9/14/2010
Charles Town Ghost Tour: Oct. 2-30, Jefferson County Courthouse, Charles Town
This is a walking ghost tour covering 15 historic, haunted sites and dozens of authentic, documented tales of restless spirits. Tours last approximately 1 ½ hours. Comfortable shoes and flashlights are recommended. Tickets will be on sale beginning Sept. 18 at the Visitor’s Center on George Street and Albert and Arnold’s Wine Shop on Washington Street. Prices are $10 ages 13 and over and $5 ages 6-12. Hours vary each tour. Private tours are available year-round for groups of five adults or more. Self-guided tours can be done with the purchase of the book, “Charles Town, WV – A Haunted History.” Contact 304-724-6741 for tour hours and additional information.
Charleston Boulevard Rod Run and Doo Wop: Oct. 6-10, Kanawha Boulevard, Charleston
The Charleston Boulevard Rod Run and Doo Wop is a five-day car show festival open to all makes and models. The show is limited to 1,000 registered vehicles. The event starts with a cruise-in on Oct. 6 at the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Cross Lanes, with the main car show opening on Kanawha Boulevard on Oct. 7. In addition to at least three free live concerts and a $25,000 fireworks show, there are many other events such as: mud racing, truck pulling, rock climbing exhibits, two burnout competitions, hydraulic car exhibitions, poker walks, dancing, fall foliage cruise, vendors and concessions, swap meet vendors and much more. Visit www.charlestonwvcarshow.com or contact 800-733-5469 for more information.
26th Annual Salem Apple Butter Festival: Oct. 7-10, Depot Park, Salem
Every year in early October, the Salem Apple Butter Festival attracts young and old alike to watch apple butter being made in open copper kettles over slow burning wood fires. The outdoor stage, adjacent to the Salem Depot, serves as the center for festival activities. In addition to the large selection of arts, crafts and foods, festival patrons can enjoy quilt and apple butter judging, talent contest finals, celebrity auction, auto show, bingo, pet show-off, children's games, and king and queen pageantry, as well as the Sam Warner 5K Run and a bicycle poker ride that take place on the adjacent North Bend Rail Trail. The festival offers free live entertainment throughout the four-day event. There is no admission charge to the festival. Contact 304-782-3565 or visit http://www.salemwv.com/applebutterfestival for additional information.
West Virginia Pumpkin Festival: Oct. 7-10, Milton
Started in 1986, the festival was designed to help farmers with the raising and selling of pumpkins. The festival attracts attention from throughout the region and features a variety of family friendly activities. Activities include: pumpkin decorating contest, Mountain Men encampment, soap and lye making, portable eye examinations, food vendors, Thursday Gospel Night, nightly entertainment, crafts, scholarship fund raising auction and much more! Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 per person age six and over. Contact 304-634-5857 or visit www.wvpumpkinpark.com for additional information.
2010 Hatfield and McCoy National Trail Fest: Oct. 7-11, Gilbert
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hatfield and McCoy Trail System and National Trailfest – the premier off-road event in the United States! Activities include: nightly musical entertainment Thursday throughSaturday, riding the Hatfield and McCoy trail system, poker and dice run for cash, factory and demo rides, Friday night ATV, UTV and dirtbike costume parade, nightly drag racing and mud pit action, Saturday night mud pit run for cash and prizes, product exhibitors, fireworks display, casino night and live auction for prizes, catered meals on Friday and Saturday and much more! Saturday night’s featured band will be the Blackwater Outlaws. Special packages are available. For more information, visit http://www.nationaltrailfest.com or contact 800-592-2217.
