MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WVDN) — West Virginia University celebrates its rich Appalachian roots each year with a week of activities that showcases music, food, and arts and crafts from the Appalachian region. Mountaineer Week, now in its 77th year, begins Monday (Nov. 11) and continues through Sunday, Nov. 17.
The week officially kicks off at noon Monday (Nov. 11) when 17 students will vie for the title of “best beard on campus” during the judging of the Beard Growing Contest in the Mountainlair Food Court. The Beard Growing Contest, the oldest continual Mountaineer Week event, was first held in 1949. This year’s contestants received shaves compliments of Classic Cutz, a local barbershop, and have been cultivating their beards for the past six weeks. The top three finishers will receive cash prizes as well as a shaving kit provided by University Apartments.
The Arts & Craft Fair, Mountaineer Week’s signature event, will be held Nov. 15-17, on the Mountainlair’s second floor. The Fair will showcase the work of 70 Appalachian artisans, all selected by jury. All items for sale are handcrafted. Shoppers will find unique wooden products, hand-woven scarves, pottery, jewelry, handblown glass and more. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The Quilt Show, organized and staffed by members of the Country Roads Quilt Guild, pays homage to the region’s rich quilt and needlework heritage. The show is free and open to the public between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday (Nov. 15) and Saturday (Nov. 16), and 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 17) in Elizabeth Moore Hall.
Scholars Gloria Goodwin Reheja, professor emerita of anthropology at the University of Minnesota, Chris Haddox, associate professor of design studies in the WVU School of Art and Design, and Lori Hostuttler, director of the West Virginia and Regional History Center, will discuss West Virginia’s rich folk traditions Thursday (Nov. 14) in the Mountainlair Gluck Theatre. The event, “A Celebration of West Virginia Folk Music Traditions,” will also feature a musical performance by Haddox and WVU alumna, writer and musician Mary Linscheid. This event is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Mountaineer Week visitors will also want to stop by the WVRHC Folklife exhibit. The exhibit highlights West Virginia folklife and folklore with documents and artifacts from the collections of some of the state’s most prolific folklorists, including Louise Watson Chappell, Patrick Gainer and John Harrington Cox.
The Mountainlair Food Court stage will feature Appalachian music throughout the week. Samuel James, Emma Birdz and Tommy Thompson III, Dalton Matheny and Jake Ujhelyi, Al Anderson, The Starlight Darlins, the WVU Bluegrass Band and The Hillbilly Biscuits are all scheduled to perform. Bob Shank, Pat Harper and Jeff Fedan will treat Arts & Craft Fair and Quilt Show visitors to the traditional sounds of the hammered dulcimer Nov. 15-17. Additional student activities are planned during WVUp All Night, including line dancing with Collegiate 4-H (Nov. 15-16), concerts by the Sweaty Hands String Band and Grace Campbell (Nov. 15), and Appalachian Trivia (Nov. 16).
Five seniors who exemplify the Mountaineer Values of Service, Curiosity, Respect, Accountability and Appreciation will be named Mountaineers of Distinction during halftime ceremonies of the WVU versus Baylor football game Saturday (Nov. 16).
Additional events taking place throughout the week include Appalachian food sampling; an apple butter demonstration and sale; and an exhibit by the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. Food vendors offering a variety of festival foods will be set up in front of the Mountainlair.
See a full schedule of Mountaineer Week events.
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