Community Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Breaking The Ramadan Fast In Morgantown

Like millions across the world, Muslims in West Virginia fasted from sunup to sundown each day of the holy month of Ramadan. Their fast is traditionally broken with a meal called iftar.

Tuesday marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic faith. Like millions across the world, Muslims in West Virginia fasted from sunup to sundown each day of the month. Their fast is traditionally broken with a meal called iftar.

Just after sunset on a recent Sunday evening, the small lot in front of the Islamic Center of Morgantown was double parked with cars. Inside, men sat on the floor eating and drinking, and the sound that dominated the room were the yells of children.

Omar Yacoub said that’s because the men have not eaten or had water since before sunrise, more than 12 hours ago, and are focused on getting something into their system before the evening prayer. The kids, who are not required to fast, have plenty of energy.

“Today’s just a typical day, people get together here before the evening prayer, which is the prayer, whenever we hear the call for it, we break our fast,” Yacoub said. “We just eat a date and probably a cup of water, and then pray and then go back to eat something that’s a little bit heavier.”

Yacoub is a volunteer at the Islamic Center. Muslims pray five times a day, and having memorized the Quran, he sometimes leads the prayer on nights like tonight when the mosque’s imam is not present. Yacoub said fasting and the month of Ramadan serve many purposes. For example he is taking the opportunity to review some of his Quranic verses.

“It can be self discipline and self control, teaching yourself that there are a lot of other things that you might think you cannot do but you can actually do, like fasting,” Yacoub said.

Prayer and fasting are two of the five pillars of Islam, which include the Hajj, a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, and declaring one’s faith. Yacoub said fasting can help motivate the fifth pillar, giving to charity.

“It also helps you get the feeling of those families in need, those families who can stay for hours and hours without the ability to drink or eat anything,” he said. “That gives you a little bit of motivation, a little bit of a push forward to giving charity, to donate money to these families in need.”

Fruit and water are the common foods that break the Ramadan fast before the evening prayer and a more substantial meal.
*Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Ultimately the focus of Ramadan is personal, but breaking fast is often a communal experience. And after the evening prayer, the congregants return to the common room to eat a proper meal.

At the Islamic Center, each night is sponsored by a different family or families. The people that make up the mosque’s community are incredibly diverse, representing dozens of countries from Libya to Bangladesh and, of course, the United States, which means each iftar can vary, but is always delicious.

“We all share the same thing,” said Mohamed Hefeida, one of the sponsors of tonight’s iftar. “We fast the same, we made the same food. Again, alhamdulillah, it’s five different families making them. Everybody did the chicken in a different way.”

Hefeida said he got up at 1 a.m. to start cooking, but the effort is worthwhile because breaking fast and praying together as a community reminds him of the reason for Ramadan and fasting: to reset his perspective on what matters.

“To me, it means that I belong to a larger, multicultural, very diverse group of people,” Hefeida said. “We share very common, root human aspects like hunger and thirst. And that’s kind of going back to the basics. When I say I’m hungry, I’m really hungry, when I say I’m thirsty it becomes real thirst. It just makes you appreciate everything that you have so much more, because you kind of reset your reference points for everything.”

Hefeida said this year the community is making a conscious decision to keep their iftars simple. Tonight’s meal consists of staples like chicken, rice, and salad. With the war in Gaza stretching through the month of Ramadan and creating famine conditions for Muslims in the region, he said anything else felt inappropriate.

“I think it’s just the minimum we can do is kind of remember our brothers and sisters so that we could act differently because I don’t think it’s right, when people are dying from hunger for us to bring the fancy dinners on,” Hefeida said. “That’s the bittersweet. We’re still able to enjoy our meal but we’re trying to keep it simple so that we could relate to them as much as we can.”

Men serve themselves their iftar meal at the Islamic Center of Morgantown, March 24, 2024. One of the sponsors of the night’s iftar, Mohamed Hefeida, can be seen wearing a mask.
*Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Omar Ibraheem is the president of the Muslim Student Association at West Virginia University. He said the organization petitioned the mosque to hold community events like tonight’s iftar because of their importance to students that are away from home for the holy month.

