Mountain Music Trail Begins Series Of Vignette Premieres at Pocahontas County Opera House

Video premiere first in series produced to promote West Virginia’s music heritage

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/XAXZFKjPquI

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DuDoenNd0Rs 

AUDIO: https://bit.ly/1LkrTLQ

PHOTOS: https://bit.ly/1OoAbmE

Charleston, WV (October 8, 2015) — Wild, Wonderful West Virginia and Mountain Stage– a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting–in collaboration with Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Pocahontas County Opera House this evening hosted a video premiere event showcasing local musicians at the Pocahontas County Opera House. Performances included local musicians Sugar Run Band, Elk River Ramblers and Young and Restless Pickers.

“We are very excited to host the opening premiere here at the Pocahontas County Opera House, a historic venue that has hosted hundreds of West Virginia musicians and performers during its celebrated history,” Commissioner of Tourism Amy Shuler Goodwin said. “West Virginia’s musical landscape offers visitors many opportunities to experience Real. mountain music–from bluegrass to rock and roll.”

“The Mountain Music Trail shares with visitors the rich tradition of music and dance that is deep in the fabric of our heritage and defines our mountain region,” Cara Rose, Executive Director of the Pocahontas County CVB said. “The Mountain Music Trail also adds another dimension to the regional tourism product and gives visitors more reasons to visit and stay longer.”

“There are many adventures waiting to be experienced along the Mountain Music Trail. Pocahontas County has an incredibly rich history of traditional music and folklore,”  Vasilia Scouras, Associate Producer of Mountain Stage said. “This partnership with Wild, Wonderful West Virginia and the Pocahontas County CVB has allowed us to showcase some of the stories and songs of those who continue to take pride in passing the music down.”

“The Mountain Music Trail is such an incredible resource to our area,” Brynn Kusic, Operations Manager of the Pocahontas County Opera House said. “There are so many amazing musicians that live in this part of West Virginia and music is such a huge part of people’s lives.”

The videos feature musician Tim O’Brien, a Wheeling native who has achieved tremendous success playing traditional mountain music throughout his life, including an induction into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in November 2013. Also featured is Jake Krack, a prominent old-time fiddler in West Virginia. Krack has won first place in a number of old-time fiddling competitions in the Appalachian region, including West Virginia’s very own Appalachian String Band Festival, held annually in Clifftop

The Mountain Music Trail consists of venues throughout five counties in eastern West Virginia that came together to promote and present the traditional music, dance, and folkways of the Allegheny Mountain region. Several months ago, the West Virginia Public Broadcasting production team took to the road to capture the essence of the trail, which runs through Tucker, Randolph, Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Monroe counties.

This is the first of eight videos and accompanying events in the series, which will run through the month of October. All Mountain Music Trail premiere events are free and open to the public.  Each will feature local food and a Mountain Music Trail Sampler featuring local musicians and bands.   

Real. Excitement * Real. Family Time * Real. Mountain Flavor * Real. Adventure * Real. Fun * Real. Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.  You can find it here.  Call 800-CALL WVA or visit GoToWV.com.  Share your Real. West Virginia stories on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with #GoToWV and #RealWV.

This post was last updated on October 8, 2015