Whitewater Rafting in the Mountain State

http://mx1.onthegorge.com/site/adventures/white_water_rafting.html

By: Abdulaziz Alfadhli

Whitewater rafting is one of the most famous tourist activities in West Virginia. There are many companies that make a living off this activity and the extras that come with it.

According to Whitewater Unlimited, this all started in 1968 when three brothers started their own rafting business with a small loan and a pick up truck. Jon, Tom, and Chris Dragan started by taking trips on their own to explore the rivers and determine what are the best routs and how to access them.

After their business started and became known to many people, other companies decided to enter the industry and whitewater rafting became a big industry in West Virginia. Today, hundred of thousands of customers come to West Virginia, every year, to experience whitewater rafting.

The industry kept growing in West Virginia, but once you’re at the top, you can only go down. By 2007, the whitewater rafting industry became less popular and the number of rafters kept declining. The whitewater rafting companies were threatened by this, and had to act to save their businesses.

In 2007, three companies, Mountain River Tours, Class-VI River Runners and the Rivermen decided to consolidate into one large resort, which is now known as the Adventures on the Gorge. This decision saved the companies and kept them in business. The Adventure on the Gorge is one of the largest resorts in West Virginia, in addition to the ACE Adventure Resort and other resorts.

Today, the whitewater rafting industry is working well and thousands of people come to West Virginia Every year to explore this adventure. I went on a rafting trip with the ACE two years ago and it was really great. There are also other activities in these resorts such as horseback riding, zip lines, kayaking, fishing, climbing and many other fun things to do.

I looked at several websites to get an estimate of the price range for a one-day rafting trip. The prices varied a lot and it depends on the size of the boat and the type of the trip. Just to give you an idea of the price range, it goes from $70-$150. Again, it depends on what you want to do and how long do you want to do it.

Canaan Valley Renovations Boost Region Profits

Canaan Valley is a hidden gem for outdoor adventurers and with a new $34 million renovation to the main resort, business has soared.

Timberline Trail Map

Canaan Resort Trail Map

 

The Valley is home to two of W.Va.’s most affordable, as in best bang for your buck, ski areas. Canaan Valley Resort State Park and Timberline Four Season Resort combine to offer over 80 slopes, including the 2 mile long Salamander. With its Northern location Canaan Valley is much more accessible to cities such as D.C. and pittsburgh. With the completion of Corridor H from D.C. drive times will be significantly cut down and provide the area with more high-profile business.

Corridor H

The renovations feature two new four-story towers with 80 rooms each. David Herscher, general manager of Canaan Valley Resort, commented on the need for a renovation, “The guest rooms were old and worn and tired and we needed new accommodations here. Just the new facilities will bring in a whole new clientele.” Improvements to the ski area including new snowmakers, tubing park, and better slopes saw a rise in visitors last year and those numbers stayed high this season (Canaan Resort wouldn’t release specific figures).

Once the the new corridor is completed only three turns will be needed onto different routes from Canaan to the D.C. area surely improving business to the entire Canaan Valley area.

Global warming: Bad for the earth, good for ski resorts

Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort has recently taken advantage of global warming’s harsher winters and summers.  The 11,000 acres that make up Snowshoe in the Appalachian Mountains has extended its season to be the longest in a decade and is introducing new activities to attract people in the summer.

Image from the Charleston Daily Mail

Last Fall, Snowshoe announced that their new season will go from the day before Thanksgiving in November to Easter in April.  They also announced the future opening of a new luxury hotel.

The decision to extend the season came from Mother Nature… And the people that run the ski resort.  Early and heavy snowfall for the past two years has resulted in the entire 250 acres of ski-able area to be completely covered and for Snowshoe’s snowmakers to happily kick into full gear.

“Along with being important for snowmaking, the chilly temperatures also help us in the metro areas throughout the region as folks start thinking about skiing and snowboarding when the temperatures drop,” Joe Stevens, spokesman for the West Virginia Ski Areas Association, told WDBJ7 in November.

Steven also said the ski resort has an economic impact of over $250 million and creates 5,000 jobs around the mountain.

The ski resorts’ taking advantage of changing weather patterns has become an economically profitable resource for this area as Snowshoe works hard to make sure she’ll be comin’ ’round the mountain when she comes.

