Shepherd University celebrates Appalachian culture at 30th annual heritage festival

By Vanta Coda III, RealWV

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va — Shepherd University celebrated its 30th annual Appalachian Heritage Festival on Sept. 25-27. Since 1996, this event has brought together history, literature, storytelling, and music, challenging Shepherd University students and the broader Shepherdstown community to discover Appalachia’s history, resilience, and cultural diversity. 

This year, Experience Shepherdstown and the town of Shepherdstown issued a proclamation recognizing Friday, Sept. 25, as Appalachian Heritage & Dolly Parton Day, the first day of the festival. 

The event’s main financial supporter was Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachian Living Traditions program, which made all events free and open to the community. Rachael Meads, director of Student Activities & Leadership and organizer and co-founder of the Appalachian Heritage Festival, which she founded with former English professor Dr. Linda Tate, said the event is always an exciting time for both Shepherd University and the Shepherdstown community. 

“Our mission has been helping people understand that we are not just one thing,” Meads said. “Appalachia is a rich, diverse tapestry of threads that have all been woven together here, that has made this music, that has made this culture, and that everyone has been influencing one another.”