Goldenseal

Our Spring 2025 issue of GOLDENSEAL features a cover story on the 75th anniversary of the West Virginia State Folk Festival from contributing author Jason Gum. Readers will also find an accompanying sidebar from Gum about the West Virginia Belles of the State Folk Festival. Women aged 70 and above are nominated from each participating County, and come to represent their home county at the Folk Festival, sharing their wisdom and wit with the festival goers. Also in this issue: West Virginia Folk Music Traditions from Jennie Williams, our State Folklorist at the West Virginia Humanities Council; the story of educator Barbara L. Jones from contributing author Deanna Edens; the story of one Monongalia County man’s creation—the Stepulator—by Sharon Smith; The Anna Jarvis Birthplace Museum from Candy Thompson; A look at the Sistersville Ferry, the only ferry across the Ohio River, from Carl Feather; an article from Thomas Moore about Shinnston’s own Ginny Ogden; Contributing author Chris Chanlett writes about the Adopt-a-Highway program in Greenbrier County; Charleston’s Gallery Eleven celebrities 50 years in an article by Lynne-Schwartz-Barker with accompanying photos by Rafael Barker; an interview with the 2024 Vandalia Award Recipient Ginny Hawker; a look back at the 2024 Vandalia Gathering and Liar’s Contest; and another West Virginia Back Roads from our regularly contributing author Carl Feather — the Pence Springs Flea Market in Summers County. To order your own copy or to subscribe to the magazine you can visit wvculture.org/goldenseal or give us a call at 304-558-0220.

Celebrating 75 years...... Mark your calendar for June 19-22, 2025. Glenville, West Virginia.

The winter 2024 issue of GOLDENSEAL features a cover story from contributing author Becky Hill all about the Swiss tradition of Fasnacht in the Randolph County community of Helvetia. Our cover photo comes from photographer Pat Jarrett. This issue also contains our last three then-and-now features which bring a close to our special 50th anniversary issues. The cover story is one of those features with a reprint of “Goodbye, Old Man Winter: Helvetia Celebrates Fasnacht” by Peggy Ross from Spring of 1993, followed by our cover story. Also featured is a reprinted article from Fall of 1989 on banjo maker and woodworker, Jenes Cottrell of Clay County written by W. Murray Smith. This is followed by an interview with banjo maker Christopher Dean, originally from Morgan County on his journey to learn more about Jenes and his style of building, which has inspired his own work. Our last feature is a reprint of “Stories in Wood and Metal: Marshall Flemings’s Little Hidden Valley” by Woodward S. Bousquet from Winter of 1992. This is followed by one of our student articles written by 8th Grader Daniel Linton about his great-grandfather; Marshall Fleming.
Also in the winter issue: An article on Beckley’s own Jerry Rose from contributing author Lisa Shrewsberry; a look at a few of our past cover photos from Steve Brightwell, staff photographer for GOLDENSEAL; a tribute to country music singer Glen Cain by contributing author Don Coleman; contributing author Edwina Pendarvis shares an article on Matewan’s Mayor the late Johnny Wesley Fullen; a poem on Pruntytown from contributing author Laura Treacy Bentley; a look at the work of the McDonald Sisters of Gilmer County from contributing author Susan L. Feller featuring some great photos from the Robert F. Kidd Library Archives at Glenville State University; several book reviews of recently published West Virginia & Appalachia related books; a story from the late Nancy Rhodes, “Memories From a Child of the Mountains, Wyoming County, WV”; and lastly another West Virginia Back Roads from our regular contributing author Carl Feather, “A Slippery Tradition” all about the Lenox Oyster Stew of Preston County. To order your own copy of the winter 2024 issue, or to subscribe to GOLDENSEAL Magazine you can give us a call at 304-558-0220, or visit our website at wvculture.org/goldenseal.

You can now find Episode 3 of the Goldenseal Podcast on Spotify via the link below!

Episode 3 - Fall 2024 by Goldenseal Podcast The third episode of our special 50th Anniversary podcast. Episode 3 focuses on our Fall 2024 issue. We discuss our cover story on beekeeping in West Virginia, and our then-and-now articles, with clips from Shanda King the WV State Apiarist, Hillbilly Hippie Honeybees, basket maker Anne Bowers, and....