Photo from pic2fly.com

Mountaineer Casino Resort Building Outdoor Patio to Comply with Ban

By: Lauren McMillen 

In an effort to comply with the countywide public smoking ban put into place in Hancock County, the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort  plans to build an outdoor smoking patio, equipped with gambling tables and slot machines.

The Clean Air Act goes into effect on July 1. The casino claimed that this was going to hurt their business, out of fear that tourists would travel to establishments that allow smoking indoors.

Photo Courtesy: Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort

The ban, adopted by the Hancock County Board of Health, includes everything from restaurants, bars, gaming facilities, hotels, public parks and concert venues. Just last week,  the Board of Health granted the approval to the casino for the outdoor patio.

According to the Weirton Daily Times, Joseph L. Billhimer, Chief Operating Officer of Eldorado Gaming Inc., unveiled plans for the smoking patio to the health board on Tuesday.  The board approved the proposal set forth. Eldorado is Mountaineer’s parent company.

In an interview with Metronews, Chris Kern, general manager of the Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, said there were concerns on both sides of the issue.

“Obviously we want to be a good citizen of the county and the state. We want our employees and the community to be healthy, but we also want that revenue that most of which we get out of state,” said Kern.

Photo Courtesy: Trip Advisor

However, a majority of customers that visit the casino are from Ohio, where some casino’s have already taken advantage of small patios to comply with smoke-free bans.

“With as many games as we plan on having, it should allow us to take care of those customers that want to take part in smoking as well,” he said.

Kern said the area is currently enclosed, but they plan to do some remodeling to make sure they fit with Clean Air Act requirements. The new patio space will be located in a gaming area that is not currently being used.

“We’re going to have possibly 200 slot machines and six table games in this space,” he said.

To make sure the area is ready for all conditions, the space will include radiant heaters, large ceiling fans, and wind shears.

Photo Courtesy: Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort

However, the community as a whole could take a toll. Kern said the ban is going to reduce annual revenues, especially with the casino being Hancock County’s largest employer.

“Every other state that’s done this is experiencing anywhere from 15 to a 30 percent decline in revenue,” he said, “The West Virginia Lottery’s projection came in at basically right at 18 percent, which was their estimation of what the impact would mean for us.”

Kern said new patio should be open by July 1, which is the same day that the Clean Air Act goes into effect.

So do you think this ban will hurt the casino? Would this keep you away? Or is this a good move to lookout for the health of customers and employees? Share your thoughts!

The Greenbrier: West Virginia’s Shining Diamond

Elaborate decoration, exquisite meals, upscale shopping and lavish entertainment. No, we’re not at the Ritz Carlton, a Rocky Mountain ski resort or even a high rise in Dubai. We’re in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia at The Greenbrier Resort.

The Greenbrier has opened its doors to guests since 1778. Today, the property offers 710 rooms, including 33 suites and 96 guest and estate houses. The Greenbrier has 10 lobbies, 40+ meeting rooms and a complete conference center facility.

In 2009, though, the Greenbrier found itself in financial shambles. In swooped energy and agriculture billionaire, Jim Justice II. Justice, a bold businessman and nearby-Lewisburg local, made assessments of what to keep, like the bold decor, and what to add, like attractions for children and world class golf courses.

Justice stepped in and offered $15 million in cash. Ultimately, he spent approximately $43 million for the hotel, spa, golf courses, sporting club, future casino, a break-up fee to Marriott, and 500 home lots.

The Greenbriar Casino Springhouse. Photo via WVtravelgroup

Why go to the bother of saving it? That’s probably a silly question. It’s historic! It’s impressive! It’s one of a kind! Most importantly, though, its economically important to the area, specifically Greenbrier County!

The resort is the largest employer in the area and a deciding factor in the surrounding area’s economy and morale.

John Manchester, Mayor of Lewisburg said in an interview with WVVA in June 2009, “When The Greenbrier is doing well, we do very, very well. We get a lot of spin off business, a lot of people that are interested in coming and seeing the whole area, including downtown Lewisburg.”

In 2011, Lewisburg was even named one of America’s Coolest Small Towns.

By 2013, the Greenbrier Resort was operating at nearly a constant full capacity and hosting world class events, like the Greenbrier Classic PGA golf tournament. It had continued to maintain the coveted AAA 5 diamond rating, one of only 125 resorts, and the only one in West Virginia.