“It’s such an important thing that mainly college students depend on when you don’t have your family here to iftar with, you also need that sense of community,” Ibraheem said. “We have families that come in and just you create this very important sense of community that we really prioritize in Ramadan.”

Nada Mikky is the secretary of WVU’s Muslim Student Association. She said she was raised to view Ramadan as a time for community and charity.

“We spend maybe enough time with our family throughout the year, where Ramadan is more focused on community and unity and the broader image,” Mikky said. “Back home, for example, it’s the time where people go to even people that they don’t know, to take care of them and check on the poor, if they need anything, send them food, something, send them money.”

Mikky views fasting from sunrise to sunset as a meditation in patience and the transient nature of life, a reminder that all things in life – good or bad – come to pass in their time. She tries to apply this to difficult situations, like the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Cougars Football And EJ Henderson Guitars, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, Alleghany and Covington high schools were rivals for decades. But now, they’ve merged. This week, we head to a home football game and learn how it’s going. Also, the daughter of a legendary guitar maker didn’t set out to take up her father’s craft — but she’s found it irresistible. And, we take a trip to the mushroom capital of the U.S.

Alleghany and Covington high schools were rivals for decades. But now, they’ve merged. This week, we head to a home football game and learn how it’s going.

Also, the daughter of a legendary guitar maker didn’t set out to take up her father’s craft — but she’s found it irresistible.

And, we take a trip to the mushroom capital of the U.S.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Cougar Football
A New Generation Of Henderson Guitars
Pennsylvania’s Mushroom Empire
The Migration Of Frijoles Charros

Cougar Football

A consolidated school might be different, but student spirit remains the same.

*Credit: Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

There’s nothing hotter than a high school sports rivalry. Host Mason Adams grew up in Alleghany County, Virginia and went to Alleghany High School. His school’s biggest football rival was the Covington Cougars, on the other side of the county.

The two schools consolidated this past year. Adams made a trip home to visit the new school during its very first homecoming to see what has changed and what hasn’t.

A New Generation Of Henderson Guitars

Jayne Henderson builds her own future as a guitar and ukulele maker.

*Credit: Janie Witte*

Wayne Henderson has been making guitars since he was a teenager. The guitars he makes are prized by players who are willing to wait up to a decade to get their hands on one.

His daughter, Elizabeth Jayne Henderson, never intended to follow in her father’s footsteps. She went to law school, but now Jayne is carrying on the family tradition in her own way.

Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef had this story.

Pennsylvania’s Mushroom Empire

Shiitake mushroom.

*Credit: Keith Weller/United States Department of Agriculture*

People have hunted wild mushrooms for generations — but did you know that Pennsylvania is the biggest producer of mushrooms in the U.S.?

WVIA’s Kat Bolus brought us this story about Pennsylvania’s mushroom farms and foraging clubs.

The Migration Of Frijoles Charros

A bowl of frijoles charros sits to the right of a bowl of refried beans. While refried beans are a standard side dish in most Mexican restaurants in Southern Ohio, frijoles charros often accompany the main meal at restaurants in northern Mexico and along the US-Mexico border.

*Credit: Nicole Musgrave/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

A bowl of brothy pinto beans is comfort food for lots of folks here in Appalachia. There’s a similar tradition in rural Mexico — frijoles charros — or charro beans. Now, the dish has made its way north to the former coal town of Wellston, in southeast Ohio.

Folkways Reporter Nicole Musgrave has the story.

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Mary Hott, The Sycomores, Anna and Elizabeth, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, John Blissard, and the Alleghany High School marching band.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Public Criticizes Police Department’s ‘Use Of Force’ Policy At Community Forum

A decades-old policy regarding the Charleston Police Department’s permitted use of force was under fire Tuesday night as city leaders and their constituents gathered to discuss a recent and controversial incident involving two local officers.

The mayor’s office, the police department and area clergy held a community forum at the local Emmanuel Baptist Church to address an investigation police concluded in late October. Two officers were reviewed for the way they arrested 27-year-old Freda Gilmore earlier this month, a black woman with special needs.

Police said Gilmore had been resisting arrest.

