MORGANTOWN — The opportunity to see a live performance from a 16-time Grammy winner doesn’t come often.
The opportunity to see a live performance from a 16-time Grammy winner for free generally doesn’t come at all — unless you’ll happen to be in Morgantown on Aug. 26.
Taking the amphitheater stage that evening as part of Morgantown’s inaugural Ruby Concert Series will be Béla Fleck, an internationally known banjo virtuoso and winner of the 2022 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album with “My Bluegrass Heart.”
“If you know, you know,” Morgantown Director of Arts and Cultural Development Vincent Kitch said of Fleck’s genre-bending banjo abilities. “He’s in high demand, and he was one of the first performers, when we started booking, that I really wanted to get.”
But Fleck is just one of the free Friday-night shows coming to the Ruby Amphitheater this summer as part of what Kitch believes will be a transformative year for the facility, and in a larger sense, the arts in Morgantown.
“It’s hard to believe where we are now compared to April 2020, which is when the [Arts and Cultural Development] department was created. We’ve evolved,” he said. “I think we’re having a very strong impact on arts and culture and history in Morgantown.”
Upgrades to both the amphitheater’s infrastructure and activities are coming, in large part, to a $1.8 million grant from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust — but it’s not the only facility getting attention.
Kitch said the replacement of the Morgantown Metropolitan Theatre’s heating and cooling system, slated for this summer, will bring investment in that building north of $1 million over the last two years.
The theater will turn 100 years old in July 2024 and is coming off a year in which COVID reduced its usage from 100 events and 30,000 visitors to 15 and 3,000.
“The Met Theatre, the most iconic, historic facility in Morgantown … It’s definitely open for business now. We’re having some great shows. We’ve already seen about 12,000 people through the Met,” Kitch said, noting the crowds end up partaking in more than the arts.
“I met a restaurant owner just the other day and they will tell you, when the Met is having a show, business is booming downtown,” he said.
But the activity isn’t contained to the department’s most visible facilities.
The Morgantown History Museum could have a new manager in place by July and is poised for substantial expansion based on the success of the multi-million effort to overhaul the historical post office building it calls home.
The museum recently updated its offerings on indigenous peoples and launched a new exhibition on the local history of printmaking. Future showcases, including the history of African Americans in Morgantown, are in the works.
Additionally, Kitch said three new mural projects could be completed by the end of summer, including one on the Westover bridge pier located near Hazel Ruby McQuain Park and the Walnut Street Landing.
Rafael Blanco, the original artist selected to complete that work, has pulled out. Kitch said the arts commission is in the process of securing designs from other artists who expressed interest in putting their mark on Morgantown.
An artist team has also been selected to work with the community to design a mural for the Woodburn Community Center.
All in all, Kitch said, it’s going to be a busy summer, starting Memorial Day weekend with the Morgantown Music Festival along the riverfront and running on through Labor Day.
“It’s gonna be fun,” he said. “And hopefully, we’ll all survive it.”
Additional information about the summer concert series and other events is available online at rubyampwv.com and morgantownmet.com
