June 11, 2015
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will commemorate West Virginia Day with festivities at the Culture Center in Charleston on Saturday, June 20. The Culture Center opens at 9:00 a.m. and all events are free and open to the public.
The division will host a birthday celebration beginning at 10 a.m. with the unveiling of the new First Lady Porcelain Doll Case in the Balcony Gallery. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. there will be youth activities in the Education Room and on the Culture Center Plaza as well as historians located in the Frontier Discovery Room and at Scott’s Drugstore inside the museum. Woodworker Greg Cartwright will be in the Great Hall turning West Virginia wood into pens, magnets and wine stoppers. His creations will be available for purchase. At 11:30 a.m. author Carter Seaton will speak in the Great Hall about her book, Hippy Homesteaders. Following her discussion, she will sign copies of her the book which will be available for purchase. At 12:15 p.m., the state’s birthday cake will be served in the Great Hall.
Partnering with the division, the State Museum Gift Shop will offer a limited edition Blenko vase. The vase, sold exclusively at the shop, will be numerically stamped one to one hundred fifty-two in coordination with the state’s 152nd birthday. Each piece will be available for $65. The works of Cartwright and Seaton will be available for purchase in the shop.
For more information about activities at the Culture Center, contact Caryn Gresham, deputy commissioner, at (304) 558-0220.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Media Note: Here is a link to the Blenko commemorative vase that well be available for purchase. http://wvculture.zenfolio.com/p684892341
Photo by Steve Brightwell. West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
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