CWB is keeping track of the costs of purifying the water as they get it ready for drinking,” Miller says. “It’s going to be interesting to see if that cost changes.”
“If your brook isn’t babbling, you have a problem.” chris white of appalachian stream restoration
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Meandering paths designed for the forks of Tomlinson Run by Canaan Valley Institute and installed by Appalachian Stream Restoration return
those straightened streams in Hancock County to their natural configuration. The former wetland habitat is gradually reestablishing itself.
In a follow-up project, CVI is working with the USFWS on a modification to the Hartland Dam that would improve both habitat and recreational use. “The West Fork is a designated water trail as of 2015, thanks to the Guardians of the West Fork and the National Park Service, and we’d like to support that,” Miller says. The design would allow for fish passage and either boat passage or portage, and he hopes the work will be done in 2018.
In the wide creek valleys of the far Northern Panhandle, farmers long ago straightened the winding North, Middle, and South forks of Tomlinson Run to make more room for agriculture. That completely changed the valleys. Streams on flat land don’t naturally flow straight, Miller says—they meander. “When streams are straightened, they get steeper. Slope increases and velocity increases, so they often erode through the soils and develop into gullies—cut down deep into their banks.” That has other consequences, too. Winding streams in flat valleys flow shallow, for example, and they’re bounded by wetlands; when a stream is straightened and cuts a deep channel, the water table drops and the wetlands dry up. Managing the forks of Tomlinson Run now as part of the Hillcrest Wildlife Management Area, the WVDNR had an interest in returning the streams to their natural state. “It was a great opportunity to restore the small meandering channels that would have been there and, at the same time, raise that water table back up and restore a whole bunch of wetland habitat,” Miller says. The work was conducted in 2016 as part of the WVDEP’s In Lieu Fee stream and wetland mitigation program. The In Lieu Fee program collects money from industry and developers who disturb streams and wetlands and directs it toward offsetting restorations nearby. CVI designed the project. It partnered with Appalachian Stream Restoration (ASR) for the construction, and that turned out to be a high-tech venture. “We’d invested somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 to outfit our excavators—we were the first in the whole country to use the Topcon Robotic Total Station in stream restoration,” ASR’s White says. That awkwardly named piece of technology translates design to precision excavation. “You have a computer inside the machinery where you’ve downloaded the design. The computer tells you where your bucket is and how far down you have to dig, so you build exactly what the engineer designed. No mistakes. We’re within three-quarters of an inch on a 20-ton machine that’s got a 4-foot bucket on it.” The designed restoration cut back and forth across the deep channels to create a meander that’s better suited to the 98 wvl • summer 2017
flat topography, filling in the depths with excavated material. Rather than relying on boulders and logs, this project used “constructed riffles”: built-up gravel bars that look like naturally formed stream features. “High, fast flows will spill out onto the floodplain, and the energy of the flow in the channel is dissipated because we have these robust riffles built of gravel along with deep pools that allow the water to slow down,” Miller says. “It’s a slightly less structural approach.” The project restored a mile of stream on each of the three forks of Tomlinson Run, along with about 15 acres of wetland. “We’re seeing a lot of aquatic insects in the channel, which is a good sign of the food chain recovering,” Miller says a year later. “And we’re seeing a lot of wet areas around the channel, so it’s looking really good.” They’ll monitor the project for five years.
Jobs AND environment
Stream restorationists are making a positive difference, Gaujot says. “We’re making hydrologic connections and taking away fish blockages and allowing benthics (stream-bottom life) to move back into areas.” That improves quality of life for West Virginians and supports tourism, all while boosting water quality for downstream uses. Projects like these also employ West Virginians. The Tomlinson Run project, for example, cost about $100,000 in design and permitting and $1.2 million for construction and planting. “Almost all of this went to pay in-state salaries, food and lodging, supply costs, et cetera for us and our subcontractors,” Miller says, “so the funding really supported people in West Virginia. The economic benefits of this project and restoration work in general are pretty significant.”
COURTESY OF CANAAN VALLEY INSTITUTE; COURTESY OF APPALACHIAN STREAM RESTORATION
Restoring wetlands to offset disturbances
Take the At ACE Adventure Resort’s Wonderland Waterpark, you can slip, slide, zip, and blob your way to a splashing good time.
written by Mary Wade Burnside photos courtesy of ACE Adventure Resort
Plunge
A
new verb has crept into Matt Bishop’s vocabulary since he and his two sons discovered ACE Adventure Resort’s Wonderland Waterpark in Oak Hill. The lake features 50 inflatable toys, but Luke, 14, and A.J., 10, have one far-and-away favorite. “We love The Blob,” Bishop says. A giant inflatable launch bag, the Blob requires the “blobbee” to crawl to the end of the red, yellow, and blue pillow. Then the “blobber” jumps on the other end, catapulting the blobbee into the air. “They will fly as high as 10 feet into the air and land in the water,” says Bishop, of Beckley. This is where the new verb comes in. “They like for me to ‘blob’ them because I’m much heavier,” he says. Bishop and the boys were introduced to the water park in 2015—the first year it was open to guests not taking advantage of ACE’s other attractions—and then went back five or six times last summer. They have similar plans for 2017. During previous summers, the trio got season passes to a water-themed park in North Carolina. But Luke and A.J. told their father they did not want to do that this year. “They said, ‘We want to stay here. We just want to go to ACE.’”