The department’s Professional Standards Division determined the officers, mentioned at the forum as Joshua Mena and Carlie McCoy, had followed the department’s policy appropriately, and after almost a week of paid administrative leave the officers were allowed to return to their jobs on Friday, Oct. 25.

However, several community members and leaders who spoke Tuesday night continue to scrutinize the handling of the arrest, which was captured on video and shared hundreds of times across Facebook. In the video, one officer is holding Gilmore against the pavement, while another officer appears to be punching her.

“[T]here is no policy that could justify, in this particular instance … the behavior of the officer that administered the blows to that young woman laying flat on the ground, with an officer on her back,” said Ricardo Martin, president of the Charleston branch of the NAACP.

“If there is a policy [or] if there is a training video that you can hold up to that particular incident and the way it was handled, and say that this policy exonerates the misbehavior of that officer, we’re in trouble,” Martin added.

When some attendees requested to hear the policy for themselves, Police Chief Opie Smith described it as being “thirty-paged” and something he wished he had the words to explain.

Sgt. Jason Webb, who works with the department’s public services unit, mentioned the policy dates back to the 1980s.

“Our ‘use of force’ policy is based on a continuum,” Webb explained to attendees. “So let’s say someone is verbally harassing someone else, then there’s a proper use of force for that, alright? This incident fell under active resistance, which is somebody actively resisting being put into custody by the police officers. Unfortunately, at this time, a fist is considered, under use of force policy, [an] impact weapon.”

Gilmore’s father and stepmother were present for the forum Tuesday night, in addition to Alisyn Proctor, the woman who recorded the incident on her cellphone.

Proctor was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct the same evening as Gilmore, according to what police said at the forum.

“It’s just not right, the way my daughter was treated by a police officer,” said father Richard Gilmore. “Then they go do their own investigation, and then let the officers go back to work like it’s okay.”

Several people also complained about the police department’s internal investigation, saying the matter should’ve been examined by an external group and it lacked transparency. Forum attendees said they were disappointed the officers were allowed to return regardless of the policy, and that during the investigation the officers continued receiving pay for their time away.

Some attendees shared lists of requests with Mayor Amy Goodwin and Police Chief Smith. That includes a group of several pastors representing churches in the Charleston area, who are asking Goodwin and the city council to respond in writing within ten days.

“We respectfully request that the mayor immediately refer this case for independent review, by the Kanawha County Prosecutor and the FBI, for a thorough investigation and evaluation of the conduct of the patrolmen in question,” said Rev. Dr. Lloyd Allan Hill. “We request that the patrolmen McCoy and Mena be returned immediately to administrative leave, pending the results of that independent review, by the aforementioned agencies.”

A coalition to “#KeepUsSafeCharlestonWV” held a press conference in the church lobby roughly half an hour before the forum to share their requests, which include revising the police department’s “use of force” policy, mandating police officers to have working body cameras on them during all shifts and creating a mental health intervention team.

This #KeepUsSafeCharlestonWV coalition also requested the police department finish implementing an eight-point anti-racism platform that the city started a few years ago but never finished.

The coalition and the NAACP, one of the groups forming the coalition, called on the city multiple times Tuesday night to support the creation of citizen review boards to monitor police activities and discipline officers who are out of compliance.

“It’s something that they have started before, but there’s kind of been a fall off from that,” said Andrea Tyree, communications specialist for Healthy Kids and Families WV, another group in the coalition. “So we’re specifically asking them to continue releasing monthly data on their arrest demographics, and actually conduct the annual coalition-lead anti-racism trainings.”

During the forum, West Virginia NAACP President Owens Brown mentioned his group had proposed the creation of such a board in Wheeling in 2017, but nothing came to fruition.

This article was updated on Wednesday, Nov. 13., to accurately reflect the gender of the officers involved.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

European Traditions, W.Va. Twists – Making Grittibanz at Christmastime

In Helvetia, West Virginia, Christmastime, like all the town’s events, is a community affair. On the Saturday closest to the 5^th of December, the town celebrates their unique heritage with tales of Saint Nicholas, sweet treats, square dancing, a potluck dinner, and best of all… Swiss grittibanz, a special kind of holiday bread.

