Champion fiddle, bluegrass banjo and mandolin players today competed for prizes during the 31st annual Vandalia Gathering.
The winners were:
Youth Fiddle (age 15 and under)
1st place ($75) - Ray Cossin, Mt. Alto
2nd place ($50) - Jerrica Hilbert, St. Albans
3rd place ($25) - Arianna Macy, Charleston
Fiddle (under age 60)
1st place ($400) - Chance McCoy, Martinsburg
2nd place ($250) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
3rd place ($150) - Zack Fanok, Morgantown
4th place ($75) - Ray Cossin, Mt. Alto
5th place ($50) - Jerrica Hilbert, St. Albans
Senior Fiddle (age 60 and over)
1st place ($400) - Lester McCumbers, Nicut
2nd place ($250) - Gerry Milnes, Elkins
3rd place ($150) - Boyd Phillips, Elkins
4th place ($75) - Don Jones, Scott Depot
5th place ($50) - Elmer Rich, Morgantown
Mandolin (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Chris Davis, Ona
2nd place ($250) - Steve Acord, Fairdale
3rd place ($150) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
4th place ($75) - Robin Kessinger, St. Albans
5th place ($50) - John Putnam, Looneyville
Bluegrass Banjo (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Brandon Green, Sophia
2nd place ($250) - Ben Harrington, Artie
3rd place ($150) - Doug Cossin, Mt. Alto
4th place ($75) - Andrew Kidd, Hurricane
5th place ($50) - Zack Life, Murraysville
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 registration beginning at 11 a.m.; the contest start 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 Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner and communications manager for the Division, 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. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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