Christmas Story Archives - Page 2 of 8 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

State Christmas Tree Lighting A ‘Joyful Night’

The West Virginia tree lighting event Joyful Night begins Tuesday at 6 p.m. on the south steps of the State Capitol Complex.

The state Christmas tree is a 50-foot-tall Balsam Fir from Randolph County’s Kumbrabow State Forest.

The West Virginia Division of Forestry, the General Services Division and the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) all participated in the cutting, transporting and positioning of the tree.

At 6:30 p.m, Gov. Jim Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice will light the tree.

There will be seasonal music from the Philip Barbour High School Band, Capital High School VIPs Show Choir and the Barboursville Elementary Choir.

There will also be a special reading of a Marc Harshman Christmas poem by Winfield High School student and creative writing contest winner Braylee Smolder.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting will broadcast the celebration live on the West Virginia Channel. An encore of the celebration will be broadcast on Saturday at 5 p.m. on the West Virginia Channel.

Viewers can also tune in to the governor’s and first lady’s social media platforms – YouTube, X and Facebook.

West Virginia Tree, 63 Feet And 8,000 Pounds, Headed To U.S. Capitol

For the first time in more than 40 years, the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree is from West Virginia. It was harvested in the Monongahela National Forest in Randolph County on Nov. 1.

Thousands gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday to see the tree that’s going to the U.S. Capitol for Christmas.

For the first time in more than 40 years, the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree is from West Virginia. It was harvested in the Monongahela National Forest in Randolph County on Nov. 1.

“It’s a Norway Spruce. It came from Laurel Fork Campground in Randolph County,” said Meadow Arbogast, a conservation educator with the U.S. Forest Service. “It’s 63 feet tall and weighs about 8,000 pounds.”

She said the tree comes from a different region every year.

Meadow Arbogast is a conservation educator with the U.S. Forest Service.

“Every year, a different national forest is selected to provide the tree for the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree. It usually goes by region, so there are 10 regions of national forests in the United States, and Region 9 was selected'” she said. “There are a few states in Region 9, but finally, it came back to West Virginia. We’ve done this project two other times, in 1970 and 1976.”

It was 67 degrees in Charleston on Tuesday evening, and Arbogast said it was nothing like that the day the tree was cut down.

“Our harvest day was 19 degrees, and it was snowing,” she said. “So, this is incredibly different than cutting it down!”

Charleston won’t be the last place West Virginians can see the tree, though it is bundled up and loaded on a 100-foot flatbed truck.

“We have quite the journey still,” Arbogast said. “It will be delivered on Nov. 17, and we have more stops to come. I think this is stop No. 5 of our 19-stop tour.”

The tree came to Huntington on Wednesday. Wheeling is next, followed by Morgantown, Davis, Romney and Harpers Ferry. The tree will be lighted on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol after Thanksgiving.

West Virginia Tour Schedule

Thursday, Nov. 9 (Wheeling) 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. White Palace at Wheeling Park
Friday, Nov. 10 (Morgantown) 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. 84 Lumber
Saturday, Nov. 11 (Morgantown) 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Operation Welcome Home at Mylan Park and 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. WVU, 243 High St.
Sunday, Nov. 12 (Upper Tract) 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Swilled Dog/Raymond’s Gymnastic Center
Monday, Nov. 13 (Davis) 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 533 Building
Tuesday, Nov. 14 (Romney) 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. WV Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
Wednesday, Nov. 15 (Harpers Ferry) 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center
Thursday, Nov. 16 (Prince George’s County) 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Joint Base Andrews (Base only)
Friday, Nov. 17 Delivery to West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building

W.Va. Tour Schedule Announced For National Christmas Tree

There will be a holiday festival Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the West Virginia Capitol Complex in honor of the national Christmas tree from the Monongahela National Forest. The last time a tree from West Virginia was displayed as the national Christmas tree was 1976.

There will be a holiday festival Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the West Virginia Capitol Complex in honor of the national Christmas tree from the Monongahela National Forest.

The last time a tree from West Virginia was displayed as the national Christmas tree was in 1976.

The State Capitol event will kick off with a parade and will include family-friendly activities showcasing winter offerings from around the state, including ice skating and a light display.

