Sunday, February 9, 2014

What West Virginia Festivals Has In Store For You

By Jerri Perry


In case you have not explored West Virginia State, then you are missing a lot. This is now turning out to be the destination of choice for tourists interested in American cultural heritage as showcased through unique exhibitions in events that runs throughout the year in WV. The West Virginia Festivals have their unique place in global event calendar with a number of them having international recognition status, others even winning awards.

On top of this list is the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting; an award winning events that attracts thousands from all over the globe. The participants of water testing too are not limited to the state alone; there are hundreds of companies from other states within United States and the rest of the world. This remains the greatest water tasting event in the whole world where the public get opportunity to vote the top water packaging company.

In mid March, the Strawberry Festival is celebrated at Buckhannon. The primary purpose of this event is to promote strawberry harvest but it goes beyond just that. It offers unique entertainment for family with cultural events and educational opportunity for all participants. In the nights of Fridays and Saturdays, there are parties which are presided by quilt shows, art and craft exhibits, souvenir shops, the photography shops, car shows, competing bands and strawberry auction.

Vandalia Gathering celebrated in late May in Charleston is the event where you will get to see all the American tradition at ago. Be it music, dance, crafts, stories and the best of foods this state has to offer. The event takes place at the State Capital grounds and at the Cultural Center with the primary goal being to showcase the traditional mountain culture of state natives and attract huge crowds from all parts of United States.

In the month of March, there is the Strawberry Festival event aimed at promoting the strawberry production. This is held in Buckhannon, WV and is also a family fan fair with strawberry action as the climax. It features music competition with live performances, art and craft exhibition, cultural exhibitions, photography, dance and parties in Friday and Saturday nights.

When it comes to cultural heritage, there is none better that the Italian Heritage Festivals. The Upper Ohio Valley Heritage Festival is the first of the two held in the late July every year. Within WV, this is the largest Italian cultural event and is the second largest in US attracting almost 200,000 visitors from US and Canada.

The Labor Weekend in August to September then follows with the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival honoring the traditions that have been passed from one generation to the next for decades now. This is where you experience the best of culture as evidenced in arts, paintings, foods, dance and other activities with a 3-day street match climax.

The West Virginia Festivals are known to be rich in cultural heritage of various communities that are native to the state. In most of the events, you will experience best of dance, music, films, theater, art and craft, painting, food, sports and wines. The best part of it is that most of the events are completely free.




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