West Virginia State
Folk Festival
Glenville, WV
Folk Festival Dedications
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2008

Jane and Frank George were honored at the 2008 59th West Virginia State Folk Festival. The Festival was dedicated to these two individuals who have contributed to the promotion of Appalachian culture and old time music.

Jane George wears many hats. Born Jane Taylor in rural Roane County in 1922, she is a fervent supporter of West Virginia's folk heritage and has devoted her adult life to teaching and promoting the traditional arts. Basket weaving and highland dancing are areas of special interest to Jane, who was instrumental in establishing several heritage arts educational programs in the state. Today, Jane George and her talented husband Frank can be found at the Vandalia Gathering and anywhere the folk arts are celebrated in West Virginia.

William Franklin "Frank" George was born in 1928 in Bluefield, Mercer County, later moving to Roane County where he now lives with his wife Jane. Frank is a respected fiddler and an authority on the history of West Virginia traditional music. He is particularly interested in the Irish and Scottish roots of mountain culture. In addition to the fiddle, Frank plays the Scottish bagpipes, the pennywhistle, the fife, the mountain and the hammered dulcimer, and the old-time banjo. Frank frequently performs Celtic music with the band Poteen.   See Frank play the fiddle at the 2008 Festival by clicking on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izYh1RsNERQ

Both Frank and Jane George are both recipients of the Vanadlia Award., West Virginia's highest folklore honor.





2007

The 2007 Fifty-Eighth Annual West Virginia State Folk Festival is dedicated to old-time musicians Lester Virgil and Malinda Swanetta McCumbers of Nicut, Calhoun County.  They have been regulars at the Folk Festival for years with Lester playing his fiddle and Linda or Lindy (as she is better known) playing the accompaniment and singing.  He won the Festival fiddle contest six or seven times, including last year.  The Vandalia Festival honored Lester with the Vandalia Award in 2005, “which recognizes lifetime achievement in the performance, creation, or perpetuation of West Virginia traditional arts.”  (Lester) “has passed on his musical heritage to others, including younger family members, apprentices, and countless workshop participants.”   Lester and Linda have been playing old-time music throughout most of their 70 years of marriage.
2006

In 2006, the West Virginia Folk Festival was dedicated to two long term volunteers who have helped to keep the traditions alive - Mossie Pauline Bias Taggart and Frances Myers Schmetzer.  Mossie Tyggart was one of the five volunteers that formed the West Virginia State Folk Festival Corporation in 1960 and had served almost twenty years as the first treasurer.  Fran Schmetzer been an active and enthusiastic volunteer for many years.  She has headed many activities including organizing silent auction fund raisers, serving as past caretaker of the Country Store, serving as Folk Festival secretary, and assisting with the Folk Festival Belles.


2005

The 2005 Folk Festival was dedicated to Phyllis Marks, who entertained the Saturday night Concert audience. She first performed on the concert stage for the festival in 1954 as a young woman. Phyllis turns her blindness into another opportunity to get a laugh and when she sings, it is simply from the heart without pretense.


2004

The 2004 Folk Festival was dedicated to the late Claude Kemper who carved and painted lifelike birds of West Virginia. His family still displays a collection of his birds at the Festival. It is wonderful that Lynne and Ron Kemper are continuing this tradition.  The Kemper family is one of the important supporters of this festival.  

2003

The 2003 Folk Festival was dedicated to Melvin Wine who passed away at age 93. "He was a fixture at the West Virginia State Folk Festival from the 1960s and every year holding together a large jam of musicians on Court Street from his perch on a padded stool." Ginny Hawker as quoted from the Glenville Democrat.

Melvin Wine was a fiddler and recipient in 1981 of the first Vandalia Award - West Virginia's highest folklore honor. He was born in 1909 in Braxton County, West Virginia. He learned many of his old fiddle tunes from his great-uncle and father, who had learned from his grandfather.

West Virginia Folk Festival Dedications

And Special Mentions

Complied by David Brown

(Past Folk Festival newspapers were researched to collect these dedications and special mentions))


2008 - 1960 

 

2008

Jane and Frank George

2007

Lester and Linda McCumbers

2006

Mossie Bias Taggart & Frances Myers Schmetzer

2005

Phyllis Marks

2004

Claude Kemper

2003

Melvin Wine

2002

Phoebe Parsons

Remembering  Sylvia Cottrell O’Brien & Carroll Hardway

2001

Nelson Wells

Remembering Glen Smith

2000

Ethel Kemper

1999

Wilson Douglas

1998

Jesse Marks

1997

Tom Luzader

Ernie Carpenter passes on….

1996

Rev. Rita Emerson

1995

Mack Samples

Country Store Repairs Dedicated to Byron Turner

Sarah Singleton Old Time Fiddler passes…

 

1994

Tom King--A Loss to the Festival

1993

Worley Gardner’s Dulcimer will be missed

1992

“Honors the Big Four”

Phoeba Parsons, Melvin Wine, Woody Simmons, Wilson Douglas

Noah Cottrell, Lost to the ages…

1991

Harvey Sampson passes….

1990

No mention

1989

Remembering Fern Rollyson

1988

No mention

1987

“Lee and Ira, End of an Era”

1986

Dedicated to Marvin Springston

1985

Festival Dedicated in Memory of Emma Reed

1984

Special Mention

Ira Mullins, Evertte Jones, John Morris,

Buddy Griffin, Lefty Shaffer& Ernie Carpenter

1983

Myra Mick Honored, Country Store Volunteer

1982

No mention

1981

“Festival Loses 5 Important Contributors”

Dr. Patrick Gainer, Lee Triplett, Jenes Cottrell,

Sloane Staggs and Nellie Engelke

Senator Byrd plays fiddle at Festival

1980

Special Mention

Ira Mullins, Frank George & Joe Dobbs

Doc White passes…

1979

No mention

1978

“In Memoriam”

Dr. Byron Turner Succumbs

1977

No mention

1976

No mention

1975

No mention

1974

No mention

1973

Special--”Rolly’s” gone

1972

Special Mention

Noah Cottrill and Phoebe Parsons

1971

Special Mention

Fern Rollyson

1970

Special Mention

Blanche & Otha McDonald with

Rugs and stools

1969

Special Mention

Cousin Thelma Boltin

1968

Special Mention

Dave Varney-ballads, Aunt Jennie Wilson,

Jim Comstock, Jim Bush & FF Songbooks

1967

Special Mention

Charles Scott--Potter

1966

Guests: Russell Fluharty, also

The Madrigal Singers of Clarksburg

1965

Special Mention

The Late Carrie Woofter, Folklore Enthusiast

1964

Special Mention

Evelyn & Bob Beers, Folk Entertainers

1963

No mention

1962

No mention

1961

New to Festival this year!

Country Store located on the street beside

The Post Office--Official FF Headquarters

1960

Christmas Party at Country Store*

 

 

*this would have been in the Little Kanawha Bank Building when it sat behind the brick bank where the current Post Office sits today, 2007.   Also this is the first mention referencing the term ‘Country Store’ I have located.   

 




















































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