Archive for October, 2009

Trick-Or-Treat Times for Southern West Virginia

Friday, October 30th, 2009


The usefulness of this post will depend entirely on what side of the Halloween equation you’re on.

If you like all the stuff about our spookiest holiday, then you’ll probably want to know what times the kids will be trick-or-treating around the state.  Whether you take the kids out from house to house, pass out the candy from your own home, or hide under a pile of leaves waiting to scare some teenagers, you’ll want to schedule it.

If not, you’ll at least know when not to be home


Here’s the list…

(times are for Saturday the 31st unless otherwise noted)

Greenbrier County 6-8 p.m.

Fayette County 6-8 p.m.
Pax 5:30-7:30 p.m.

McDowell County
Bradshaw 5-8 p.m.
Gary 5-7 p.m.
Keystone 6-8 p.m.
Kimball 5-8 p.m.
Northfork 6-8 p.m.
War 5-7 p.m.
Welch 6-8 p.m.
Anawalt 5-8 p.m.

Mercer County
Athens 6-8 p.m.
Bluefield 6-8 p.m.
Bramwell 5-7 p.m.
Princeton 6-8 p.m.
Oakvale 6-8 p.m.

Monroe County 6-8 p.m.

Nicholas County
Summersville 6-8 (Thursday the 29th, downtown Summersville)

Pocahontas County 5-7 p.m.

Raleigh County
Beckley 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Sophia 5-7 p.m.
Mabscott 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Summers County 6-8 p.m.

Wyoming County
Pineville 5-7 p.m.
Mullens 6-8 p.m.
Oceana 5-7 p.m.

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The Best Pumpkin Pie Ever- from Southern West Virginia!

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

If there’s one thing we love in southern West Virginia, it’s food.  Specifically, sweets.  More specifically, pie.

With all of the fall festivals we have up this way, there’s bound to be some good goodies to munch.  And if you’re planning on entering something like a bake-off, well, let’s just say you better bring it.

So we thought we’d provide you with an ace-in-the-hole.  This pie is so awesome, no one will talk about anything else.  Probably because their mouths are full of pie.

Southern WV Praline Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup ground pecans
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree (canned works)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1 cup light cream

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  I don’t know why I said “F”, as if anyone reading this cooks in Celsius.  Well, it is the internet…

Mix up the pecans, the ½ cup sugar, and the butter in a bowl.  Take out about 3 spoonfuls of that mixture and put it in a small bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Eat that while you firmly press a little more than half of the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.  Good, isn’t it?

Then bake the pie shell for 10 minutes, and pull it out of the oven.  DO NOT EAT IT.  Yet.  You might want to, but don’t.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (whatever degrees C.)

Combine the rest of the ingredients, and blend in the cream.  Is it creamy and smooth?  No?  Keep blending.  Is it now?  Good.  Pour it into the pie shell.

Bake for 30 minutes, then top with the rest of the pecan mixture.  Bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until you just can’t stand it anymore.

That’s it.  Enjoy, and please wait until the pie has cooled to start eating!

How about you?  Do you have the world’s greatest pie recipe?  Share it with us!

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Haunted Happenings & Halloween Events, Southern West Virginia-Style

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Haunted Southern West Virginia...

Haunted Southern West Virginia...

Everyone knows what makes October in southern West Virginia spook-tacular.  It’s the haunted houses!  No, wait, it’s the festivals!  Right?

Actually, it’s both.  Plus, the colors.  We have great leaves.  Adds to the atmosphere.  Of course, when it’s dark out, the colors don’t matter, and all that crunching is probably letting whoever’s hiding in the woods know EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE!  MWWAHAHAHA!

Too much?  Sorry.  A blog isn’t the best place to scare people.  So we put together a list of some Halloween haunts that will do just that.  Plus, there’s a big list of activities that aren’t scary at all, right down below.

