Culture Center Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Session Ends With Woody Williams Statue Resolution Stuck In House

The Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 30 unanimously in February. It would have placed a statue of Hershel “Woody” Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

A resolution to honor Woody Williams with a statue in the U.S. Capitol never got a vote in the House of Delegates.

The Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 30 unanimously in February. It would have placed a statue of Hershel “Woody” Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

But like hundreds of other bills during the 60-day session, it never moved in the other chamber.

Williams, who died in 2022 at age 98, was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Williams was awarded the medal for his actions in combat in the Marine Corps at the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.

Congressional leaders paid tribute to Williams in the U.S. Capitol rotunda following his death.

His statue would have replaced that of John Kenna, a 19th century legislator. Kenna’s statue would have been relocated to the Culture Center in Charleston.

Watch West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s tribute to Williams here.

Resolution Would Place Statue Of Woody Williams In U.S. Capitol

The Senate Finance Committee approved a resolution Wednesday that will place a statue of Woody Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

War hero Hershel “Woody” Williams was honored at the U.S. Capitol following his death. Now, a statue of him could be on permanent display there.

The Senate Finance Committee approved a resolution Wednesday that will place a statue of Woody Williams in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

His youngest grandson, Chad Graham, thanked the committee.

“We feel as a family this is such a tremendous honor and is something we were so humbled and excited to hear about,” Graham said.

Williams, the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, died in 2022 at age 98.

Lawmakers from both parties and both chambers paid tribute to Williams in the Capitol rotunda.

If the legislature approves the resolution, a statue of Williams will replace that of John K enna, a Confederate veteran who was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

Kenna’s statue would then be moved to the Culture Center in Charleston.

Each state has two statues in Statuary Hall. West Virginia’s other notable figure is Francis Harrison Pierpont, a lawyer who became Virginia’s governor at the end of the Civil War.

The Woody Williams Foundation honors Gold Star families, those who have sacrificed loved ones in service to the country.

Watch West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s tribute to Williams here.

State Music Hall Of Fame To Induct Buddy Griffin, Barbara Nissman

The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame will induct five new members in a ceremony next May.

Bluegrass musician Buddy Griffin will be among those joining in 2023.

Griffin played the fiddle on Wednesday at the announcement of his inclusion in the next class at Charleston Town Center. But he didn’t want the credit just for himself.

“Nothing I’ve ever done’s been great,” Griffin said. “But I’ve been able to stand on stage and rub elbows with a lot of great people.”

Also joining the Hall of Fame next year: Barbara Nissman, a concert pianist from Philadelphia who made West Virginia her home for the past three decades.

“The older I get, the more blessed I feel to be a musician, to be a piano player,” she said. “I’ve loved the piano since I was a child, even though my first teacher told my mother I didn’t have much talent. But you can persevere.”

Nissman will play at the induction ceremony next year at the Culture Center in Charleston.

Other inductees will include Fuzzy Haskins and Calvin Simon, founding members of Parliament Funkadelic.

The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame began inducting members in 2007. Director Michael Lipton said there’s no shortage of talent to add to the group.

“People said to me over the years, ‘Well, when are you going to run out of people?’” Lipton said. “And we’re not going to run out of people, because music is that important in West Virginia.”

Deceased members to be inducted include first-generation bluegrass group the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and Hammond B-3 organ player Winston Wells.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting will air the induction ceremony live in May 2023.

Vandalia Returns To Capitol Grounds For Memorial Day

The 45th Vandalia Gathering returns to the state capitol grounds this weekend after being canceled in 2020 and scaled back in 2021. Saturday and Sunday will see the return of arts, live music, dance and storytelling.

The gathering kicks off Friday evening with an awards ceremony in the Culture Center’s state theater at 6:30 p.m. Quilt and wall hanging awards will be presented as well as the 2022 Vandalia Award. A concert following the award ceremonies will feature Tessa Dillon, Jesse Milnes and Emily Miller, Jenny Allinder, Pete Kosky, and the Jimmy Gabehart Band.

The ceremony will be broadcast on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s West Virginia Channel and our website.

Outside activities start Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo, and mandolin contests along with half-hour concerts throughout the day.

Events include old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo, and mandolin contests, with half-hour concerts by Hunter Walker, Chance McCoy, Terry Vaughan, Southridge, Brayden Williamson, and Robert Shafer & Johnny Staats.

A Saturday evening concert starts at 7 p.m. in the State Theater and will feature performances by the Mack Samples Band, Lady D, Dwight Diller, Kanawha Tradition, Gerry Milnes, and Chance McCoy.

Sunday’s events begin at 11 a.m. with a one-hour gospel set by Angie Richardson, followed by old-time banjo, lap dulcimer, and flat-pick guitar contests. There will be half-hour concerts by Buck McCumbers & Company, Andy Fitzgibbon, the Lilly Mountaineers, Roger Bryant, Robin and Dan Kessinger, and Sawyer Chapman.

The fiddle and guitar competitions have a youth category for musicians 15 years of age or younger. Traditional dance offerings range from demonstrations of ethnic and square dancing in the Great Hall of the Culture Center to an outdoor flat-foot dancing stage where spectators are encouraged to jump in and kick up their heels.

The popular Liars Contest returns on Sunday in the State Theater at 2:30 p.m. (with registration beginning at 1:30 p.m.), as storytellers compete for Goldenseal magazine’s coveted Golden Shovel award.

Visitors also can see the annual Quilts and Wall Hangings Exhibition on display in the Great Hall of the Culture Center. The crowd-pleasing annual juried exhibition features exquisite quilts and wall hangings representing the talents of West Virginia quiltmakers. Quilts and Wall Hangings 2022 will be on display from May 27 – Sept. 13. A separate exhibit, The Sounds of Music, includes various instruments from the West Virginia State Museum permanent collection.

Visit https://wvculture.org/vandalia-gathering-3/ for a complete schedule of Vandalia Gathering events. Vandalia Gathering contests are open to West Virginia residents only.

Entries Open for W.Va. Quilt, Wall Hangings Competition

Entries are being accepted for an annual quilt and wall hangings competition in West Virginia.

The state Division of Culture and History says in a news release it is accepting entries for the West Virginia Quilts and Wall Hangings Juried Exhibition until April 26.

The 38th annual exhibition opens May 24 with an awards ceremony at the annual Vandalia Gathering at the state Culture Center in Charleston. The exhibition runs through Sept. 16.

Quilt awards are $750 for first place, $400 for second place and $300 for third place in each of several categories. Wall hangings will receive $400 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place.

Entries can be mailed or hand-delivered to exhibits coordinator Cailin Howe at the Culture Center.

Doll of West Virginia First Lady Cathy Justice Unveiled

West Virginia first lady Cathy Justice has unveiled a doll in her likeness.

The doll introduced at a ceremony Wednesday will become part of the First Ladies of West Virginia Collection at the state Culture Center in Charleston. It was made by Washington D.C.-based artist Ping Lau and features Justice in her inaugural ball gown.

Working with drawings and photographs, Lau also has designed the dolls of former first ladies Dee Caperton, Joanne Jaeger Tomblin, Sandy Wise and Rachael Worby since 2013.

The West Virginia Federation of Women’s Clubs commissioned the first ladies doll collection in 1976. Charleston-based ceramic artist Edna Henderson created 29 first lady dolls before she died in 1999. In 2006, Joanne Gelin created the Gayle Manchin doll.