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Arthurdale Heritage President Sarah Barnes (left) and AHI Executive Director Jeanne Goodman (right) display Governor Manchin's proclamation declaring July 'Arthurdale Heritage Month.'

Arthurdale Heritage (AHI) is celebrating its Silver Anniversary this July at its New Deal Festival. To kick off the celebration, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin issued a proclamation declaring July ‘Arthurdale Heritage Month.’

“We are delighted that Governor Manchin has honored our beautiful community by declaring July ‘Arthurdale Heritage Month,’” said AHI President Sarah Barnes. “This recognition helps us spotlight the important role our state played during the New Deal era.  Eleanor Roosevelt would be proud to know that her ‘little village’ is doing so well and telling the story of what she set out to accomplish,” Barnes said.

The New Deal Festival is Saturday, July 10^th and features artisan demonstrators, a craft market, living history actors, an antique car, truck, and tractor show, quilt show, kids activities, live entertainment, barbecued chicken dinners, and more. More information about the New Deal Festival is online at: http://www.newdealfestival.org.

Throughout its 25 years, AHI has tirelessly worked to restore and preserve the New Deal Homestead Community of Arthurdale. The organization started as a grass-roots community group in 1985, raising money through donations from local residents and businesses. Today, AHI has successfully restored and preserved five buildings comprising the New Deal Homestead Museum. AHI also has three major capital projects underway to restore five additional structures.

“Arthurdale Heritage has truly been a grassroots organization.  Those of us involved in 2010 are so grateful to the determined group who started the organization 25 years ago and the community who supported it. They worked so hard to raise every penny to restore what is now the New Deal Homestead Museum today.  The community of Arthurdale is such a wonderful place to live – due, in no small part, to the efforts of this organization.  Without AHI, the community would be another town with abandoned buildings and struggling to survive.  The people of Arthurdale are to be commended for their efforts over the years by taking such pride in their community and seizing the opportunity to tell their story,” Barnes said.

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin issued this proclamation declaring July 'Arthurdale Heritage Month.'

http://ndf-tea.eventbrite.com

Tickets can also be reserved by contacting Arthurdale Heritage by phone at 304-864-3959 or by email at ahi@arthurdaleheritage.org. Reservations are limited to 50 people.

This event, part of Arthurdale Heritage’s New Deal Festival, gives you the chance to chat with Mrs. Roosevelt, portrayed by living history actor Patty Cooper, in an intimate and historic setting. Your reservation also includes a variety of hors d’oeuvres and entertainment.

Nathan Wilson of The Jenny & Nathan Wilson Jazz Duo

From bluegrass to jazz, from blues to Dixieland, an eclectic array of music is on tap at Arthurdale Heritage’s 2010 New Deal Festival. Performing on the main Center Hall stage are: the Falling Run Bluegrass Band, The Halftime String Band, The Dan Baker Trio, Born Old and The Jenny & Nathan Wilson Jazz Duo. The New Deal Festival opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 10^th with performances beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Since they began performing in 2003, The Halftime String Band has continued to diversify their sound, developing original material and borrowing from a variety of musicians and styles. Working from a bluegrass/newgrass foundation, they also like to work the edges of rock and roll, jazz, and blues. Based in Morgantown, West Virginia, The Halftime String Band has shared the stage with some of bluegrass, country, and rock’s biggest stars including Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Keller Williams, and the Del McCoury Band. The band includes musicians: Jason Jaros, Bob Spangler, Fred Crozier, and Shane Schoenadel.

The Falling Run Bluegrass Band is no stranger to the regional music scene. The band has played events around the region for over 15 years, including festivals, events, and West Virginia University functions. The band focuses on traditional bluegrass and features accomplished musicians who have mastered numerous playing styles from Rock-a-billy bass “slapping” to Scruggs-style banjo playing. Members of the Falling Run Bluegrass Band have also performed with other notable bluegrass groups including the Songcatchers, Uncle Earl, and Wild Hog. Band members are Ray Hicks, Tiffany Underwood, Tim Selman, Aaron Holley, Rachel Eddy, Chris Haddox, and Zach Fanock.

Ray Hicks was born in Madisonville Tennessee in 1942. He began playing guitar in 1958 and immediately took an interest in traditional music, learned from local musicians, records and off the radio. Ray’s influences include Bill Monroe, Jimmy Rodgers, and The Carter Family. Ray joined the faculty of forestry at West Virginia University in 1978 and has played in numerous bluegrass and oldtime bands over the past 40 years.

Tiffany Underwood plays mandolin and sings with FRBB. She has one of the richest strongest voices anywhere. Tiffany also plays with the Songcatchers from her native Raleigh County.  Tiffany now makes her home in Morgantown.

Tim Selman, along wit Ray is an original member of the FRBB and a 3^rd generation banjo player hailing from Webster County. Tim now lives in the Morgantown area and is one of the best Scruggs-style players anywhere. Tim also builds and repairs banjos.

Aaron Holley is a great bass player from Cabell County who has mastered several styles, including the Rock-a-billy “slapping” style. He is currently a student in Mining Engineering at WVU.