The event is free of charge and open to the public.

“This year, the Christmas tree that will be showcased at the Capitol in Washington D.C. is from right here in our great state,” Gov. Jim Justice said. “We have the most beautiful forests in the country, and I’m so proud to see a piece of our state on display in the nation’s capital. Babydog and I look forward to seeing a huge crowd in Charleston next week as we celebrate this honor and kick off the holiday season!”

The event will begin at 5 p.m. as the tree makes its way west on the Kanawha Boulevard to the Capitol steps, led in by marching bands from Cabell Midland, Capitol, George Washington, Nitro, Poca and Saint Albans High Schools. Vendors from across the state will be set up along the Boulevard with fun programming for families including ice skating, cookie decorating, a letters to Santa station, extravagant light displays, a bonfire to roast s’mores, winter sport giveaways and more. The U.S. Forest Service will be present with a station for attendees to sign the banner for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

“With such a large portion of our visitors coming from the Washington DC metro area, we are thrilled with yet another opportunity to showcase the beauty of our great state,” Chelsea Ruby, West Virginia Tourism Secretary, said. “And to mark the occasion, we’ve got a great celebration planned in Charleston bringing together folks from around the state to show off our state’s best winter activities. Don’t miss the never-before opportunity to ice skate in front of the State Capitol and to roast your own s’more on the lawn. We hope you’re able to join us!”

After the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree stops in Charleston, the tour will continue in other locations in the Mountain State. The initiative is made possible with support from the presenting sponsor, 84 Lumber, and with cash and in-kind contributions from companies large and small, along with vital support from volunteers locally and across America.

Once the tree makes its way to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Washington D.C., the Architect of the Capitol will be decorating the tree with ornaments and tree skirts handmade from West Virginians.

The official tree will be on display to the public in the month of December.

West Virginia Tour Schedule

Monday, Nov. 6 (Marlinton) 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Mitchell Chevrolet
Tuesday, Nov. 7 (Beckley & Charleston) 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tamarack Marketplace and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. WV State Capitol Complex
Wednesday, Nov. 8 (Huntington) 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Highlawn Elementary School
Thursday, Nov. 9 (Wheeling) 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. White Palace at Wheeling Park
Friday, Nov. 10 (Morgantown) 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. 84 Lumber
Saturday, Nov. 11 (Morgantown) 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Operation Welcome Home at Mylan Park and 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. WVU, 243 High St.
Sunday, Nov. 12 (Upper Tract) 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Swilled Dog/Raymond’s Gymnastic Center
Monday, Nov. 13 (Davis) 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 533 Building
Tuesday, Nov. 14 (Romney) 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. WV Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
Wednesday, Nov. 15 (Harpers Ferry) 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center
Thursday, Nov. 16 (Prince George’s County) 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Joint Base Andrews (Base only)
Friday, Nov. 17 Delivery to West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

In 2020, the Christmas tree in the White House’s Blue Room came from Jefferson County, West Virginia.

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Visit uscapitolchristmastree.com/calendar throughout the tour for most recent schedule updates.

Track the tree’s journey at capitoltreetracker.com.

Follow the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree on Facebook for additional news.

New Report Shows Coal Utility Challenges During Christmas Holiday, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, coal’s supporters have bragged about the performance of the fossil fuel during the deep freeze over Christmas weekend. But as Curtis Tate reports, not all coal units were available to help, even in West Virginia. That’s according to a new report from Standard & Poor’s.

On this West Virginia Morning, coal’s supporters have bragged about the performance of the fossil fuel during the deep freeze over Christmas weekend. But as Curtis Tate reports, not all coal units were available to help, even in West Virginia. That’s according to a new report from Standard & Poor’s.

Also, in this show, WMMT reporter Katie Myers covered last year’s floods in eastern Kentucky. Then she helped guide British reporter Philip Reevell as he worked on a documentary for the BBC. Inside Appalachia host Mason Adams talked with both about covering the floods and being part of the story.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

New Christmas Book Looks At All 55 W.Va. Counties

The holidays always bring out a wealth of new Christmas books. Among those hoping to find a place under the tree and on your shelf this year is “Christmas Eve in the Mountain State.” Written for children or just fans of all things West Virginia, it celebrates the state county by county.

