Champion fiddle, bluegrass banjo and mandolin players today competed for prizes during the 29th annual Vandalia Gathering. Two categories of fiddlers—those 60 years of age and over and those under 60 years of age—were recognized. The other two contests included all ages.
Winners were announced as part of an awards ceremony and concert this evening in the West Virginia State Theater of the Cultural Center.
The winners were:
Fiddle - 60 years of age and over
1st place ($400) - Donald Jones, Scott Depot
2nd place ($250) - Elmer Rich, Morgantown
3rd place ($150) - Lester McCumbers, Nicut
4th place ($75) - Jerry Lewis, Nettie
5th place ($50) - Junior Spencer, Frankford
Fiddle - under 60 years of age
1st place ($400) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
2nd place ($250) - Jarred Nutter, Meadow Bridge
3rd place ($150) - Jenny Allinder, St. Albans
4th place ($75) - Adam Hurt, Charleston
5th place ($50) - Meredith Pheasant, Fairmont
Mandolin - all ages
1st place ($400) - Brandon Bentley, Sumerco
2nd place ($250) - Rachel Singleton, Summersville
3rd place ($150) - Fred Honaker, Oak Hill
4th place ($75) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
5th place ($50) - John Putnam, Looneyville
Bluegrass Banjo - all ages
1st place ($400) - Butch Osbourne, Parkersburg
2nd place ($250) - Tommy Drake, Chapmanville
3rd place ($150) - Zach Life, Murraysville
4th place ($75) - Ben Harrington, Clear Fork
5th place ($50) - Bruce Jones, Gladesville
The annual Vandalia Gathering is a FREE celebration of the traditional arts,
music, dance, stories, crafts and foods of West Virginia. The Cultural Center
and State Capitol Complex grounds plays host to this expanding family-style
gathering each year on Memorial Day weekend. The festival continues tomorrow
at 10 a.m., with old-time banjo, lap dulcimer and flat-pick guitar contests
beginning at noon.
The statewide folk festival, named for the proposed 14th colony, creates new
memories for the thousands of visitors who flock from across the Mountain State
and the entire country to celebrate traditions passed from generation to generation.
In addition to offering a sampling of West Virginia’s traditional mountain
culture by showcasing craftspeople and performers, the Vandalia Gathering pays
tribute to the state’s ethnic heritage through a variety of exhibitions
and programs.
For more information, call Ginny Painter at (304) 558-0220, ext. 120.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia
Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past,
present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and
history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. The Cultural Center is
West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. Visit the Division’s
website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the Division.
The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
Employer.
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Ginny Painter
Director of Public Information
West Virginia Division of Culture and History
The Cultural Center
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300
Phone (304) 558-0220
Fax (304) 558-2779
ginny.painter@wvculture.org