Here are both calendars.  And here’s hoping you have a happy and safe southern West Virginia Halloween this year…

HAUNTED HOUSE CALENDAR
4th Annual Haunted Hotel:  This one’s in Mount Hope, WV, in the former Mountaineer Hotel.  Now through Halloween. $8 admission, children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult. 7-10 pm

Little Beaver State Park Haunted Trail:  Oct 23-31st.  Dark until 10 weekdays, until 11 weekends.  $6 for adults, $4 for children 304-763-2494

MSU Forensic Investigation Association’s Annual Haunted House: Takes place at the Crime Scene House, 703 S Kanawha St. 7-11 Mon-Thurs and 7 – midnight Fri and Sat. Runs through Oct 31st.  There is a different theme every year at the house.

14th Annual Second Creek Haunted Trail: This is a haunted trail that benefits the community as well as families in need. It’s the 14th year of operation and the trail sees upwards of 1500 guests each year! Dates are Oct 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31st. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for under 12. No children under 5 allowed. Open from dark to 11pm.  October 16, 2009 – October 31, 2008 www.wvhauntedtrail.com
Second Creek 304-645-7450 or 304-645-2696

Princeton Rec Center Haunted House: Hours will be at the from 7-11pm, except on the 31st which will be from 8-11pm.   October 23, 24, 30, 31  Admission is $5/person. Info: 304-487-5040.

The Haunted House in Pineville: Opens on October 24th and runs through Halloween, from 7-10 pm and til 11pm on Halloween night.  RA Mihailoff, who played Leatherface in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre III” will be in Pineville Oct 30-31st and will be part of the Haunted House on those dates!!!  Admission is $3 per person. 304-732-6813

Haunted History Tours: This one’s at the Whipple Company Store in Scarborough.  Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays in Oct.  Adults only.  $20 per person.  9:15 to 11 pm.  Flashlights provided. http://www.whipplecompanystore.com/hauntedhistorytours.html

NOT-SO-SCARY-STUFF CALENDAR
Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze:  Okes Family Farms  http://hstrial-kokes.homestead.com/

Tailgate Halloween: The Youth Museum of Southern WV will present the 23rd Annual Tailgate Halloween in uptown Beckley from 11am to 1pm on Saturday, Oct 31st.

Autumn Fest in Pineville:  from 5 to 11pm this Saturday, Oct 24th.  Includes a Halloween Tailgate Party for children, annual chili cook-off, pie-baking contest, pumpkin decorating contest, cake walk, gurney race, adult and children’s costume contests and more.  Fest info 304-732-6255

Pipestem’s Annual Pumpkin Run: October 31, 2009 www.pipestemresort.com
304-466-1800 or 800-225-5982  31st Annual 5k, 10k Pumpkin Run.  Get out there and run your pumkins off!!

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What No One Knows About Bridge Day

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Bridge Day Zipline

Bridge Day Zipline

Bridge Day.

Around here, those are some big words.  Everyone knows that Bridge Day is the largest festival in West Virginia.  We also know that it has to be seen to be believed.  It’s a spectacle.

That much, we can all agree on.  Bridge Day is about as cool as it gets.  But there are always other rumors, and questions, and misunderstandings about what’s going on from year to year.

So, we’re here to tell you, with this blog post, some of those little Bridge Day secrets that will make you the authority when it comes to info on the big day.  We’ve put together a group of facts, trivia, and logistical info for you to jump into (get it?  oosh- sorry)  before Bridge Day arrives.

No need to thank us :-)

1.   Bridge Day sells more funnel cake per capita than any other festival in the country.  Actually, we’re just basing that on our own love of funnel cake.  Don’t quote us on that one.

2.     Jumpers have to qualify for the lottery to get a pass to jump It’s first-come, first-served until all 450 slots are gone and they always sell out.  There’s always a ton of confusion about this one from us, the un-jumping public, on this one.  They have to have 140 100 skydive jumps before getting a ticket for the bridge.  Once they get their spot, they can jump as many times as they like from open to close. For more information for B.A.S.E. jumpers, visit http://www.bridgeday.info.