Hear this story on Inside Appalachia.

In the mountains of Randolph County, West Virginia, is the small Swiss-German town of Helvetia. This tiny, remote town is rich with Swiss-German tradition, including the Feast of Saint Nicholas held at the Helvetia Community Hall.

“We’re gathered here on the Feast of Saint Nicholas to think about generosity, because [Saint Nicholas] was a very generous person,” said local resident Eleanor Betler to a crowded dining room in the Community Hall, “And we carry that through by teaching, and we teach to make the grittibanz.”

Grittibanz is loosely translated to “doughboy,” and families often make them in Switzerland and Germany for the Feast of Saint Nicholas, which is held on the eve before Saint Nicholas Day on December 6^th.

It may be based off an old tradition, but the Feast of Saint Nicholas has only been held in Helvetia for the past 20 years.

It’s one of their smallest events during the year and averages about 25 to 30 attendees, but it’s no less a favorite for locals.

Making Grittibanz

Hours before the feast, locals prep the Community Hall for the festivities and the grittibanz. Anna Chandler stands over a large, silver mixing bowl and reads through the list of ingredients needed.

Anna may not be a local, but her father’s side of the family is from Helvetia. She lives in Morgantown and makes a point to attend local events like this one. Over the past three years, she’s been making the dough for the grittibanz with Eleanor’s guidance.

“This is the; it’s called Hebel; that’s the yeast dough,” Anna said. “So, this is like the starter, so you get it going first, so the yeast is active and going at it, and then you add it to everything else.”

After mixing in all the ingredients, Anna kneads the dough until it becomes soft, but still firm enough to mold and shape into bread people.

“First time I made this, or worked with anybody to make it, I thought it was gonna be a really sweet dough, like cinnamon roll dough; it’s not, it’s just a rich, cause it’s got the eggs and butter in it, yeast dough; it’s very straightforward,” she explained. “And when the kids get done decorating, we decorate with raisins and citron, and stuff like that, so it’s not sweet by any means, it’s just bread.”

Upstairs in the main room of the Community Hall, a small group of kids and their parents make Christmas crafts and play games together while they wait on the dough. Decorating the grittibanz with children is a big part of the tradition.

Back in the kitchen, Eleanor and Anna lay out baking sheets for each person, butter knives, and round, sticky dough balls for each child and parent to work with.

At the center of the table is a tray of flour, a couple bowls of egg wash, and dried fruit to use for decorating.

“Okay, so kind of take it from the sides and make him a neck, okay,” said Eleanor to the group of kids and their families. “And then make some shoulders and some arms.”

After everyone’s grittibanz is decorated, they’re left to rise for about 15 minutes, and then they’re ready to be baked.

Carrying On Tradition

Helvetia’s population has dropped dramatically over the decades as people have moved away for job opportunities and other reasons. Yet, Eleanor says she doesn’t think the town, or its traditions will ever disappear.

The annual events are unique and a big draw for visitors, she said, but also, many people who have family connections to Helvetia are proud of where they come from…and the events bring people home.

“Everybody does everything together, and I think that’s what keeps almost all of our traditions alive is that we do things as families and as community,” Eleanor said. “Church community; family community; community-community, and community and family mean everything to us here. Everything.”

Making grittibanz from scratch is just one aspect of Helvetia’s Feast of Saint Nicholas event. Residents also gather that day for a visit from Santa Claus, to hear the story of Saint Nick, a potluck dinner…and a community square dance.

Historic Mansion Comes to Life Through Wine & Jazz

Happy Retreat is a historic mansion in Charles Town that was once the home of Charles Washington – founder of Charles Town and brother to the nation’s first president. Today, the house is becoming a hub for public events, community outreach, history and tourism.

On a hot Saturday afternoon in June, hundreds of locals and out of town tourists stop by a historic mansion in Charles Town, West Virginia known as Happy Retreat.

They’re here for a day of wine and jazz out on the back lawn.

A volunteer serves wine to a man attending the Happy Retreat Wine and Jazz Festival on June 9, 2018.

