Preservation and Persevering: Volunteers Keep the West Virginia State Folk Festival Running for Over 75 Years

By Jason Gum

For years, three large boxes of Fern Rollyson’s materials, donated after her death in 1988, sat untouched in the bottom of a locked cabinet at Glenville State College’s Robert F. Kidd Library. The institution had done little with the collection beyond ensuring it was never disposed of. In 2008, an archival worker was hired to help organize the campus’ unique collections, and the boxes were finally opened. This collection of photographs and documents provided a clear understanding of the West Virginia State Folk Festival well beyond the common narrative. 

In 1950, Patrick Gainer started a folklore class at Glenville State that was considered the first few years of the Folk Festival. In 1956, the community members in and around Glenville became much more involved in this effort. In 1960, Gainer shifted his focus to other endeavors sponsored by West Virginia University. While these first 11 years of Festival development were instrumental, there is much more to the story to tell. 

The Fern Rollyson Collection, once processed, revealed a more nuanced history of the Festival. Rollyson kept everything related to the operations, including meeting minutes and correspondences, from 1956 to the late 1970s. Every pamphlet and newspaper produced for festival purposes was preserved there, along with hundreds of photographs. There was also an early inventory of the archival items housed in the Festival’s Country Store and a listing of every Festival Belle who had ever taken part in that long-standing tradition. 

The information within the documents portrayed a much larger community effort than had been explicitly explored. It became evident that the early origins of the West Virginia State Folk Festival were marked with some uncertainty, and there were years when the future was unclear. A community of volunteers cooperated, under the leadership of Rollyson, to make sure that the yearly Festival at Glenville would become permanent. 

These records were processed and digitized, and the story that stood out was about a community of volunteers coming together and persevering. It evolved into a multi-generational effort that has proven itself successful for 76 years. Gainer’s association with WVU took his focus from Glenville, but his influence would spark the initiative of a community to piece together what eventually became what we know today. Gainer’s folklore class had focused on old-time fiddlers, ballad singing, square dancing, and homemade items such as toys, clothes, and tools. By 1958, he pushed for festival events on the streets of Glenville, including apple butter making, basket weaving, blacksmithing, hog calling, candle making, wood chopping, sack races, ox roasts, horseshoe pitching, and nail driving. 

As the yearly Festival gained momentum, Gainer decided to distance himself prior to the events of 1960. The initial void in leadership of the Folk Festival Association was filled by several women from the local area during a meeting in early January 1960. The positions included Rollyson as President, Mrs. Thelma McFerrin as Vice-President, Mrs. E. M. Tate as Secretary, and Mrs. E. M. Taggart as Treasurer. Further membership included several College personnel such as President Harry B. Heflin and Chemistry/Education Professor Byron Turner. Gainer was initially listed as part of the committee, but his name was scratched from the minutes prior to their approval at the next meeting when his intention to remain distant from its operations became more obvious.  

While the exit of the initial Festival’s instructor and director after 10 years was daunting, the West Virginia Folk Festival Association set out to create something that would last. For the first time, they created by-laws and a constitution, registered with the State of West Virginia as The West Virginia State Folk Festival, Incorporated, and established a headquarters for the Festival in the vacant Little Kanawha Valley Bank with the name, “Country Store.” By 1961, Gainer, President of the WV Folklore Society, began promoting the Mountain State Folk Festival at Beckley instead of the Festival in Glenville. The actions taken by these citizens during early 1960 marked a community’s commitment to keep the Festival at Glenville going. Beyond WVU’s financial influence, some of Gainer’s dissatisfaction at this time came from the festival committee garnering input from folks who resembled the beatnik stereotype of the 1950s and 1960s, such as the Minstrel Mark Moore. Rollyson also sought out ideas for improving the Festival, and she looked to “Cousin” Thelma Bolton of Florida, who had also been involved in several folklife festivals there. 

The next few years saw the community push forward without the help of its original founder. The first platform was built downtown for the square dance, and there was additional attention from Glenville State College personnel. Previously, the square-dancing activities took place on the College’s campus, near Verona Mapel Hall, or in the vacant lot where the city park is now located in Downtown Glenville. The Festival also garnered more national media attention, and there was an uptick in the involvement of Glenville State professors. For example, Professor Byron Turner recorded musicians who attended, Professor Charles Scott designed the first commemorative shirt, Professor Pearl Pickens acted as the association’s secretary, Professor Nelson Wells joined the association, and Professor James Gay Jones gathered folk tales that he eventually published in several books. All of these individuals went on to be renowned in their respective fields. 

Glenville State College was always extremely instrumental in the development and continuation of the Festival, and the University still remains directly connected. Much of the festival leadership over the past 76 years has included employees of the school. Only one Festival was ever canceled, which was due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020. The first six festivals were part of folklore courses that were funded by the College. While Gainer was the instructor of these folklore courses, he previously worked under Carey Woofter, the Glenville Normal School’s History Professor, Registrar, and 1914 Glenville Normal School graduate. Woofter embedded a deep appreciation for the collection of folklore and the importance of folk studies into his students. Scholars have typically considered Gainer a protégé of Woofter. 

The community effort and connection to the College are the common themes that stand out throughout the entire history of the Festival. As it progressed, generational participation also began to present itself. The Festival’s long-lasting presence was never brought about by the activities of any one man. In fact, the group that came together in early 1960 to establish the Festival as a lasting entity was predominantly made up of women. Rollyson led the Festival from 1960 to 1978. One of her significant achievements during this time was the relocation of the festival headquarters, The Country Store, to the old Ruddell General Store in 1966 and the eventual purchase of the facility in 1972. The Country Store, located on Court Street, remains the headquarters of the West Virginia State Folk Festival today. During the 1970s, Gainer returned to the Festival at Glenville after his retirement from West Virginia University and prior to his death. It is believed that he took pride in its survival and gave it his blessing.

