The West Virginia State Folk Festival: Through the Years
Laiken Blankenship
The folks festival has been taking place the third Thursday of every June since 1954. We thought our readers would appreciate these photos from over the years. Kim Johnson was kind enough to share these photos from her own collection. – ed.
David Morris, Jenes Cottrell, and French Carpenter share a few tunes outside the Country Store at the 1963 folk festival. Photo courtesy of David Morris.Jenes Cottrell demonstrated his woodworking techniques at several of the earlier festivals. Photo courtesy of Sylvia O’Brien.Wilson Douglas and others relax onstage while Red Truman breaks into a dance as Glen Smith plays his tune for the fiddle contest in the late 1960s.David Morris, Jenes Cottrell, and French Carpenter share a few tunes outside the Country Store at the 1963 folk festival. Photo courtesy of David Morris.Melvin Wine and John Morris were the Over 50 & Under 50 winners of the 1975 fiddle contests. Photo courtesy of Frank George.Old friends Doc White and Lee Triplett getting ready for the 1972 fiddle contest. Photo courtesy of Frank George.Clem Crum was known as Captain Easy and played bass or guitar with several performers. This jam session happened on the street at the 1981 festival. Photo courtesy of Frank George.Dave Milefsky, Dennis White, and Frank George lead a bagpipe band and dancers in the 1971 festival parade. Photo courtesy of Frank George.Clay County fiddler Wilson Douglas at the 1970 festival. Photo courtesy of Wilson Douglas.Left to right: John Morris, Frank George, Alan Jabbour, and David Morris at the festival in the early 1960s. Photo courtesy of Frank George.Noah Cottrell of Calhoun County was a fixture at many of the earlier festivals. Photo by Kim Johnson.View from the Conrad Motel, 1980. Photo by Kim Johnson.Tillie Dunlap was attracted to Lester McCumbers’ fiddling in the Conrad Motel parking lot in 2011. Photo by Andrew Dunlap.The McCumbers sisters loved the folk festival and attended for many years. Left to right: Linda McCumbers and her twin India Drennen, Clara Turner, and Gladys Snyder. 2005 photo by Kim Johnson.Catching up with friends is an enjoyable part of the festival. Left to right: Sam Linkous, Lester McCumbers, Gerry Milnes, and Mark Howes on the Conrad Motel steps in 2006. Photo by Kim Johnson.Another favorite event at the festival is the Singing Tent, led here by John Lilly in 2011. Photo by Kim Johnson.Three of West Virginia’s best musicians on their way to enter the fiddle contest in 2018. Left to right: Andy Fitzgibbon, Jesse Pearson, and Cody Jordan. Photo by Kim Johnson.
Citation:
"The West Virginia State Folk Festival: Through the Years." Goldenseal West Virginia Traditional Life, Spring 2025. https://goldenseal.wvculture.org/the-west-virginia-state-folk-festival-through-the-years/
