67th Buckwheat Festival set for Sept. 25-28 in Kingwood

By Debra Minor Wilson
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT September 17, 2008 08:30 pm

— Eugene Jenkins has lived in Preston County for all of his 55 years and doesn’t think he ever missed even one Buckwheat Festival.
“Well, I don’t remember about my younger years, but knowing my parents and grandparents, I’m sure I didn’t,” he said.
And as general chairman of this year’s event, he’s sure to be there early for the 67th annual Preston County Buckwheat Festival Sept. 25-28.
He wants you to be there, too.
All your old favorites will be there ... the arts and crafts by local artisans, 4-H and FFA exhibits, rides, the food, the crowds, the entertainment, and all the intoxicating sights and sounds and smells that make a festival great.
And oh, yeah, those buckwheat cakes.
He quickly admitted that some people don’t like them.
“They’ve got that sour tang. They’re an acquired taste.”
But judging from the mountains of cakes and sausages served each year at the Preston County Community Center, thousands of people have got that taste.
The record number of dinners served during a four-day Festival at the KVFD alone is 16,129.
When he was growing up, he always liked the rides and livestock exhibits best.
“Now I like the crafts that people bring in. And just seeing people you haven’t seen for a year or so or more. They come back just for the festival.”
The festival is sponsored by the Kingwood Fire Department. He has been with the department for seven years on the administrative side but not as a firefighter, he said.
“We drop some things from time to time,” he said. “But then people will say to bring it back.”
New events this year include the Great Lakes Timber Show Thursday through Saturday, and the memorial to veterans on Sunday.
Country singer Luke Bryan will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at the Craig Civic Center in Kingwood. Tickets are $20 each and are available at BB&T Banks in Preston, Harrison, Monongalia, Marion and Taylor counties for cash or check only. They will also be sold at the Buckwheat Festival Information Booth and at the Civic Center the night of the performance.
The star of the festival is the buckwheat cake dinner served at the Community Center Thursday through Sunday. The all-you-can-eat dinners are served with Preston County-produced whole-hog sausage, margarine, syrup, applesauce and a choice of beverage, all for $7.
“The entire county feeds off the Buckwheat Festival,” he said. “Every community in the county will have buckwheat dinners the week of and after the festival. It’s a big thing.”
Even though buckwheat is getting scarce (blame in on the deer, he said), enough has been milled at Bruceton Mills to satisfy all the hungry festival-goers and grocery store shoppers.
“We already have milled flour. We go through about three tons.”
Except for the dinner and concert, all activities and events, including admission, are free of charge.
The festival is a tradition that just keeps on growing, he said.
“Last year, over the three days of the festival, we had 70,000 to 100,000 people go through.”
It shouldn’t be much of a decision to visit Kingwood next weekend.
“Come east to Preston County and see the magnificent scenery, the welcoming of the Prestonians, the warmth and friendship here. Come and see the festival.
“But mainly come for the friendship ... and those great buckwheat cakes,” he said.
Communities will have displays, and there will also be a collage of pictures from festivals past.
His grandfather, the late Ralph Livengood, was something of a Buckwheat Festival tradition himself.
“He was always in the parade. He’d dress in a three-piece tuxedo and gold shoes and black top hat and dance. He’d start out first and end up last. He had his own little two-step dance. Everybody knew him, and he’d shake hands with everybody. That was just him.
“He did it up until a few years before he passed away. This will always be a memory.”
Jenkins’ son, Ashley, was King Buckwheat several years ago. This year’s Queen Ceres LXVII and King Buckwheat LXVII are Rachael Lauren and Ryan Moran, twin brother and sister. The coronation will be at noon Friday, with West Virginia University Mountaineer Michael Squires as the official.
For more information about the 67th annual Preston County Buckwheat Festival, call (304) 379-2203 or visit www.buckwheatfest.com.
E-mail Debra Minor Wilson at dwilson@timeswv.com.

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