After Rollyson decided to step down from the presidency, additional volunteers stepped up. Mack Samples was elected in 1979. He attended every Festival since 1961 and was serving as the Dean of Admissions at Glenville State. David Gillespie, Glenville State’s Librarian, had been serving as the Vice President during this time and remained in the position for a couple more years. Samples temporarily handed the reins over to Diane Bach from 1983-85 but returned to manage the Festival for an additional nine years from 1986-1994. 

In a Summer 1985 GOLDENSEAL article, Samples wrote about some of the musicians he had admired since his early days. These musicians included old-time community fiddlers and banjo players such as Lee Triplett, Ira Mullins, Melvin Wine, Woody Simmons, and Phoebe Parsons. He went on to say that no one at the Festival doubted the abilities of younger fiddlers such as Braxton County’s Buddy Griffin. Griffin eventually became a Festival volunteer and also earned much success in his own musical endeavors. These include appearances on a combined 150 different albums, more than 200 performances at the Grand Ole Opry, years as a Professor of Music at Glenville State College, and the 2011 West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s Vandalia Award [Now the Department of Arts, Culture & History]. While his additional accomplishments are too many to mention, Griffin was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2023, an honor that Samples helped present to him. Griffin also credits the Festival for influencing his decision to come to Glenville State for college. 

The next round of leadership after Samples included longtime festival participant Ginny Hawker for 11 years, between 1995 and 2005. Between 2006 and 2013, Festival presidents included retired Air Force pilot and Glenville State Administrative Assistant Joe Yurkiewicz, longtime festival volunteer and crafter Sadie Kelble, local retiree and Old Wolfe Inn operator David Millard, Glenville State Chemistry Professor David O’Dell, and Glenville State Bluegrass Professor Megan Darby-McKnight. O’Dell returned to the presidency in 2014 and has remained in the position since. 

However, the leadership is only a small component of the many volunteers and folk enthusiasts who have striven to make the Festival a permanent attraction. Today, as in the past, the Festival Association and an entire community of supporters are responsible for success each year. A diverse group of individuals partner to ensure that this tradition continues. Regardless of political affiliation, job type, or background, everyone comes together to ensure that the Festival continues.  

One common question asked by those unfamiliar with the Festival is, “What brings people to this festival?” The easiest thing to say is that it is a music festival, but the truth is that there is not one answer. As Samples pointed out in a 2011 Folk Festival News article, some attendees come who do not see music as the attraction. Many people see the Festival as a chance to take part in a reunion of sorts that provides them with the opportunity to visit with friends and family. It could be argued that it is more of a reunion of heritage. This event reminds those in the community and beyond what we once were and what we once relied on for not only entertainment but for daily life. It also demonstrates that a community can still cooperate and rely on one another. 

The best explanation of what the Festival is involves a variety of attractions based on preserving folklife. Examples include the old-time square dance, the crafters, the demonstrations, the food vendors, the Country Store Museum, and the fiddle and banjo contests. Some may even point out the many non-festival affiliated and non-traditional musical acts from the local community who have performed at the local pub over the years, including Mike Morningstar and Wazoo. These non-traditional aspects are unofficially part of what goes on during Folk Fest weekend, and they stand out to some attendees as part of the tradition whether we want to acknowledge it or not. 

The main goal of the Festival, developed under the guidance of Gainer and the diligence of Rollyson, is to preserve the everyday and intimate creativity that we all share and pass it on to the next generation. We would like to believe that they would be proud that the Festival has been passed on to future generations to carry on the tradition. The youth who attend today appreciate these efforts in their own way. Bristol Woodford, the 2024 Young Adult Folk Festival Writer’s Contest Winner, says, “The Festival is a big tradition in our area. My sister, mom, and I look forward to the square dancing each year. It is something that everyone enjoys, and it is fun to learn from the older folks and keep these types of traditions alive.” It is easy to see a future where young people, like Woodford, continue to use Rollyson’s template for success as they become the next community leaders, keeping this tradition alive. 

The Festival is constantly evolving with additional activities from yesteryear being revived and the expansion of other initiatives. For instance, wood-chopping events and horse-drawn wagon rides have come back, and recent history has seen an extension added to the square-dance platform, additional vendor spaces at the end of Main Street, and additional Belle-related groups such as the Junior Belles, Baby Belles, and Baby Beaus being added. The Festival still has the advantage of Samples’ participation as a performer, flatfooter, and square-dance caller. However, some younger callers, such as Gilmer County Schools Superintendent Tony Minney and Sand Fork teen Montaiginey Linden also share the stage. 

Newcomers’ observations of the Festival are not always predictable. Glenville’s new Mayor and Glenville State Business Professor Mark Sarver has only lived here for a few short years, but he immediately recognized the value of the Festival, its volunteers, and the community involvement. He has thrown all the support he can behind it. “When I first came to the Festival, I expected an experience geared towards an older crowd who wanted to relive some of their early years. However, I was amazed with the participation of young people. You can look at the square dance platform at times, and there are more teenagers than any other age group,” he has commented. 

The 75th West Virginia State Folk Festival will begin, as it has for several decades, on the third Thursday in June. In 2025, it will start on Thursday, June 19 at 4 p.m. and run until the Sunday service at Jobs Temple on Sunday, June 22. Whether you’re a first-time attendee or returning after many years, prepare for the same hospitality and dedication towards folk culture from a community of volunteers who envision this Festival going, at least, another 75 years.