Arthurdale Heritage is excited to announce that it is partnering with West Virginia University to present several programs about Arthurdale for Mountaineer Week in Morgantown, November 7-15. Mountaineer Week is WVU’s way of paying tribute to West Virginia’s heritage and traditions. The number one priority of event planning is to remind and educate WVU students and the community about the culture that has made West Virginia what it is today. The event seeks to attract thousands of visitors from the WVU campus, community, state and region, while preserving and providing access to cultural and educational resources that bind people and cultures together.
Eleanor Roosevelt Performance – November 12
On Thursday, Nov. 12, living history actor Patty Cooper will be giving a presentation as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at the Mountainlair beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Hatfields. This performance is sponsored by the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Family Fun Day Schedule of Events – November 14
From 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, AHI and Mountaineer Week will be presenting several programs that highlight the history of Arthurdale. All presentations will be held in Hatfields, located on the first floor of the Mountainlair. The schedule is as follows:
12:00 p.m. Appalachian Author Book Table
Beginning at noon, Amanda Griffith Penix’s book Arthurdale (Arcadia, 2007) and Gretchen Moran Laskas’ books The Miner’s Daughter (Simon & Schuster, 2007) and The Midwife’s Tale (Dial Press, 2003) will be on sale on the first floor of the Mountainlair. Books will be sold until 5:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. Arthurdale Displays
From 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. two displays about Arthurdale will be located outside of Hatfields in the Mountainlair. “Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Arthurdale, WV: Archival Materials in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection” will be presented by Anna M. Schein, an Associate Curator of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection at the West Virginia University Libraries. The exhibit features historical manuscripts, newspaper articles, ephemera, and photographs from the WV and Regional History Collection which highlight conditions in the Scott’s Run mining community during the Great Depression, Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to Scott’s Run, and her involvement in the homesteading of Arthurdale.
Also located on the first floor of the Mountainlair outside Hatfields will be an exhibit featuring the winners of the Valley Elementary Arthurdale’s 75th Anniversary Poster Contest. This exhibit is comprised of the first, second, and third place winners from each K-5 class at Valley Elementary. All posters were created in celebration of Arthurdale’s 75th Anniversary.
1:00 p.m. Arthurdale Lecture
At 1:00, author Amanda Griffith Penix will present a history of Arthurdale based on the research conducted for her pictorial book on the community.
2:00 p.m. Fairmont Reader’s Theatre Performance
At 2:00 p.m. the Fairmont State University Department of Communication and Theatre Arts will be performing “Moments in Time,” a reader’s theatre written in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Arthurdale. FSU students used letters, magazine articles, and oral histories to create this program that sets the words of a magazine writer who sees Arthurdale as a failed experiment against the memories of homesteaders who view Arthurdale as a dream come true. The research conducted by the students in the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts was funded by the FSU Undergraduate Research Program.
2:30 p.m. The Miner’s Daughter
Author Gretchen Moran Laskas will discuss her juvenile historical fiction book, The Miner’s Daughter which is based on the history of Scotts Run and Arthurdale.
3:30 p.m. Fairmont Reader’s Theatre Performance
At 3:30 p.m. the Fairmont State University Department of Communication and Theatre Arts will give another performance of “Moments in Time,” a reader’s theatre written in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Arthurdale.
4:00 p.m. Appalachian Author Book Signing
The Arthurdale programs for Family Fun Day are all part of the overall theme of the day which is “An Afternoon with Appalchian Authors.” In addition to Amanda Griffith Penix and Gretchen Moran Laskas, Shirley Stewart Burns is also a featured author of the day. Ms. Burns is the author of Bringing Down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal Surface Coal Mining on Southern West Virginia Communities, 1970-2004 (WVU Press, 2007). All three authors will be available on the first floor of the Mountainlair from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. to sign their respective books.
Other Events for Family Fun Day
In relation to Ms. Burns’ book, there will be programs held in the Mountainlair about mountaintop removal’s impact on the state. Ms. Burns’ book will be available for purchase from the WVU Press from 11:00 to 8:00 p.m. on the second floor of the Mountainlair. The Morgantown Premire of Coal Country, a documentary by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller by Evening Star Productions will take place at 11:30 in the Joseph Gluck Theatre located on the first floor of the Mountainlair. Ms. Burns will discuss her book from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. in the Gluck Theatre following the documentary.
Local storytellers, JoAnn Dadisman and June Riffle will also be participating in Family Fun Day events. From 2:30 to 3:30, their storytelling group, Mountain Echoes will be reading tales about animals native to WV in the Vandalia Room of the Mountainlair.
Following the afternoon Arthurdale program, Tellebration! will begin in Hatfields at 5:30 p.m. Tellebration! is presented by the West Virginia Storytelling Guild and the Appalachian Cultures Committee/WVU Office of Student Life-Multicultural Programs. The program features Tall Tales from West Virginia story tellers. Scheduled to appear are: Donna Wilson, Adam Booth, Cat Pleska, Susanna “Granny Sue” Holstein, and Paige Tighe.
For more information about Mountaineer Week, including a full event schedule, visit its website.