Bill Lynch spoke with author Marly Hazen Ynigues about her very “pun-y” book.

Lynch: Marly great talking to you tell me a little about Christmas Eve in the Mountain State. When did you start this?

Ynigues: I started writing Christmas Eve in the Mountain State in 2016.

More recently, I’ve found a wonderful artist to work with, Emily Prentice in Elkins, from the Mycelium Creative Art Space.

She’s a graduate of fine arts from Davis and Elkins College. And she really helped put some more fun West Virginia touches into the story.

Recently, I’ve been working with Joshua Singleton, a voice artist from Grafton, who’s working on creating an audio book of the story.

Lynch: Why do a Christmas book about all 55 counties?

Ynigues: Everybody knows how exciting it is to see West Virginia get a shout out in the news or in a piece of entertainment. And I wanted to make sure not only do we see West Virginia celebrated, but we see everybody celebrated, even in your own individual counties; in many cases, in hometowns across the state.

So, you have a lot of fun tidbits like, “Kanawha” celebrate with you and rally around the tree?”

Everybody’s a part of the story here.

Lynch: Well, 55 counties, and some of them are kind of a mouthful. What was the most difficult one to work in?

Ynigues: I’d say there are a couple of them like my own county of Monongalia, where it doesn’t lend quite as easily to rhyming, as it were. Some of these kind of act as more of a stand in for the names. I am working on including them more in some future stories. So, I’m trying to make sure everyone’s a piece of the story. And everyone has a colorful way to remember it.

Lynch: How difficult was it to line everything up, to make it all work?

Ynigues: It has just been a labor of love. There’s so many wonderful people who’ve supported along the way and given great feedback and, you know, help to become a representation of West Virginia. It was tough, but definitely worth it to be able to tell a part of our story here.

Lynch: What’s your favorite part about the Christmas season in West Virginia?

Ynigues: I love the snow. I just I love sledding. I grew up somewhere where we might have one day of snow a year and then maybe every few years, we get up to three inches of snow. So having these wonderful, beautiful snowy hills is just so much fun.

Lynch: Where are you from?

Ynigues: I’m from Memphis, Tennessee, originally.

Lynch: Well outside of writing a children’s book, what’s your day job like? What do you do besides that?

Ynigues: I do communications. So, I love storytelling. And I was also a history student and learned all about Appalachian culture and did some research on a mine war’s community. And previously I’ve also been a city councilor in Elkins. So just appreciating the culture, from learning about it as a new arrival, and then just really getting involved.

This taught me so much love for the state.

Lynch: Any big plans for the guest the holiday season?

Ynigues: I’m just excited to help share West Virginia story with everyone.

Lynch: The book is called “Christmas Eve in the Mountain State.” Marly, thanks for talking with us.

Ynigues: Thank you so much Bill. Happy holidays!

Harpers Ferry Portraying Civil War-Era Christmas

Harpers Ferry is giving tourists a taste of life during the Civil War as the holiday season begins.

Harpers Ferry was a key location during the Civil War’s Shenandoah Valley campaign, and changed hands eight times until it was secured by Union forces in 1864. The yearly event will show Harpers Ferry under martial law as it existed during the Christmas season.

“Right up towards the tail end of the Civil War, Harpers Ferry was being used as a supply center and a garrison town for the Union Army as it pushed its way through the Shenandoah Valley,” Harpers Ferry National Historical Park representative Leah Taber said. “It was pretty consistently a battleground between Union and Confederate forces, just due to its geography.”

The exhibits include reenactments of a Victorian ball hosted by members of the 34th Massachusetts Infantry and their wives, and the crime and punishment of a Union army deserter.

Taber said these events aim to put people in the mindset of those who lived during the period.

“Our visitors, if they come to this event, can really get a sense of what it was like during that holiday season where there were starting to be glimmers of hope that the war might come to an end,” Taber said. “But that holiday season was tempered also by the realities of war.”

The event is set for Dec. 3 and 4 throughout the park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Lower Town area will be restricted to one-way only traffic and the park recommends using the bus service from the visitor’s center instead.