Gala Supports Frank and Jane Gabor WV Folklife Center
The ninth annual Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Gala will honor a nationally prominent storyteller and the state's storytelling guild. This year's theme is "The Festival of the Story."
The Gala, planned for 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in Colebank Hall gym on the main campus of Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College. At 8 p.m., there will be a presentation titled "The Ghostly and Ghastly: An Evening with Storyteller Connie Regan-Blake."
"Story is the narrative process that carries the culture of the people," said Dr. Judy P. Byers, Director of the Folklife Center. "This year we're going to take the Gala back to the origins of All Hallows Eve. In rural West Virginia and the Appalachians, it became a very important custom to celebrate the coming of autumn festivities among the Anglo-Celtic Germanic people. Traditional games, food and costumes were used to celebrate the harvest. Storytelling was always at the heart of the celebration. Trick-or-treat as we know it did not originate until the third decade of this century."
General admission is $25 per person and $3 for children ages 12 and younger. Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College students are admitted for free. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling Beth Martin at the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. at (304) 367-4009. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Parking will be available in the parking garage. Wearing Halloween costumes is encouraged, and all those who attend will receive a free eye mask.
The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a light buffet of savory and sweet hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, exhibits and musical entertainment. A live auction is planned for 6:30 p.m. At 8 p.m., Connie Regan-Blake will receive the 2009 B.B. Maurer West Virginia Folklife Award and the West Virginia Storytelling Guild will receive the 2009 Traditions Salute Award. After the awards presentation, Regan-Blake will give a storytelling presentation about "The Ghostly and Ghastly."
There will be a story swapping ground, sponsored by the FSU student storytelling group called the Raconteurs, as well as a Halloween costume contest and a traditional cake walk. Many area festivals will be represented because these festivals are a way to tell the story of the people. Some of the festivals to be included are the Scottish Festival and Celtic Festival of Bridgeport, the West Virginia Black Heritage Festival of Clarksburg, the Italian Heritage Festival of Clarksburg and the Feast of the Seven Fishes of Fairmont. Local historical societies and cemeteries, as well as the Heritage Quilters will have booths. Even the silent and live auctions will tell stories. For the silent auction, each item will have a card that tells a story. For the live auction, 12 baskets will include items that will all relate to a story.
Proceeds benefit programming for students through the Folklife Center. For more information about the Folklife Center, call Dr. Judy P. Byers, Director, at (304) 367-4286 or Noel W. Tenney, Cultural Specialist, at (304) 367-4403 or visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/wvfolklife/default.asp.
The Folklore-Folklife Programs, a division of the Department of Language and Literature in the College of Liberal Arts of FSU and the School of Human Services of Pierpont Community & Technical College, are dedicated to the identification, preservation and perpetuation of our region's rich cultural heritage through academic studies, educational programs, festivals, performances and publications.
