June 2, 2010
West Virginia’s champion old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo and mandolin players competed on Saturday, May 29, and old-time banjo, lap dulcimer and flat pick guitar players as well as the best liars on Sunday, May 30, during the West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s 34th annual Vandalia Gathering. A new competition, homemade pound cake, biscuits and jams/preserves also was held on Saturday.
The winners were:
Youth Old-Time Fiddle (age 15 and under)
1st place ($75) - Ray Cossin, Mt. Alto
2nd place ($50) - Emily Rhodes, Nitro
3rd place ($25) - Nate Schoettker, Tornado
Old-Time Fiddle (age 59 and under)
1st place ($400) - John Cochran, Elkins
2nd place ($250) - Darrell Murray, Charleston
3rd place ($150) - Ben Townsend, Martinsburg
4th place ($75) - Ray Cossin, Mt. Alto
5th place ($50) - Rebecca McClung, Parkersburg
Senior Old-Time Fiddle (age 60 and over)
1st place ($400) - Gerald Milnes, Elkins
2nd place ($250) - Lester McCumbers, Nicut>br/>
3rd place ($150) - John Morris, Ivydale
4th place ($75) - Elmer Rich, Morgantown
5th place ($50) - Jim Mullins, St. Albans
Mandolin (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Luke Shamblin, Elkview
2nd place ($250) - Brandon Shuping, Williamson
3rd place ($150) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
4th place ($75) - Joshua Brown, Summersville
5th place ($50) - David Asti, Morgantown
Banjo (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Andrew Kidd, Hurricane
2nd place ($250) - Logan Browning, Summersville
3rd place ($150) - Blaine Johnson, Beaver
4th place ($75) - Jim Gabehart, Hamlin
5th place ($50) - David Asti, Morgantown
Pound Cake (all ages)
1st place ($75) - Shonnette Koontz, South Charleston
2nd place ($50) - Mary Casto, Buffalo
3rd place ($25) - Lynda Middleton, Elkview
Youth Pound Cake (15 and under) - No award presented
Homemade Biscuits (all ages)
1st place ($75) - Judy Grigoraci, Charleston
2nd place ($50) - Lydia Hager, Kenna
3rd place ($25) - Valerie Burgraf, Elkview
Youth (age 15 and under, $25) - Lydia Hager, Kenna
Jams/Preserves (all ages)
1st place ($75) - Ella Hoffman, South Charleston
2nd place ($50) - Carmen Wilson, East Lynn
3rd place ($25) - Wyatt Chapman, Charleston
Youth (age 15 and under, $25) - Wyatt Chapman, Charleston
Youth Lap Dulcimer (age 15 and under)
1st place ($75) - Will Manahan, Elkview
2nd place ($50) - Makayla Straughter, Charleston
3rd place ($25) - Glen Smakula, Montrose
Lap Dulcimer (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Hunter Walker, Beckley
2nd place ($250) - Will Manahan, Elkview
3rd place ($150) - Alan Freeman, Renick
4th place ($75) - Bob Smakula, Elkins
5th place ($50) - Emily Pritchard, Beckley
Old-Time Banjo (59 and under)
1st place ($400) - Tim Bing, Huntington
2nd place ($250) - David O’Dell, Glenville
3rd place ($150) - Bob Smakula, Elkins
4th place ($75) - Chad Ashworth, Nitro
5th place ($50) - Dennis Ott, Ronceverte
Senior Old-Time Banjo (age 60 and over)
1st place ($400) - Gerald Milnes, Elkins
2nd place ($250) - John Morris, Ivydale
3rd place ($150) - Ken Sheller, Elkins
4th place ($75) - Steve Harrison, St. Albans
5th place ($50) - Ted Samples, Harrisville
Youth Flat Pick Guitar (age 15 and under)
1st place ($75) - Logan Jones, Charleston
2nd place ($50) - Jonathan Digiulian, Mt. Hope
3rd place ($25) - Zack Myers, Charleston
Flat Pick Guitar (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Adam Hager, Kenna
2nd place ($250) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
3rd place ($150) - Logan Jones, Charleston
4th place ($75) - Swanagan Ray, Ripley
5th place ($50) - Richard Adkins, Cross Lanes
Biggest Liar (1st place $100 and Goldenseal magazine’s Golden Shovel award) - Conner Sorrells,
Charleston
Bigger Liar (2nd place $75) - Adam Booth, Shepherdstown
Big Liar (3rd place $50) - John Smith, Meadow Creek
Youth (age 15 and under, $25) - Noah Lepp, Charleston
The annual Vandalia Gathering is a free celebration of the traditional arts, music, dance, stories, crafts and foods of West Virginia. The Culture Center and State Capitol Complex grounds play host to this expanding family-style gathering each year on Memorial Day weekend. The unique blending of ethnic and cultural heritage combines an atmosphere as comfortable as a family reunion with the excitement of a state fair.
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.
The Liars Contest regularly draws standing room-only crowds. Goldenseal, the magazine of West Virginia traditional life, hosts the event and publishes the winning stories each year. The lies must be short stories–humorous, dramatic, supernatural, etc.–of two to five minutes in length.
Vandalia Gathering is a program of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. For more information, call Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner and communications manager for the Division, at (304) 558-0220.
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 Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture 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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