WHEELING, W.Va. – West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling will celebrate West Virginia’s 159th birthday on Monday, June 20, 2022. Guests can enjoy birthday cake and refreshments, a photo booth and sign the birthday card to commemorate the day. All activities are free and open to the public.
The celebration will begin at noon with John W. King, a first-person portrayer of Abraham Lincoln, who will read Proclamation 100 – Admitting West Virginia into the Union followed by photos with ‘Lincoln.’ In 2013, King won the “Lincoln Look-Alike Contest” at the Shriver House Museum in Gettysburg, Penn. For the past 25 years, he has been telling the story of the 16th president during great conflict.
The local band, Faire May, also will play in the courtroom beginning at 1 p.m. Based in the Ohio Valley, Faire May features band members Zac Gordon, Jariel Henthorn, Max McGovern and Jacob Coughlan, collaborating to bring old-world music to the modern world. Since the creation of Faire May in 2019, they have played at various venues around West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. At a Faire May concert you will hear anything from banjos to bagpipes, fiddles and beyond. You will hear and enjoy traditional music from the past 300 years. The band loves to play the beloved folk music of Ireland, Scotland and other Celtic nations. The members of the band also specialize in Appalachian Bluegrass, European folk and Early American music.
For more information about West Virginia Day activities at WVIH, contact Debbie Jone, site manager, at (304) 238-1300 or Deborah.J.Jones@wv.gov.