A change in that year’s rating scale, though, meant the loss of a diamond for the resort primarily due to the smaller size of bedrooms and bathrooms in about 10 percent of the resort’s 710 guest rooms.

Greenbrier president Jeff Kmiec told USA Today the Greenbrier made it clear to AAA that it was unwilling and unable to alter the rooms’ sizes.

“We simply cannot alter the footprint of the hotel in order to meet the new standard,” Kmiec said in a statement released Friday to The Associated Press. “We cannot destroy hundreds of years of legacy and history for larger bathrooms.”

To quote Jim Justice, “that’s like asking to change the face of Mount Rushmore; we won’t do it.”

So how do you feel about The Greenbrier? Have you ever been? Do you want to visit? And how small of a bathroom are you willing to tolerate to preserve history?

The Autumn Harvest Festival and West Virginia Roadkill Cook-off

http://jschumacher.typepad.com/joe/2009/10/autumn-harvest-festival-and-west-virginia-roadkill-cookoff.html

Thousands of meat lovers travel to the small city of Marlinton, WV to participate in the Roadkill Cookoff Festival. The Autumn Harvest Festival and West Virginia Roadkill Cook-off is held on september every year. This Year’s festival will take place on September 26, 2015.

The main event in the festival is cooking and tasting crazy road kill dishes. The meat that is used in the dishes should be something that you could hunt or hit it on the road. In case you are not sure what kind of meat you’ll eat, the festival’s website provides a brief delicious description of it: “If you’ve ever wanted to taste exotic dishes like squirrel gravy over biscuits, teriyaki-marinated bear or deer sausage, this is the place to be!”

According to the festival’s website, cooking starts at 9:00 a.m. and judging starts at noon. People who would like to attend the festival have to buy their tickets before 1:00 p.m.

https://www.pinterest.com/lightblueline/road-trip/

I wanted to know how do participants feel about the festivals and since I do not know any one who went to the festival, I went to Yelp. Commenter Brian D., from Ranson, WV, wrote a long post about the festival. The post was mainly telling us what type of people who would enjoy the festival and who would not enjoy it. “Now for those impatient types who want to complain about waiting in lines for food, vendors running out of food, or – heaven forbid – having to wait a few minutes for a fresh batch of food to be prepared, perhaps the McDonalds drive through would be more to your liking,” wrote Brian D.

There are many activities in the festival other than tasting meat dishes. You can but local crafts, taste wine, listen to music and, off course, buy local meat to take it home with you.

The only cons that I found about the festivals was waiting in long lines and that the most items get sold out quickly. “By the time we were done spending several hours waiting in lines, much of the non-sample sized food (smoked pork, lamb, etc.) was completely sold out,” wrote Tamara Y. from Royal Oak, MI.

I do not see this as a con that could ruin the festival because you could simply come early and avoid the long lines. Don’t forget, go to Marlinton on September 26, 2015 and the food appreciators there will take care of you.

The Barony of Blackstone Mountain Raids 2015

The Society for Creative Anachronism is, “An international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe.” The “Known-World” consists of 19 kingdoms with over 30,000 members. These members, dressed in clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, attend events which feature tournaments, royal courts, feasts, dancing, various classes & workshops, and more.

Map of the Known World courtesy of sca.org (click to enlarge)

Each year in a beautiful valley nestled between rolling hills of green, members of the kingdom of Æthelmearc heed the call to battle of the Barony of Blackstone Mountain, located within the southern part of the kingdom from modern Beckley to Parkersburg and encompassing the surrounding area. Soon members of Æthelmearc will clash with members of the Midrealm for control of the precious black stones(coal), from which the Barony takes its name, in the 24th annual Blackstone Raids.

A brief taste of the carnage

Located at Cedar Lakes in Ripley, W.Va., the Raids are a chance for local residents to experience what life was like during medieval and renaissance time period, and of course see some badass melee combat. Cedar Lakes is an integral part of the community and the revenue brought in by the Raid will be put to use in the maintenance and future events at Cedar Lakes. Families are encouraged to come out and see just what the event is all about.

Doyles Bays of Ripley, also known as Captain Morgan Steed of the Caribbean, has attended numerous times and says, “Overall there are usually 200 people in attendance with as many as 50 local residents coming out to support the Raid. Basically the main goal is to show people what life was like during the Elizabethan era, and to have a lot of fun.”