Mansion by Candlelight: Oct. 8-9, Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, Parkersburg
Transformed into an 18th-century party, Blennerhassett Island and its magnificent mansion are illuminated by hundreds of candles and lantern boxes. Docents, in period-style dress, will host an evening of music, dance and card games. While on the island, plan to take a horse-drawn wagon ride, visit the gift shop, and warm yourself by an inviting bonfire at the servants’ party, featuring Appalachian music, clogging, apple butter making, and folklore storytelling. A special candlelight “harvest supper,” consisting of roasted pulled pork, potatoes, baked beans, coleslaw, rolls, pumpkin pie, and a beverage, will be offered on both evenings with advance reservations. This is a picnic-style meal and is served outside at the picnic pavillions. Space is limited and reservations are required. Contact 304-420-4800 for tickets or visit www.blennerhassettislandstatepark.com for additional information.
28th Annual Lumberjackin’ Bluegrassin’ Jamboree: Oct. 8-10, Twin Falls Resort State Park, Mullens
The beautiful fall colors of southern West Virginia provide the setting for this annual family-oriented event. Activities include: bluegrass music, food, arts and crafts, hayrides, storytelling, chainsaw artistry, clogging and a woodsman’s competition. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For lodging and additional information, contact 304-294-4000 or visit http://www.twinfallsresort.com.
Burgoo International Cook-Off: Oct. 9, Baker’s Island Recreation Area, Webster Springs
The annual Burgoo International Cook-Off is held each October at the Baker's Island Recreation Area located in downtown Webster Springs. Burgoo is a spicy stew that has its roots in the Irish or mulligan stew. Traditionally, the idea was to make a stew using whatever meats and vegetables were available and in good supply at the end of a hunting day. That meant venison, squirrel, opossum (though not in modern recipes) or game birds. Activities include: apple pie contest, children’s activities, live music, arts and crafts, applebutter making, scarecrow contest, hay rides, cake walks, pumpkin painting, food and much more. Cash prizes are awarded for various categories. Main Street’s own Burgoo will be available to purchase. Hours for the cook-off are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no admission and parking is plentiful. For additional information please contact 304-847-7291 or e-mail webstermain@citlink.net.
8th Annual Christmas in the Park: Oct. 9-10, Follansbee Park, Follansbee
Christmas in the park is a highly anticipated local event that showcases the talents of area crafters within the setting of the city’s park and recreation area. Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the festival offers visitors the opportunity to stroll along paths lined with trees adorned with Christmas ornaments made by local elementary children. There also will be more than 80 craft vendors and several food booths. Additional activities include: visiting with Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides, charity raffles, entertainment by the Brooke High School Madrigal Choir, live DJ and carolers with a live Nativity. Also appearing will be “Snowbird,” mascot from a local television station. For more information, contact 304-527-3378 or 304-527-0177.
37th Annual Apple Butter Festival: Oct. 9-10, Berkeley Springs
The star of this traditional fall festival is dark and spicy apple butter, made the old fashioned way: slow simmered in giant copper kettles and constantly stirred over open fires in the center of the town square. It concludes by late afternoon when the bubbling apple mixture is sugared and spiced and long lines of festivalgoers form to buy the butter as it's canned, hot out of the kettle. Additional activities include: gallery show and sale at the Ice House, turtle race, live music, beard and mustache contest, egg toss, hog calling contest, apple bake and apple butter contest, quilt drawing, more than 200 art and craft vendors, farmers market, parade, thirty feet of grills packed with chicken halves and many more food vendors. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 pm. Sunday. For additional information, visit http://www.berkeleysprings.com or contact 800-447-8797.
3rd Annual West Virginia Chestnut Festival: Oct. 10, Rowlesburg Park and Szilagyi Center, Rowlesburg
Imagine Perry Como singing “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” and you have an image of this event! The festival includes: chestnuts in honey; chestnut furniture; displays of the West Virginia Chapter of the Chestnut Foundation; music in the park; professional speakers on the American chestnut tree; professional storytelling; Asian chestnut tree saplings for purchase; throwing chestnuts in the well contest; Autumn Glory Rides to the top of Cannon Hill; and various foods, including a complimentary continental breakfast and a dinner feast. Special treats await visitors, including chestnut-flavored desserts and chestnuts roasted over an open fire in the park. The day also includes scientific lectures in the Szilagyi Center, a variety of exhibits in the park and vendors including wormy chestnut collectibles by Allegheny Treenware of Fellowsville. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The festival will take place rain or shine. Parking and admission are free with the exception of the banquet dinner. Scheduled events are subject to change. For more information, contact 304-329-1240 or 703-461-0563 or visit http://www.wvchestnutfestival.com and http://www.rowlesburg.info.
