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This week, in author Willie Carver, Jr.’s new book, he reconsiders a negative childhood experience with a neighborhood girl who might have just been looking for a friend. Also, a southwestern Virginia community rang the alarm after more and more of its children were diagnosed with cancer. A local journalist is trying to unravel the cause. And, the city of Asheville has a new crusading reporter. He’s a puppet.
Outdoor concerts and traditional music contests make up the bulk of the annual Vandalia Gathering each Memorial Day weekend on the capitol grounds. Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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The annual Vandalia Gathering returns to the state capitol grounds in Charleston this weekend for its 49th year. A celebration of Appalachian heritage, this event is free and open to the public.
Attendees can enjoy traditional Appalachian music and dance, storytelling, arts and crafts and food vendors.
“The Vandalia Gathering is one of West Virginia’s most cherished traditions, inviting everyone to experience the rich history and unique culture that sets the Mountain State apart,” West Virginia Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said. “We look forward to welcoming guests from near and far for a weekend full of some of Almost Heaven’s greatest treasures.”
The 2026 Vandalia Gathering begins Friday in the Culture Center State Theater with an awards ceremony for quilt and wall-hanging winners and the presentation of the 2026 Vandalia Award. That is the state’s highest folklife honor. A concert will follow the award ceremonies.
Saturday evening’s concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Culture Center State Theater.
Dancers from a Celtic dance group perform in the Grand Hall of the state Culture Center during Vandalia Gathering 2024.
Photo by Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Outdoor activities begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, featuring old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo and mandolin contests. Sunday’s events also begin at 11 a.m. with a one-hour gospel set by Angie Richardson, followed by half-hour concerts by local West Virginia musicians. Traditional dance offerings, including square dancing, flat-foot dancing and highland dance will take place in the North Plaza, where guests are encouraged to join in.
The popular Liars Contest returns on Sunday, also in the Culture Center State Theater. It will begin at 2:30 p.m., with registration beginning at 1:30 p.m., as storytellers compete for the coveted Golden Shovel Award.
State officials say guests can visit the Culture Center for family-friendly story time, crafts, live demonstrations and interactive tours of the State Museum throughout the weekend.
Official Vandalia Gathering and Almost Heaven merchandise will be available for purchase throughout the weekend. Free parking for attendees is available in the metered spots and parking garage located within the Capitol Complex.
This week, in author Willie Carver, Jr.’s new book, he reconsiders a negative childhood experience with a neighborhood girl who might have just been looking for a friend. Also, a southwestern Virginia community rang the alarm after more and more of its children were diagnosed with cancer. A local journalist is trying to unravel the cause. And, the city of Asheville has a new crusading reporter. He’s a puppet.
Lydia Hamessley is a professor of music at Hamilton College in New York and the author of "Unlikely Angel, The Songs of Dolly Parton." She spent nearly a decade researching Dolly's music catalog. Inside Appalachia Associate Producer Abby Neff talked with Hamessley.
Dolly meant a lot to educator, author and poet Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr. from east Kentucky. Inside Appalachia Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Carver about the loss of Dolly Parton.
