Summer Festivals with West Virginia Foods

Summertime and the living is easy…..obviously Gershwin did not live on a farm. This is the time things are hectic…staying up with the harvest and getting the produce to the market for sale. But for most of the state’s residents there are lots of festivals and fairs to enjoy.

This past weekend at Charleston’s Festivall we had the opportunity to attend Wine and All That Jazz…went for a day full of music

When then you mix jazz music with the offerings of many of West Virginia’s wineries……

Whenever you have wine and music and people, you have fun!

Okay, you missed that one, but consider a few moments of respite and go to one of the many festivals and fairs scheduled during the months from now through October.  Here are a few to note that are coming up.

• July 5-7 Mountain State Arts and Crafts Festival    Cedar Lakes,    Ripley, WV    Demonstration cooking by West Virginia chefs; classes on container gardening, blueberry basics, sheepshearing, edible landscaping, tower garden growing, composting and more related to gardening and farming;goat milk soap making, local farm products and crafts.

• Wednesday, July 11   Women in Agriculture Day    9-2:30 NRCS, Little Kanawha Soil & Conservation District, FSA, Farm Credit and WVU Ext Service  Elizabeth Baptist Church, Wirt County, WV (304) 422-9072

• Saturday, July 11 Heritage Farms Ice Cream Social  3300 Harvey Town Road, Huntington, WV (304) 522-1244 Cool down with hand cranked homemade ice cream! Lots of food, dancing and live music!

• July 20-22  Mountain Lakes Festival    Sutton Lake, Sutton, WV    5K, boat races all topped off with a heritage cooking competition

• Saturday, July  21    Twin Maples Farm   10-2 24430 Ashton Upland Road, Milton, WV (614)558-5330 Mini Moo Round-up and Chicken Tractor Competition Come join us in celebration of small livestock! An open house for all our neighbors and friends. Food, entertainment, hiking, information. This year’s addition: the Chicken Tractor Competition! Come hike in the morning while it’s cool, enjoy lunch and see the animals. Bring a lawn chair!

• Saturday, July 21  Fish Hawk Acres  Lavender Fair and Hootenanny  1 Fish Hawk Drive, Rock Cave, WV 26234   (304) 924-9880  A mid-summer day  at Fish Hawk Acres celebrating lavender, herbs, wild things, art, natural crafts, music, foods,  and the people who tell you about them.

• Saturday, July 21 starts at 8a.m. Tractor Show and Games, West Virginia State Farm Museum  210 Viand Street, Point Pleasant, WV 25550  (304) 675-6788      Fun filled day of remembering the heritage of farm life. The exhibits are rides/equipment used outside the farm home. Free.

• August 10-18 West Virginia State Fair Rt. 219 South, Fairlea, WV 24902 (Lewisburg)  Livestock, home arts and garden and lots of entertainment and food.

• September 8-9 West Virginia Fiber Festival  Reedsville Farm Arena, Reedsville, WV (304) 229-9729   Our festival gives fiber producers, fiber artists and fiber processors an opportunity to display and sell their products, services, livestock and equipment. We will be providing educational opportunities as well a whole lot of fun. Come and join us at our fantastic annual two day fiber event. There will be fiber animals, roving, yarn, equipment, seminars, garments, educational displays and much, much more.