Published: September 24, 2008 09:48 pm            

If it’s fall in West Virginia, it’s Forest Festival time

FAIRMONT — When the mornings are cool and crisp, and a dense fog drapes the landscape in its silvery cloak, and the leaves shyly show off tinges of gold and burgundy and yellow, you know it’s fall.

And it’s time again for the West Virginia State Forest Festival in Elkins.

This year’s 72nd event takes Sept. 27-Oct. 5 and just might be the oldest festival in the state, said festival director general Lisa Wamsley.

Some things just belong together ... like the Forest Festival and the coronation of Queen Silvia.

Queen Silvia LXXII is Kimberly Cover of Bridgeport. The queen is always chosen by the director general, Wamsley said.

“In her interview, she was enthusiastic about the festival and loves it. And she has ties with family in Elkins. She said she’s always been to the festival and always dreamed of coming down the hill (at Davis & Elkins College) as the queen. She just clicked.”

Cover is spending this week touring senior centers and schools, Wamsley said.

“She basically reigns over Elkins that whole week,” she added.

She will also be honored at the Distinguished Guest dinner Oct. 2.

And then, of course, there’s the coronation.

At 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, Cover will be crowned by Gov. Joe Manchin in front of a large crowd and court of up to 40 princesses.

Escorted by the WVU ROTC, the queen and princesses all wear velvet gowns of different fall-inspired colors.

“This reflects the changing colors of the trees,” Wamsley said.

A minor court, train bearers, flower girls, scepter bearer and crown bearer complete the court.

“It’s a pageantry of colors,” she said.

“Everybody wants to see the queen’s gown year after year. They’re anxious to see what she looks like. They always try to guess the color. But no one knows until the day of the coronation. We keep that a secret.”

Various dignitaries will also take part in the coronation, she added. A coronation reception follows at the college.

What’s a festival without a grand parade? The Forest Festival parade kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in downtown Elkins.

“We haven’t even counted the units,” she said. “Applications are still coming in. I can tell you there will be 24 high school and middle school bands, plus the Glenville State College band.”

Grand Marshal will be Robert “Doc” Foglesong, retired four-star general, United States Air Force. Formerly of Williamson, he served in the military from 1972 to 2006, and earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from West Virginia University.

He holds an honorary doctorate in strategic intelligence, is a Distinguished Alumnus of WVU, and was selected by the West Virginia Education Alliance as a Graduate of Distinction and by West Virginia Executive Magazine as the Patriot of the Year for 2005.

He served as president of Mississippi State University from 2006 to March 31, 2008. He heads and founded a scholarship program in West Virginia called the Appalachian Leadership and Educational Foundation.

He will also be the guest speaker at the Distinguished Guest dinner Oct. 2.

“He was in the WVU ROTC and escorted a queen in the festival coronation,” Wamsley said. “So he knows what it’s all about.”

Everybody loves tradition, but new is also good when it comes to festivals.

The golf tournament returned this year. The second Strong Man Contest will be held Saturday at noon at Wimer Stadium, D&E College.

Hannah Haddix, winner of the Woodly the Elf mascot poster contest, will appear in the Saturday Buckwheat Festival parade representing the Forest Festival, she said.

The Wheeling Symphony, conducted by Michael Martin Murphy, will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at the Harper McNeeley Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, and will be available at the door.

Eddie Money will entertain at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at Harper McNeeley Auditorium, D&E College. For tickets, which are $35 and $30, call 636-1824.

Country singer Craig Morgan, along with Lady Antebellum, will be in concert at 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, also at Harper McNeeley Auditorium. Tickets are $30 and $40.

Another favorite is the lumberjack competition on Oct. 4, pitting man and ax against trees. A talent show, spread over four nights, will find the most talented among the best variety, country and gospel acts.

But mostly the Forest Festival is tradition, she said.

“We try to preserve our natural resources. We want to make sure we remember why we started: to preserve our streams and forests.”

That’s reflected in this year’s theme, “Majestic Woodlands.”

It’s also a homecoming, she said.

“It’s a time for families to get back together.”

An Elkins native and lifetime resident, Wamsley has been to every Forest Festival, she said.

Her father-in-law, mother-in-law and husband also served as director general, whose job it is to oversee the entire festival and divvy up responsibilities among the 14 assistant directors.

“It’s a lot of long hours, but it’s worth it,” she said. “We’re just getting ready to move. We start on Saturday and we won’t quit.

“We have so many things to do and see. If you’ve never experienced it, you won’t know what I’m talking about the pageantry. There’s something for everybody.”

For more information about the 72nd annual West Virginia State Forest Festival, call (304) 636-1824 or visit www.forestfestival.com.

E-mail Debra Minor Wilson at dwilson@timeswv.com.

        

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