Robin Frey sent a cascade of notes flying from the neck of his Martin acoustic guitar Friday afternoon in the WVU Mountainlair.
The sound was high-lonesome, to be sure.
But coal camp grit also prevailed.
Enough, in fact, to put those sounds just as close to Memphis – as the mountains of Appalachia.
“I love this stuff,” grinned the 21-year-old from Sutton who plays in WVU’s Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Band.
“There’s just something about it. Timeless.”
The same could be said for Mountaineer Week, the university’s annual observance of all things Appalachian. This is the 75th year for the event, which concludes Sunday. Visit https://mountaineerweek.wvu.edu/ for the full rundown.
On this rainy afternoon, the ‘Lair was transformed to both a music venue – where Frey and his bandmates played – and a crafts fair, featuring artisans from across the region.
Geography and the gridiron were the inspirations for the first observance back in 1947.
A group of students, many of them veterans back from the fighting in World War II, wanted to do something different for that weekend’s WVU-Kentucky football game in Morgantown.
The celebration continues today at Milan Puskar Stadium when WVU recognizes its “Most Loyal” honorees during halftime of the Oklahoma game.
Meanwhile, more than 70 vendors and artisans packed the second floor of the student union Friday for the crafts fair.
There were wood-carvers and maple syrup mavens.
Authors, potters and people who work exclusively with cut-glass.
Moment Johnson’s muse resides in the very earth of Appalachia. She’s the proprietor and chief visionary of her “Sacred Totems” studio in Morgantown.
She’s known for her signature stone-carving work.
“On the surface, it’s completely different,” she said.
“It’s a rock. But when you cut into the stone, you get something really beautiful.”
Which just might be a West Virginia thing, too.
Just across the way, at E. Moore Hall, another Appalachian tradition is on display all weekend. The Mountaineer Quilt Show takes center stage at that venue, featuring a wide array of examples of the time-honored craft.
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