Rachel Eddy is from Morgantown, but has traveled the world playing music. Fresh from a European stint, she returned to the states to play with the popular all-woman bluegrass/oldtime band Uncle Earl. Rachel plays fiddle, banjo , bass or guitar and is a great vocalist as well.

Chris Haddox, fiddle/mandolin/guitar/vocals, is originally from Logan County, but now resides in Morgantown and works in the Davis College, focusing on “green design” of buildings. Chris and Ray have played in several bands together, including “Wild Hog” with the late legendary fiddle player Craig Johnson.

Zach Fanock is another Morgantown product. Zach is a master fiddler, winning numerous contests, and an alumnus of the East Tennessee State University “Pride Band.” ETSU is the only university in America to offer a bluegrass program and boasts of alumni such as Adam Steffey, Tim Stafford and Barry Bailes who have played in bands with Alison Kraus. Zach is currently working toward another degree from Fairmont State University.

Members of the Dan Baker Trio have performed with some of music’s legends including Mel Torme and Rare Silk. Dan Baker is a graduate of New York’s New School and has been actively performing ever since. He is currently the guitar instructor at Waynesburg University and co-founder and board member of the Washington Jazz Society. Michael Berry is a two-time Grammy nominee for his work with Rare Silk. He attended Denver University School of Music and has opened for legends including Mel Torme and Jeff Lorber. Greg Thurman is a graduate of West Virginia University’s College of Creative Arts and Washington and Jefferson College. He has performed around the eastern United States at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall, and the West Virginia Wine and Jazz Festival. Thurman is a student of WVU faculty Dr. Andrew Kohn and Professor Paul Scea.

The Jenny & Nathan Wilson Jazz Duo is the husband and wife duo of Nathan and Jenny Wilson from Morgantown, West Virginia. They perform a variety of jazz styles in the classic piano duo setting. Their mix of vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, and fretless bass provide an entertaining and rich musical experience. Influenced by artists such as Shirley Horn, Diana Krall, and Bill Evans, the duo combines standards, contemporary jazz, pop tunes, and originals into a set of creative and spontaneous arrangements. Nathan and Jenny perform regularly at clubs, festivals, and restaurants throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

Performance Information

What: Arthurdale Heritage’s New Deal Festival

Where: Historic Arthurdale Center Hall Complex, Arthurdale, West Virginia

When: Saturday, July 10, gates open at 9 a.m. and performances begin with the Dan Baker trio at 10:00 a.m., The Halftime String Band at 11:30, Born Old at 1:00, The Jenny & Nathan Wilson Jazz Duo takes the stage at 2:30 p.m., and the Falling Run Bluegrass Band closes the show at 4:00 p.m.

Tickets: Admission is $5.00 per person and tickets are available at the gates. Children age 5 and under are free.

The Halftime String Band performs at noon.

Tupelo Honey's Jenny Wilson. Tupelo Honey performs at 1:30 p.m.

Tupelo Honey's Nathan Wilson Tupelo Honey performs at 1:30 p.m.

The Falling Run Bluegrass Band takes the stage at 3 p.m.

Arthurdale Heritage and the New Deal Festival planning committee would like to invite living history hobbyists and reenactors to dress up in their 1930s “Sunday best” and come out to the New Deal Festival in Arthurdale, WV on July 10, 2010.

We’re looking for any New Deal era impression you might be interested in portraying.  Arthurdale was the first New Deal Homestead community in the nation and home to farmers, craftspeople, builders, factory workers, miners and more.  As a federal project, there were also federal employees, teachers, and planners. It was also visited often by politicians and reporters because of its connection to the New Deal legislation.  Not to be forgotten are the families – mothers, fathers, children, grandparents and grandchildren.  This is a unique opportunity for a peacetime impression from a unique period of our history!

We hope that you can come to Arthurdale, July 10 and help us celebrate the New Deal.  If you are interested or have questions, please let us know!

Kayla Haiskell, of Reedsville, received the second annual Thomas Davis Scholarship at Arthurdale Heritage’s New Deal Festival on July 11th.    The $1,000 award was presented by three of Davis’ granddaughters.

Pictured here in the AHI newly constructed “Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Garden” are (left) Jamie Davis-Bryan who made the presentation, Janna Davis, Haskiell, and Heather Rehe-Reckart.  Haiskell is a WVU undergraduate majoring in political science.  She is the daughter of Ann and Scott Spiker and Dale Haskiell.

Tom Davis was the seventh child of original Arthurdale homesteaders, Frank and Annabel Davis.  His seven grandchildren started the scholarship in his memory after his death in 2007.    In addition to the above listed granddaughters, his other grandchildren are Brittany Rehe, Ben Davis, J.T. Davis, and David Rehe.

Each year they plan to give a scholarship to a Valley district resident who plans to attend or is already attending a West Virginia college or university.

If you or anyone you know would like to send donations to the scholarship fund, please mail them to:

Thomas R. Davis Memorial Scholarship
P.O. Box 139
Arthurdale, WV 26520