Inside the Happy Retreat mansion, visitors explore the first floor taking in the historic rooms.

This house was built in the 1780s by George Washington’s youngest brother, Charles Washington – the founder of Charles Town. It was his home until he died. For more than 200 years, Happy Retreat was a private residence, but then in 2006, the owners at the time were elderly, and the future of the house was unclear.

That same year, a group of locals formed a nonprofit group called “Friends of Happy Retreat” to restore and protect the mansion — and boost tourism for the area, too. Nine years later, the group purchased the home and began holding events on the property.

A portrait of Charles Washington, founder of Charles Town, W.Va., hangs on the wall of one of the first floor rooms in the Happy Retreat mansion.

“Friends of Happy Retreat” do charge tickets to attend their events and festivals, but everyone involved in putting those events together are volunteers, and all the proceeds go to further restoring the house.

Stephanie Somers was born and raised in Charles Town. She says she’s glad to see the direction the mansion is taking and was excited to come out for the wine and jazz festival.

“By opening places like this up to the public, you’re inviting them in, and you’re; maybe by them coming in, they develop this sense of personal ownership of it; this is a part of my community,” Somers said, “and by developing that sense of ownership, they’re gonna care a lot more about it, and it’s going to be so much easier to preserve and maintain these places forever.”

Another festival-attendee, Evan Clark, is a resident from Winchester, Virginia. He crossed state lines just to attend the event. He says bringing people out to the mansion in this way will help keep the history alive.

“I’m embarrassed to say; I used to be a history teacher, and I didn’t know that George Washington’s brother lived here,” Clark said, “so this type of pairing; you know, wine and jazz festival, brings people to the venue and allows us to learn the history, and then understand also that it costs a lot of money, so maybe they’ll come for a tour, maybe they’ll become a donor or benefactor, and we can preserve that history by exposing more people to it. So, I think this is just a wonderful pairing.”

It’s for exactly those reasons, Charles Town resident Walter Washington wanted to turn Happy Retreat into what it is today – a historic landmark that draws visitors through community events.

“It was important to have a place in town that could really be; that would draw; a place for heritage tourism,” Washington said.

Walter Washington, descendant of George Washington’s brother, Samuel Washington. Walter is the President of the nonprofit, “Friends of Happy Retreat.”

Fun fact about Walter — he’s actually a direct descendant of George Washington’s other brother, Samuel. Walter’s responsible for starting that nonprofit we mentioned, “Friends of Happy Retreat,” to ensure the mansion’s survival.

“You know, we have the courthouse of course where John Brown was tried, and that’s a hugely important historical structure,” Washington noted, “but this goes back to, you know, the 1780s, and there was no place in Charles Town that really told that story; the story of the early part of town.”

Rather than turn the house into a museum, Walter wanted to bring the place to life by incorporating its history into fun events like wine and jazz, book talks, craft beer festivals, and chamber music concerts.

Walter says by making this historic spot a vibrant and exciting place to visit, he hopes it will enrich the community and help increase tourism for the entire state.

“Jefferson County is really the eastern gateway to West Virginia,” he said, “I mean, we have all of the, I don’t know how many million people live in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan areas, with all the suburbs of the surrounding counties, and so this is really the gateway to West Virginia for those people. I mean, they come to Harpers Ferry, but that’s; Harpers Ferry is the very eastern tip of the whole state, and so if we can draw them in this way, a little further, we can tell more stories that way.”

A potted flower sits in a window of the Happy Retreat mansion. Outside is the back lawn of the house. A temporary stage has been built for the Wine and Jazz Festival on June 9, 2018.

There’s something special about putting yourself in a historic space while listening to music or a guest speaker at the same time, that’s according to Director of the Happy Retreat Wine and Jazz Festival Fiona Harrison.

“I’m from the west coast, you know, we don’t have old buildings like this; we have different sets of history; we have Mexican explorers and the pueblos and the missions and stuff,” Harrison explained, “but to have an old building like this where former presidents have sat and met and probably had dinner and conducted business, it’s, I think the community is missing out if they don’t know that, that sort of thing happened here.”

In the fall, Happy Retreat will host a Craft Beer and Music Festival.