Last night was the first night of the 3 day bluegrass festival, Pickin’ in Parsons.  Hosted by Five River Campground in Parsons, WV.  Our evening started with the Hillbilly Gypsies that never disappoint and ended with an amazing performance by Rhonda Vincent and Rage.  This outdoor event has partial covering; there is a large tent that covers most of the seating area.  Bring your lawn chairs and/or blanket for a great weekend of pickin’ in the mountain air.  There are food vendors, crafters and comfort facilities set up around the campground.   Tickets are for sale at the gate for $30 a day or $65 for the whole weekend and includes camping at the campground.  Five River Campground is located at the end of Walnut Street off of Rte 219 in downtown Parsons.  Come and enjoy bluegrass at its finest at the 2^nd largest bluegrass festival in the state of West Virginia, Pickin’ in Parsons.  For more information go to Five River Campground’s Pickin’ in Parsons site   or call 304-478-3515.

The next two days schedule is as follows:

FRIDAY, JULY 31^ST 

11:00am           BLUE MOON RISING

12:00pm            DAVID DAVIS & The Warrior River Boys

1:00pm               KARL SHIFLETT & Big Country Show

2:00pm               The Lewis Family

3:00pm               Tennessee Mafia Jug Band

4:00pm               BLUE MOON RISING

5:00pm               Dinner Break

6:00pm               DAVID DAVIS & The Warrior River Boys

7:00pm               KARL SHIFLETT & Big Country Show

8:00pm               The Lewis Family

9:00pm               Tennessee mafia Jug Band

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1^ST 

11:00am           JAMES REAMS & the Barn Stormers

12:00pm            AUDIE BLAYLOCK & Redline

1:00pm               JIMMY BOWEN & Santa Fe

2:00pm               RANDY WALLER & the Country Gentlemen

3:00pm               GOLDWING express

4:00pm               JAMES REAMS & the Barn Stormers

5:00pm               AUDIE BLAYLOCK & Redline

6:00pm               JIMMY BOWEN & Santa Fe

7 :00pm             RANDY WALLER & the Country Gentlemen

8:00pm               GOLDWING express

9:00pm               RANDY waller & the country gentlemen with special guest Jimmy bowen

Hillbilly Gypsies

 

Pickin’ in Parsons 2009

Native to WV you will find the blackberry is ripe and ready for picking.  You can find the berries in old fields, along roadsides, fencerows, and in clearings throughout the state.  I am lucky enough to say that they line my driveway and was able to have my first picking this weekend.  Not enough to make a pie but good enough for ice cream and cereal toppings.  These berries love to hide inside and behind their leaves so at first sight they are not easy to pick out, but are worth looking for.  When picking, watch out, the bushes have thorns!  The ripe ones should come off the vine very easy; if you must pull they are not ripe yet.

Another local delicacy is the blueberry and its close relation the huckleberry, as the locals call them.   You can find this low bush in Dolly Sods Wilderness (take Laneville Rd off of Rte 32) and in Camp 70 (trail system located behind Shop-n-Save in Davis).   You may ask what the difference between the blueberry and the huckleberry is, I know I did.  From the Monongahela Forest Service site I was informed that the blueberries have small seeds that you barely notice when eating and the huckleberries have larger seeds.  Nothing too large but they might get stuck in your teeth like strawberry seeds. 

The berries are starting to come out in full force which in turn brings out the wildlife that feeds on them especially the Black Bear.  So beware…there has been quite a few sighting of a mama bear and her cubs.  As much as we enjoy the berries so do they!  There is a bear warning out for Dolly Sods…please do not feed the bear or try to pet the bear.  These are wild animals and we have to share this area with them.  If you are camping have a bear bag and keep the bag away from camp in a tree. 

If you are not as adventurous to seek out and pick your own berries you can buy some at the Local Farmers Market.  Davis River Walk is now presenting a Local Farmers Market every Saturday at 9am in the parking lot of Hypno Coffee and Highland Prospects.  The local vegetables and fruits are being brought to us by Stemple Farms and help with local farmer Ben Nelson.   Come early because things sell out quickly and they will only be offering things that are in season. 

