This story was written by Joe Nelson

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Main Street Morgantown is ready to celebrate the 161st birthday of West Virginia with a family friendly festival that will take place on Saturday, June 15.

The annual celebration will take place on High Street starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with fun activities planned to be hosted around the Monongalia County Courthouse Square. Main Street Morgantown Executive Director Amy Loomis encourages Morgantown Area residents to come down and check out the local food, craft beers, artists, and vintage market vendors who will be in attendance, as well as the kid-friendly activities that will be hosted in the heart of historic downtown Morgantown.

“We’re going to have a street festival with a kids zone, some food trucks, and great live music,” said Loomis.

Live local musical artists will join the local vendors who will be participating in the West Virginia birthday celebration. This will include performances by Ryan Cain and the Ables, singer-songwriter Grace Campbell, and Adrian and the Soul Miners. They will take the stage around Monongalia County Courthouse Square, and they will be surrounded by local food vendors such as Sweet Southern Smoke BBQ and El Pollo, who will be located around High Street between the Walnut Street and Pleasant Street intersections.

“We have so many local favorites, including singer-songwriter Grace Campbell, known for her great folk tunes,” said Loomis. “We have Ryan Cain and the Ables, they are a favorite rockabilly band, and then we have Adrian and the Soul Miners,” she said.

Loomis added that the celebration of West Virginia’s 161st birthday will also include a celebration of the 40-year anniversary of the establishment of Main Street Morgantown. To celebrate both, there will be a special West Virginia birthday cake that will be provided by West Virginia University, as well as a special presentation of Main Street Morgantown efforts to promote local business in the past 40 years. This will include representatives who have served with the local organization in the past as well as representatives from the City of Morgantown.

“It’s our signature annual event, it’s West Virginia’s 161st birthday party, and it’s also combined with our 40th anniversary of our organization, Main Street Morgantown,” Loomis said.

The celebration of West Virginia’s 161st birthday will be free to attend, with the block of High Street between Pleasant Street and Walnut Street scheduled to host festivities until 5 p.m. A West Virginia Beer Garden will also be hosted, with tickets and commemorative mugs available for purchase starting at $20 per person. With traffic expected to be diverted from High Street a few hours before the celebration, Loomis encourages residents to come downtown, enjoy local food and craft beers, and celebrate the Mountain State’s birthday with your neighbors and family.

“Everything is getting started at 1 o’clock, and it goes until 5 p.m.,” said Loomis. “Don’t forget we’re also going to have a wonderful happy birthday West Virginia birthday cake, and admission is free.”

Leave a Reply