West Virginia’s champion old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo and mandolin players competed on Saturday, May 24, and old-time banjo, lap dulcimer and flat pick guitar players as well as best storytellers on Sunday, May 25, during the West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s 32nd annual Vandalia Gathering. A new competition, homemade apple pie and apple cake, also was held on Saturday.
The winners were:
Youth Old-Time Fiddle (age 15 and under)
1st place ($75) - Meredith Pheasant, Fairmont
2nd place ($50) - Ray Cossin, Mt. Alto
3rd place ($25) - Annie Fowler, Scott Depot
Old-Time Fiddle (age 59 and under)
1st place ($400) - Meredith Pheasant, Fairmont
2nd place ($250) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
3rd place ($150) - Ray Cossin, Mt. Alto
4th place ($75) - Jesse Milnes, Elkins
5th place ($50) - Darrell Murray, Charleston
Senior Old-Time Fiddle (age 60 and over)
1st place ($400) - Gerry Milnes, Elkins
2nd place ($250) - Don Jones, Scott Depot
3rd place ($150) - Jerry Lewis, Nettie
4th place ($75) - Elmer Rich, Westover
5th place ($50) - Junior Spencer, Frankford
Mandolin (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
2nd place ($250) - David Asti, Morgantown
3rd place ($150) - Matt Hiser, Beckley
4th place ($75) - Robin Kessinger, St. Albans
5th place ($50) - Jarrod Doss, Fort Gay
Bluegrass Banjo (all ages)
1st place ($400) - David Asti, Morgantown
2nd place ($250) - Andrew Kidd, Hurricane
3rd place ($150) - Doug Cossin, Mt. Alto
4th place ($75) - Jim Gabehart, Hamlin
5th place ($50) - Logan Browning, Summersville
Apple Cake (all ages)
1st place ($75) - Ella Hoffman, Charleston
2nd place ($50) - Tracy Carte, Charleston
3rd place ($25) - Ashley Hager, Kenna
Youth (age 15 and under, $25) - Ashley Hager, Kenna
Apple Pie (all ages)
1st place ($75) - John Carte, Charleston
2nd place ($50) - Kris Rollins, Scott Depot
3rd place ($25) - Mary Jane Bradshaw, Chesapeake
Youth (age 15 and under, $25) - Rachel Stevens, Charleston
Youth Lap Dulcimer (age 15 and under)
1st place ($75) - Hunter Walker, Beckley
2nd place ($50) - Shalor Gore, Charleston
3rd place ($25) - Katie Stricker, Charleston
Lap Dulcimer (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Alan Freeman, Renick
2nd place ($250) - Tish Westman, Mabscott
3rd place ($150) - Dave Haas, Cross Lanes
4th place ($75) - Heidi Muller, Charleston
5th place ($50) - Hunter Walker, Beckley
Old-Time Banjo (59 and under)
1st place ($400) - David O’Dell, Glenville
2nd place ($250) - Tim Bing, Huntington
3rd place ($150) - Paul Gartner, Yawkey
4th place ($75) - Chad Ashworth, Nitro
5th place ($50) - Elijah Ray, Ripley
Senior Old-Time Banjo (age 60 and over)
1st place ($400) - Gerry Milnes, Elkins
2nd place ($250) - Ted Samples, Harrisville
3rd place ($150) - Ben Carr, Wilsie
4th place ($75) - Bernard Cyrus, Fort Gay
5th place ($50) - Ken Sheller, Elkins
Youth Flat Pick Guitar (age 15 and under)
1st place ($75) - Jake Ryder, Marlinton
2nd place ($50) - Doug Cossin, Mt. Alto
3rd place ($25) - Ray Cossin, Mt. Alto
Flat Pick Guitar (all ages)
1st place ($400) - Adam Hager, Kenna
2nd place ($250) - Heather Adkins, Wayne
3rd place ($150) - Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
4th place ($75) - Richard Adkins, Cross Lanes
5th place ($50) - Josh Moody, St. Marys
Biggest Liar (1st place $100 and Goldenseal magazine’s Golden Shovel award) - Justin Wood, Morgantown
Bigger Liar (2nd place $75) - David Youssy, Charleston
Big Liar (3rd place $50) - Gary Buckhanan, Annamoriah
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 Cultural 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, West Virginia’s magazine of 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 Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural 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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