You can also find these local berries in the jam form.  WV Fruit and Berry offer a wide variety of jams and jellies.  My personal favorite is the Almost Heaven Black Raspberry.  These products are available for sale at Blackwater Falls State Park, Canaan Valley Resort and Canaan Valley Stores or online.

I hope you enjoy your berry picking and purple fingers!

Blackberries

WV Fruit and Berry

Davis River Walk

Monongahela National Forest

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

The town is rumbling with the sounds of Harley Davidsons.  For the 4^th year in a row the West Virginia State Harley Owners Group (HOG) is having their annual rally in Tucker County.  The Visitors Center has been filled with poker run participants, others looking for a scenic drive and the famous question “How do I get to Blackwater Falls?”  The rally started with a very successful Casino Night last evening.   There are lots more of activities (chicken run, bike show, scencic chair lift rides, field games, etc.) planned at both Canaan Valley Resort State Park and Timberline Four Seasons Resort.  You can find more information at either of these resorts websites or at the official WV HOG Rally site.  Come and enjoy the cool mountain temperatures and a beautiful ride through the mountains.

Poker Run participants in front of the visitors center.

…by all!  A little tardy in my reporting duties and I apologize to my 6 loyal readers.  The Celebration of the Arts featuring a free outdoor performance of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra forged ahead despite a light mist and cool temperatures.  About 1,000 folks (crowd was down a little) enjoyed a wonderful repertoire of patriotic and popular numbers performed by a symphony in a natural outdoor amphitheater on Sunday the 5^th of July.  The wine tasting tent was a popular destination as was the food tent!

Cool temps have prevailed early this week with 42 degrees recorded in the Valley this morning!  Warm, sunny days are setting the stage for a fantastic July with unlimited outdoor recreational opportunities!!

I had an incredible 4^th of July weekend.  My weekend started on Friday with the never ending question, will the fireworks go on or will they be rained delayed until Saturday.  On my drive home I kept looking at the gray sky seeing trying to see if the fog and misting rain would move on.  As the evening went on so did the weather, the fog lifted and the rain stopped.  So we all jumped in the car and followed a parade of red lights to Thomas.  I have never seen so many cars headed in the same directions on Rte 32.  We respectfully donated to the Thomas Volunteer Fire Department as we entered town and found a great spot in the parking lot of the Davis-Thomas Elementary/Middle School.  We were not going to dare to try to get any closer after the line of cars we followed.  We watched the sky as darkness started to fall and thought we saw another rain storm rolling in.  Just when we thought it might start to rain the fireworks begun.  They filled the sky with beautiful colors for about an hour and ended with a Grand Finale!  What a great way to kick off the weekend.  Thank you, Thomas Volunteer Fire Department!

Saturday morning we awoke and the weather had cleared so we loaded up the dogs and our friends and headed up Freeland Road to Forest Road 80.  We hiked in between Dolly Sods and Timberline Ski Resort to Harman Trail to Valley Vista Trail.  This trail is located right above Old Timberline housing development and overlooks Timberline’s ski slopes and the valley.  We encountered other folks that were enjoying the views and the chance to get out of the house.  We headed back down the mountain to get ready for Mountaineer Days in Thomas.  Crafters were set up along the railroad grade along with the fireman’s water battle.  We were a little late and missed the parade but were able to see Elvis!

Elvis at Mountaineer Days in Thomas,WV

Our evening ended with live music at the Purple Fiddle.  The fiddle never lets me down.  Last weekend we enjoyed reggae by Scholars Word and this weekend was blue grass by The Halftime String Band.  For our little town we had a weekend full of entertainment!  Check our all of the photos from the weekend on our flickr site. 

I am sorry to say that I can’t be everywhere at once but Canaan Valley Resort State Park looked like they had a great turn out for their Wind Fest.  Driving by we were able to see a half dozen or so of kites flying high in the sky.  I was also told there was great turn out for Celebration of the Arts on Sunday.  The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra performed beautifully at the outdoor amphitheatre at the Canaan Valley Resort State Park.  I hope your weekend was as eventfully as mine.