Freshwater Folk Festival returns this Saturday
By RealWV staff,
The 18th annual Freshwater Folk Festival returns this Saturday from 10am-3pm at the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery. In addition to food and fun, this year’s main attractions include axolotyls, Roy Moose and his snakes, the Touch-A-Truck exhibit, as well as musician Cody Wickline. The main stage will feature a rotation of musical and educational acts during the day.
A successful 2015 contestant on NBC’s The Voice, Cody Wickline will begin
singing and playing guitar at 10AM. He performs across Appalachia.
At 11AM, Cody will hand the amphitheater stage over to Southeastern Bee
Association member Rick Forren for a beekeeping presentation.
Roy Moose of the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center will follow with his Snakes of West Virginia
demonstration.
Guitarist Nick Pennington will be the musician for the noon hour, and Longspur
Tracking will then demonstrate the techniques they use to locate wounded game.
Three representatives of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources will
provide an entertaining and informative half hour program before Terrence
Zimmerman takes the stage for some of his musical magic well known to many in
Greenbrier County.
A large tent beside the amphitheater will be filled with exhibitors and hands-on
activities including simulations of caving techniques, information on protecting our watersheds, bird migration studies, an exhibit of fish and wildlife paintings, an online naturalist report website, a scientific activities table, the making of fish art imprints, and both fly tying and fly casting with Project Healing Waters. Folks will also get to look through a solar telescope. Several animals will be on display as well.
For something completely different at the festival, a Touch-A-Truck activity will be offered in an adjacent area of the hatchery grounds. Children and former children will explore vehicles used by local police officers, firemen, a rescue squad, and tractor drivers. They will also be able to interact with the heroes that use them.
The menu for the food vendors will include pulled pork sandwiches, nachos, corn dogs, chicken sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, tater tots, ribbon fries, cheesecake, Italian ice, large soft pretzels, brownies, cookies, tacos, and a variety of loaded baked potatoes.
The event is free with support from the Greenbrier County Commission’s Arts and
Recreation Fund, the West Virginia Department of Art, Culture, and History’s Fairs and Festivals Fund, and donors such as the White Sulphur Springs Rotary Club.
For almost two decades, the Rotary has provided backing for the The Friends of the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery presents this festival in partnership with the hatchery and has received support from the Rotary for almost two decades.
Full list of exhibitors and presenters:
West Virginia Department of Natural Resources
Southeastern Bee Association with Rick Forren
Longspur Tracking
Roy Moose: Snakes of West Virginia
Exhibitors in the Big Tent and the area around it
White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery
Canaan National Wildlife Refuge
Tom Jones, Marshall Univ Dept of Natural Resources and Environment
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
Greenbrier River Trail Association
Greenbrier River Watershed Association
Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society’s Science Activity
Hanging Rocks Raptor Observatory with Rodney Davis
Susan Ryan (with iNaturalist demo)
WV Cave Conservancy with the Grotto cavers included
Katheryn Lehotsky’s Exhibition of her Fish and Wildlife paintings
Fish Printing, etc. with JT Eldreth
Jessica Levine’s Art & Environment Activities Tables
Astronomer Michael Rosolina with Solar Telescopes
Project Healing Waters
Organizations that will be bringing vehicles to be used in TOUCH-A-TRUCK activity
Lewisburg /White Sulphur Springs Police
White Sulphur Springs Rescue Squad
White Sulphur Springs Fire Department
Boone Tractor