31st Annual Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival: Oct. 14-17, Martinsburg
For 31 years, the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival has celebrated the rich agricultural heritage of this part of West Virginia, highlighting the role of the apple in that tradition. Enjoy a weekend of fun and tradition and celebrate the role of the apple in our history and culture. Activities will include: free agricultural tours, Royal Gala, apple pie contest, live music, pancake breakfast, apple arrangement contest, apple growers contest, photography contest, celebrity sports breakfast, arts and crafts, 5K Apple Trample, grand feature parade, cruise-in car show, cooking demonstrations, square dance, grand ball, antique and unique vehicle show, kids korner, baby contest, apple peeling contest and quilt raffle. All events are subject to change. Contact 304-263-2500 or visit http://www.msahf.com for additional information.
West Virginia Black Walnut Festival: Oct. 14-17, Spencer
The black walnut is one of our best known and most valuable trees. Widely planted for its nuts, lumber and for ornamental purposes, it is found over the eastern United States and as far west as Nebraska, Kansas and Texas. The fruit is a large, rounded, brownish black nut with a hard, thick, finely ridged shell enclosing a rich, oily kernel. The kernel is edible and highly nutritious. Join us as we celebrate the Black Walnut with arts, crafts, agricultural exhibits, music and much more! Additional activities will include: car show, carnival, flea market, grand parade, kids parade, baking contest, 5K nut run and walk and quilt show. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be in downtown Spencer during the festival. Standing at 6 feet tall, the Traveling Wall spans over 300 feet in length and weighs five tons. It is a 3/5th scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. New this year at the Black Walnut Festival is Dale Earnhardt Junior’s No. 88 NASCAR, along with the National Guard's rock climbing wall. Come out and see if you can conquer the wall. Contact 304-927-5616 or visit http://www.wvblackwalnutfestival.org for more information.
Autumn Splendor Prime Rib Dinner Train: Oct. 16, Petersburg
Make plans now to enjoy an early afternoon dinner train on the South Side Express Autumn Dinner Train. Passengers will see the beautiful array of fall leaves, hear soft music and smell the delicious scent of prime rib dinners, especially prepared by Gourmet Delights. Boarding time is 4 p.m. and departure time is 4:30 p.m. for the two and a half hour trip through the Potomac Highlands and along the Potomac River. The cost is $60 per person and reservations are required for this casual but elegant adults-only trip. Contact 304-257-9264 or visit www.grantcountywva.com for more information.
New River Gorge Bridge Day Festival: Oct. 16, New River Gorge Bridge, Fayetteville
It's time for the 31st Annual Bridge Day Festival in West Virginia! Our setting, the New River Gorge, is one of the world’s oldest places, and BASE jumping is one of the world's most cutting edge sports. Above the famous whitewater rafting on the New River, jumpers, rappelers, and thousands and thousands of onlookers gather for the state's biggest party of the year. This year, join West Virginia Convention & Visitors Bureaus and learn what each region of the state has to offer. Visitors from around the world can find out what to do in West Virginia beyond Bridge Day, just by browsing booth to booth. Other activities include: Taste of Bridge Day, farmer’s market, harvest celebration and quilt show, chili cook-off, live music and car show. The West Virginia Motorcycle Safety Program will sponsor a ride crossing the New River Gorge Bridge during the Bridge Day festival. This ride will be to promote awareness of motorcycle safe riding and safe interaction with other motor vehicles traveling West Virginia highways. Visit http://www.officialbridgeday.com for the complete schedule or contact 800-927-0263 for additional information.
Contact Information
Andrea Bond
304-957-9347
Andrea.B.Bond@wv.gov