3.     Bridge Day 2009 is on Saturday, October 17.  Okay, not so secret.

4.     Taste Of Bridge Day, the eating party with all the restaurants from the New River Gorge cooking their best dishes, is on Friday night before the big day.  This party is in contention with Bridge Day itself for best event of the weekend.

5.      The First Annual Bridge Day Chili Cookoff will start just after the festivities on the bridge end on Saturday, and has one of the greatest slogans of any chili cookoff ever.  Ready for it?  “Jumping.  Beans.”  Get it?  Awesome.

6.      Bridge Day is as much about rappelling as it is about jumping.  The ropes hanging off of the bridge on Bridge Day are from 750 to 800 feet long.  There’s also a zipline hanging off the bridge that’s open to the public, if you can believe that.  You should, because it’s true.

7.    The Bridge Day website has every single piece of information about bridge day ever released.  If you have any questions about the event, click on over there to check it out.

8.     All of your photos, videos, and comments can be shared with the entire world (and definitely the Bridgeday audience) by tagging them with #bridgeday when you upload to Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, or Twitter.  You can then check out everything that everyone has said about the festival by going to the social media newsroom at Bridge Day social media newsroom

9.     All of the New River Gorge rafting outfitters have Bridge Day specials.  It’s one thing to go to a festival like this one, but it’s another thing entirely to show up via whitewater raft.

10.     No bungee jumping.

Questions?  We’d love to answer them.  Get in touch with us, and we can help plan your Bridge Day this year.  Otherwise, see you on the Bridge!

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What’s The Deal With Monroe County?

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Hey… Take It Easy
Here’s the thing about visiting West Virginia:  It can get pretty

Indian Creek Covered Bridge

Indian Creek Covered Bridge

busy.  Especially in Monroe County.  It’s the ideal place to take it easy.

Seriously.  I’ve had to wait minutes, literally minutes, for big groups of wild turkeys to cross the road.  Same thing with deer.  With me just sitting there, watching.

And if I’m taking a walk around the mountains in the southern part of the Mountain State, I’ve had to wait almost an hour to see the sun set.  Honestly.  Sometimes longer.

A Different Kind Of Busy
Monroe County doesn’t have a stoplight.  Or a highway.  And that suits the people there just fine.

It suits a lot of visitors just fine, too.  Monroe County might be one of the greatest escapes no one knows about.  Those lucky ones who know and visit there get to experience a real retreat.

Nothing To Do, And All The Time In The World To Do It
If you’re thinking of heading out to Monroe County, you’ll want to take your time.  That’s why you’re going there in the first place, right?

Well, you should look around, because there are a lot of great places to do nothing when you get there.  For starters, there’s some perfect lakes and streams that are made of the kind of country R n’ R that fits Monroe County so well.

Try the banks of Indian Creek that drains into the New River (and passes under the Indian Creek Covered Bridge), or Potts Creek which runs the other way, into the James River.  There’s fishing and floating to be done on both, and they’re about as busy as the rest of the area, meaning there’s plenty of peace and quiet.

For the best water in the county, though, you should try Moncove Lake State Park. Everything in the park is within walking distance, and the park backs up to a much larger wildlife management area.  So, there’s swimming in the summer, hunting in the fall, and all kinds of stuff in between.

So What Else?
Well, a stop in Union can give you a glimpse of what small town life in Monroe County is all about.  Make sure to check out the courthouse, which is on the national registry of historic buildings.

The county also boasts  restored covered bridges, old grain and blacksmith mills, and historic churches and cemeteries.

Another “don’t miss” is the Wolf Creek Winery.  Tours and tastings are held all the time, and there’s plenty of opportunity to drink in the great flavor of the area.  With every sip, you can taste the clean Greenbrier Valley water, cool nights, and warm summer sun.

And if you don’t taste it the first time, just keep on sippin’.  You’ll get there.  Promise.

So take a trip to find out what the big deal is about Monroe County.  When you get there, grab a bottle of wine and head off in any direction.  You’re sure to find mountains, streams, lakes, and some secluded, laid-back spots that jump up and invite you to relax and enjoy it all.

And forget about traffic.  Except the deer.

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