If you’re in the area stop by Cedar Lakes and take a step back in time. The Raid will be taking place today, April 23, through Sunday, April 26, for more information visit the Blackstone Raid website. Also, stay tuned for photos coming over the weekend!

Update: Very sorry but the weather lowered the attendance greatly and no photos were take.  

Where the fairies, lobster-dressed wiener dogs, and fish artists live

By Renata Di Gregorio

Where do masked fairies on stilts, wiener dogs in scuba gear, and government-sanctioned technically graffiti artists flock to during the year?  Charleston, West Virginia, of course (duh).

Photo from the Charleston Daily Mail

Photo from festivallcharleston.com

And what is closely followed by fairies and wiener dogs?

Come on, you know the answer.

…

Tourists!

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Charleston’s FestivALL has the motto “A city becomes a work of art,” but what they really want to say is “A city becomes profitable from YOUR money!”  The slogan masterminds decided against that one; however, it is the point of this article.

FestivALL is going on its 11th year and has previously attracted over 50,000 people, many of them from outside of Charleston.  Last year there were 130 events and 360 performances including musical, visual, and performing arts.

They mostly all take place around downtown.  If you’ve never been to Charleston, as a native I can tell you the downtown is all within walking distance and is surprisingly artsy.  What does this mean for the point of the article?  Plenty of people walking around and becoming all of the things we want: tired, hungry, thirsty, sweaty, and hot.

AKA: ready to spend their money in the shops, restaurants, art galleries, and markets that make up the downtown.

Normal days:

Photo from orvwbc.org

Photo from artemporium.net

FestivALL days:

Photo from WV Living

Photo from wvexecutive.com

Normal days after the FestivALL days:

Photo from the Charleston Daily Mail

Photo from the WV Gazette

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The festival has expanded more than just onto some walls.  In 2007, FestivALL went from only being 4 days to lasting 10.  It has also expanded to more than once a year.  In 2012 FestivALL Fall began, where it teamed up with the spooky weekend events and festivities of Halloweast.

On April 10, the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Tourism People’s Choice Awards voted FestivALL a favorite event along with Live on the Levee, the Wine & Jazz Festival, and Charleston Restaurant Week.

With all this success, coordinators have thought of even bigger ways to get donations and keep the artistry expanding.  The West Virginia Development Office has granted FestivALL Neighborhood Investment Program tax credits in which people or businesses who donate $1,000 or more are offered 50% in tax credits.

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The impact of FestivALL on local artists was realized two years ago when the murals were painted on the piers under the highway by the West Side.  Not only were artists encouraged by the number of art fairs and events, but now their work was being displayed in unconventional ways.

“We have artists here who are having their work displayed in ways that no one ever would have thought of before now, because they’re empowered by FestivALL,” said Charleston Deputy Mayor Rod Blackstone.

 VIDEO: FestivALL Having Year-round Impact on Charleston’s Art Scene

“When you have art in a place that’s otherwise kind of cold and barren, I think it makes the place more inviting and more attractive.  Think of what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to attract people to live here, to visit here, to invest here,” said Blackstone.

For many artists this public display not only feeds into their goals of creating a more beautiful world, but helps create a more colorful life in their own hometowns.  Tourists help the artists help the city.  Bringing  in tourism to the area is in many ways only a wonderful consequence of creating a work of art out of a city that others want to see.

From fireworksdisplay.org

Did you think I would forget about the fish art?

Italian Heritage Festival Brings Big Boost to Local Economy

Photo Courtesy: WVIHF

By: Lauren McMillen

It all started in 1979 on 340 West Main Street. The deep love and pride of Italian heritage in the Mountain State gave life to the idea of a festival in Clarksburg to honor the past, celebrate the present, and preserve rich traditions for future generations to come.

Today, hundreds of people pour into the streets of Clarksburg every summer to celebrate the annual Italian Heritage Festival.  Throughout the entire year, volunteers and the Board of Directors plan every detail for the festival weekend, which brings in a lot of visitors into the city of Clarksburg. While there is no shortage of food or fun, the event also brings a huge economic boost to the city.

Photo Courtesy: WVIHF

According to a WDTV article, festival directors said that street vendors are not the only ones reaping in the benefits.

“Over the course of the three days, this festival brings in about 85,000 people to the Clarksburg area. So, I mean, it’s really huge for local businesses, hotels, it’s almost become its own holiday in a way. So, I would think people really would look forward to it and it grows every year,” said Lindsey Lowe, Executive Director of the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival.

