“The Freshwater Folk Festival that was scheduled for Saturday, September 11th at the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, has been canceled due to the rising number of COVID cases,” announced the festival’s organizers on Thursday, August 19.
A tradition for over 10 years, COVID-19 case rates have impacted many high-profile events over the past year and a half. This is not the first time the Freshwater Folk Festival was cancelled – the 2020 Freshwater Folk Festival was also cancelled due to COVID-19.
The case loads are beginning to spike once again, due to unvaccinated West Virginians and the Delta variant of COVID-19’s increased transmission rate
“We now have no green counties in West Virginia” noted Governor Jim Justice in the Monday, August 23, COVID-19 press briefing.
The festival was originally planned for September 11, free for guests, featuring educational guests and live music by The Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys, Jim Snyder, and The Rust Brothers.
The most recent was the 15th annual Freshwater Folk Festival, held in 2019.
“The purpose of the event is two-fold; to give people an opportunity to have a good time together with entertainment and all kinds of fun activities and it’s also an educational situation, where people can learn a whole lot more about the environment and aquatic biomes and wildlife and our habitat and so forth,” Larry Davis, one of the event’s organizers, told The West Virginia Daily News in 2019. “All of these are done in a way that makes it really interesting, as opposed to reading a book about it or something.”
The primary function of the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery when it opened was to provide fish for the American public. However, this has evolved and the mission of is now working with the community, as well as their partners, to “be good stewards of both the environment and historical significance of the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery by providing recreational fishing opportunities, recovering fish, mussels and other wildlife and their habitats, and promoting awareness and appreciation of our cultural and natural resources for the benefit of all people.” This includes raising baby freshwater mussels for the purpose of improving wild populations and protecting them from the pollution that could lead to extinction.
According to the press release sent out by Cheryl Mansley, the organizers hope to bring everything back in 2022.
“It is hoped that next year we can all gather together and that the fest will be back bigger and better than ever! To keep abreast of upcoming happenings with the fest, follow our Freshwater Folk Festival page on Facebook and visit our website at www.freshwaterfolkfestival.org. Stay safe and healthy!”
The festival’s social media also notes interested parties could call 304-646-0602 for more information.Fres
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