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Folklife Apprenticeship Program

Month: January 2019

West Virginia Folklife 2018 Activities Report

What has the West Virginia Folklife Program done lately? Learn about our 2018 fieldwork, programs, and activities.

2018 Master Artist & Apprentice Feature: Doug Van Gundy & Annie Stroud, Old-Time Fiddling of the Greenbrier Valley

Doug Van Gundy, of Elkins led an appenticeship in old-time fiddle of the Greenbrier Valley with Annie Stroud, of Charleston.

Recent Posts

A Tribute to Ballad Singer Phyllis Marks (June 5,1927-June 22, 2019) July 2, 2019
The State Folklorist’s Notebook: “If You want to be a part of Huntington, you need to eat at Jim’s!” June 20, 2019
Announcing the West Virginia Folklife Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Program March 25, 2019
The State Folklorist’s Notebook: “People need to know about plants”: Herbarist Marion Harless March 22, 2019
West Virginia Folklife 2018 Activities Report January 29, 2019
2018 Master Artist & Apprentice Feature: Doug Van Gundy & Annie Stroud, Old-Time Fiddling of the Greenbrier Valley January 23, 2019
2018 Master Artist & Apprentice Feature: Marion Harless & Kara Vaneck, Green Traditions December 20, 2018
West Virginia Folklife Presents Apprenticeship Showcase: Fiddle, Blues & Gospel December 17, 2018

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👻 Seen a ghost? Share your spooky story with @wvfolklife & @wvpublic for an upcoming Halloween issue of #InsideAppalachia! Call our toll-free Folklife Haunt-line at ☎️ 1(844)618-3747 ☎️and your tale may be featured. 👻 #wvfolklife

The West Virginia Humanities Council grieves with the family and friends of Mark Payne, Program Officer for @wvhumanities for 18 years. Mark’s curation of Council direct programming through the years brought the humanities to cities and small towns everywhere in the Mountain State, in the form of speakers series, traveling exhibits, book festivals, and the annual McCreight Lecture in the Humanities, among many others. He was a man whose life, spirit, and good humor touched many communities, from academia to old-time music. We will remember him as a dear colleague and fellow-traveler, and as a committed ambassador for the humanities in all its forms.

The legend of the Braxton County or Flatwoods Monster arose near dusk on September 12, 1952, when a group of local youths were startled from a game of football by a fireball streaking across the sky. The fireball fell to earth just beyond a hillside at Flatwoods. Joined by Kathleen May, a local beautician, the boys went to investigate. ☄️ The group of 7 approached the top of the hill where the fireball had landed. Beyond the hill, they reported seeing a pulsating light. Then suddenly, to their left, two powerful light beams pierced the darkness. Turning their own flashlight in that direction, they saw a large man-like creature nearly 12 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. Making no sound, it floated toward them. The creature had a red face and bright green clothing, which hung in folds below the waist. Its head was shaped like the ace of spades and there was an almost sickening metallic odor emanating from its body. The witnesses quickly fled the scene. A later investigation found only a lingering odor, two large skid marks, and trampled grass. Although the Monster has never reappeared, Flatwoods celebrated its 50th anniversary with a community festival in 2002. Over the years the #FlatwoodsMonster has developed a sizable following, taking its place alongside Mothman, Batboy, and other #WestVirginia legends of the bizarre. Read more at e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, a project of @wvhumanities https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2192 📷: by Gray Barker depicting the legendary Flatwoods Monster. Courtesy Of Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library, Gray Barker Collection

Last week we visited Shady Grove Botanicals in Randolph County to assist with research and documentation for an upcoming @smithsonianfolklife festival program. @shadygrovebotanicals, owned and operated by Ed and Carole Daniels, is a sustainable forest farm growing and selling ethically wildcrafted wild native Appalachian ginseng and other forest botanicals including goldenseal and black cohosh. Ed and Carole were harvesting the red berries from their #ginseng plants and will both sell and save the seeds for future plantings. Learn more about their work at www.shadygrovebotanicals.com.

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Helvetia fiddler and winemaker Vernon Burky (9/28/25 -8/30/19), at age 93. 🎻 Vernon John Burky was born to a Swiss family in #Helvetia, West Virginia in 1925. He grew up speaking Swiss on his family farm, where his parents raised animals and managed a sawmill, and his grandparents operated a cheese house. They made “Helvetia cheese,” a type of Swiss cheese, similar to Emmental, that was made throughout the Helvetia community and a staple in the diet of residents. As a child, Burky raised chickens and tapped maple trees on his family farm. As an adult, he was an active winemaker, a common pursuit in the Helvetia community. During his working years, Burky worked as a truck driver for a saw mill and a coal company. He learned to play fiddle as a child and started playing in the Helvetia Star Band, the local dance band for generations and the namesake of one of the village’s two dance halls. The group performs regularly for Helvetia square dances and events. In 2016, we interviewed Vernon for the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with @southfoodways. We also recorded him playing "Ragtime Annie" at the 2016 Helvetia Community Fair.

4-H campers leg wrestling in Upshur County, WV 📷: @wvulibraries West Virginia & Regional History Center

@wvhumanities is hiring! The West Virginia Humanities Council, the state affiliate of @nehgov, announces an immediate opening for a Program Officer. The Program Officer administers & develops Council-directed programs under the supervision of the Executive Director. Regular responsibilities include oversight of the Council’s current direct programs: the McCreight Lecture in the Humanities, the “Little Lectures” spring speaker series, History Alive!, all in-house traveling exhibitions, and the West Virginia Book Festival steering committee. Read more about the job requirements, qualifications and how to apply on our website wvhumanities.org or at https://bit.ly/2MpajhP 📷: Filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon speaks at a 2018 Little Lecture. Photo by Mike Keller.

@wvhumanities’ Grant Deadline September 1! The Humanities Council is seeking proposals for Major grants, Media grants, Publication grants and Teacher Institute grants. For more information about the West Virginia Humanities Council grants program contact grants administrator Erin Riebe at (304) 346-8500 or via email at riebe@wvhumanities.org. Grant guidelines and applications are available on the Humanities Council website, wvhumanities.org/grants. #HumanitiesMatter #grants #WestVirginia

"I've played through 4 major floods, a mine war, and several shooting galleries. I've played in front of crowds where a thousand peoples adored me and I've left several places with a gun in my hand. And I'm still here in one piece! But Soldier's Joy has been one of my favorite tunes." 🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻 Listen to master Clay County fiddler John Morris play his version of the tune he learned from fellow Clay County fiddler Wilson Douglas (1922-1999) & was the theme song of the Morris Brothers band. Watch the full video on our YouTube channel.

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