According to an Exponent Telegram article, Clarksburg City Mayor, Cathy Goings, said that the weekend long celebration is beneficial not only for local businesses, but to the city itself.

“Now that they’ve expanded it over multiple weekends, that’s really helped a lot. Now some of the surrounding areas are reaping some of the benefits,” said Goings.

Photo Courtesy: WVIHF

With red, green, and white colors flooding the streets of Clarksburg every year, the little festival has gained some worthy prestige. The WVIHF has been rated among the “Top 100 Events in North America” by the ABA, a “Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society” & one of the “Top 4 Italian Festival’s” in the nation by the National Sons of Italy.

Mayor Goings said the festival puts Clarksburg in the spotlight and helps attract more people back to the small city.

“It’s showcasing our whole city. A lot of these people come back year after year. The event may be the sole reason for them coming to Clarksburg,” said Goings.

Goings, a downtown business owner of several shops herself, continues to feel the impact that the festival leaves on the city.

“I have a lot of customers that I’ve met through the festival that shop with me through the year,” said Goings.

From the opening ceremonies, when the royal court of Regina Maria, is crowned, to its conclusion with the traditional festival dance, the festival brings out all of those who share a deep love for Italian culture, while also preserving its roots.

Photo Courtesy: WVIHF

While the money may be monetary, the extra funding from the festival goes a long way. However, the population in the state continues to decline, but festivals continue to bring more people in, at least for a short amount of time. Now, the question that remains is how do you make them stay?

If you would like to pay a visit to this year’s festival, it will be held September 4-6.

October Sky Festival Forced to Relocate

When you think West Virginia festival, you probably picture events that focus on food or natural resources, but do you picture rockets? Yes, ROCKETS! It’s true, West Virginia has a rich history in a small part of the Nation’s emerging space program in the 1950s and 60s.

Now, a quick note, you probably don’t know much about me, but I’m a huge space fanatic. I’ve a two time NASA inter, a space public outreach team member and now a full-time NASA employ starting in May. I’m also born and raised in West Virginia. All of this combined makes me a bit of a Rocket Boys fanatic.

If you haven’t heard of the Rocket Boys, here’s a bit of background. Rocket Boys is both a book and a group of, you guessed it, boys who bonded over rockets. The story is the first memoir in a series of three, by Homer Hickam, Jr. It is a story of growing up in a mining town, and a boy’s pursuit of amateur rocketry in a coal mining town in West Virginia. Coalwood, WV to be exact.

The story is a quintessential tale of the American dream. A boy in a small mining town fights against his father’s wishes to carry on the family mining tradition. Instead, he sees the first satellite launched into space, Russia’s Sputnik, and is propelled into a whirlwind saga of teaching himself calculus, blowing up his mother’s picket fence, sneaking material from the mines and eventually winning a scholarship to college for engineering.

The memoir was turned into the popular movie, October Sky, in 1999. It’s a staple in West Virginia classrooms.

The popularity of the book and movie sparked the founding of the October Sky Festival in the year 2000 in Coalwood, WV. The festival, which is held in the first weekend of October every year, featured tours of sites shown in the film, meet and greets with people mentioned in the film and book and even visits from Homer Hickam Jr. and the rocket boys.

By 2012, the industry, and therefore people, had left Coalwood, and the festival faced an impending cancelation due to lack of able-bodied volunteers.

After the cancellation of the Rocket Boys/October Sky Festival was announced in February, Hickam was approached by a group of concerned Raleigh County citizens to inquire about the possibility of bringing the festival to their city, Beckley, WV. After weeks of conversations between the parties it was agreed that the 2012 Rocket Boys/October Sky Festival would be held in Beckley with many events taking place on the grounds of the Exhibition Coal Mine.

Beckley is a little over an hour and half from Beckley, but its proximity to the interstate, large population and lots of area for the festival and accommodations, it became the new permanent home of the festival. Busses run throughout the event to take visitors to Coalwood to see the few remaining buildings and important locations.

Is this the future of festivals in West Virginia? As the state loses population, will we also lose the opportunity to celebrate our heritage?

P.S. Homer Hickam Jr. is super active on Twitter and an accomplished author in all types of writing. I encourage you to follow along as he voices his views on current space-program affairs.