The idea for a water park evolved over time. It became possible in 1992 when ACE moved from Glen Jean to 1,500 acres of property adjacent to the New River Gorge. The company, which started out in 1980 as river rafting outfitter American-Canadian Expeditions, began offering activities in addition to river rafting that now include ziplining, 102 wvl • summer 2017
NIKKI BOWMAN
Water, Water Everywhere
The Blob has become so popular with ACE’s guests that it spawned its own annual event. The 7th
Annual Big Air Blob Competition will take place July 1, 2017.
hiking, mountain biking, caving, stand-up paddleboarding, horseback riding, kayaking, and more. Additional groundwork for a water park was laid nearly 20 years ago. In 1998, ACE co-owner Jerry Cook and his family lived on the edge of the lake that eventually would become Wonderland Waterpark. “It’s all spring fed,” Cook says. “It has springs that feed it year-round, so it always has fresh water.” Soon after the family moved in, Cook bought an inflatable water trampoline for his son Dylan, who was about 3 years old at the time. “We kept buying bigger ones and guests asked if they could jump on them, so we got a large inflatable trampoline.” Then came Virginia white sand, imported in 2006 to create a beach where kids can build castles, parents can lounge, and swimmers can enter the water gradually. At the same time, ACE began acquiring a larger variety of inflatables. The list now includes a 25-foot-tall climbing mountain, seesaws, an obstacle course, a balance beam, a rope swing, monkey bars, inflatable logs, and giant, spinning “Saturn” balls that guests climb while keeping their balance. In 2008, ACE built a 30-foot tower in order to install the 40-foot-tall soft, vinyl Wet Willie Waterslide. After the tower was built, Cook and co-owner Ernie Kincaid, an engineer, figured out the tower would also facilitate a zipline. Now guests can zoom 400 feet before skimming and then plunging into the water—at 30 miles an hour. “Ernie says, ‘You can start off any way you want but you know things will change.’” The lake only received its official moniker—Wonderland Waterpark—last year in reference to a campground that occupied the land decades ago. wvliving.com 103
Play Your ACE While Wonderland Waterpark has zoomed into second place in popularity at ACE Adventure Resort, rafting still brings in more visitors than any other activity at the 1,500-acre park.
Beginning rafters—or those who prefer a somewhat gentler ride—should check out trips on the New River and lower Gauley River. But nothing beats the upper Gauley when it comes to whiteknuckle excitement, especially during each fall’s Gauley season.
Nearby Summersville Lake is a big attraction for guests, too. This season, ACE will begin offering pontoon boats as floating base camps for lake adventures like flatwater kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), and rock climbing.
Wonderland Waterpark has exploded in popularity in recent years, going from about 23,600 visitors in 2014 to more than 52,000 in 2016. ACE Adventure Resort expects those numbers to continue to climb as the lake adds more attractions.
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Swim and Slide
ACE plans to have even more fun ready for visitors this summer. The waterpark will introduce 20 new inflatables. ACE also will soon begin construction of a new extreme slide. The slide will be between 160 and 175 feet in length. Only guests 18 and older will be able to take the heart-pounding ride to the bottom, where ramps will launch them into the air. The new slide may or may not be open by the end of the summer, Cook says, but in the meantime attendees can still enjoy the side-by-side fiberglass slides installed in 2016. The slides crisscross, and one goes through a tunnel for about 20 feet. “As soon as you go in, you turn 90 degrees and the bottom drops out,” Cook says. “It’s always a thrill. You go fast at the end just as you come out and drop down fast.” Cook knows this from personal experience. “They let the old guy test everything.” Like Bishop, Wanda McCune, who lives in nearby Fayetteville, loves to take her sons to Wonderland Waterpark. “It’s so versatile,” she says. “It’s a lot of family fun and friendly as well.” That’s important to McCune, whose three sons span ages 8 to 14. One of them, 11-year-old Dylan, has a neurological movement disorder, but that does not keep him off most of the attractions at Wonderland Waterpark. “He loves the turtle trampoline,” as well as the new slides, which are his favorite features on the lake. “It’s one of the things we can do—one of the things I felt was safe and fun for him to do.” The fun will only continue as Cook and his partners keep adding to the attractions at Wonderland Waterpark. ACE plans to add a wave pool and a lazy river beside the 5-acre lake within the next three years. And if you catch Cook there in testing mode, he might even assist in the fun. “I’ll be glad to blob you,” he says.
Guests also can book tours on the zipline, which consists of nine lines with stations in between. The course also includes two swinging bridges and ends with a walk through a treehouse.
5 ACE hosts themed trail races, too. Two upcoming races are the New River Gorgeous Trail Run on August 19—which can be done as a half-marathon, an 8.5-mile run, or a 5-mile walk—and the 5K Zombie Run on October 28, where participants can register either as runners or zombies for some Halloween-themed fun.
Camping sites are available for customers who want to spend the night, along with a variety of cabins and log homes. ACE Adventure Resort provides three dining options: The Lost Paddle Lounge, named for a rapid on the Upper Gauley; the Lakeside Dining Buffet, with changing menus that this summer will include Italian and Southern-style food; and Woody’s Patio Grill, which offers woodfired pizzas, among other light fare.