West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History

2018 Vandalia Gathering Contest Winners Announced

 News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s champion old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo and mandolin players, traditional pound cake and favorite family bar cookie bakers competed for top honors on Saturday, May 26, during the West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s 42nd annual Vandalia Gathering. On Sunday, May 27, old-time banjo, lap dulcimer, flatpick guitar musicians and liars vied for awards.

The winners were:
Youth Old-Time Fiddle (age 15 and under)         
1st place – Liam Farley, Chapmanville
2nd place – Silas Powell, Jane Lew
3rd place – Kaylee Polk, Red House
           
Old-Time Fiddle (age 59 and under)
1st place – Jake Krack, Marlinton
2nd place – Tessa Dillon, Morgantown
3rd place – Jesse Pearson, Huntington
4th place – Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
5th place – Johnny Cochran, Elkins
  
Senior Old-Time Fiddle (age 60 and over)
1st place – Jim Mullins, St. Albans
2nd place – John Morris, Ivydale
3rd place – Linwood Clark, Walker
4th place – John Longwell, Gandeeville
5th place – Paul Epstein, Charleston
Mandolin (all ages)
1st place – David Asti, Charles Town
2nd place – Luke Shamblin, Elkiew
3rd place – Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
4th place – Robin Kessinger, St. Albans
5th place – Chandler Beavers, White Sulphur Springs
           
Bluegrass Banjo (all ages)
1st place – David Asti, Charles Town
2nd place – Nick Freeman, Charleston
3rd place – Seth Marstiller, Mill Creek
4th place – Cary Landis, Morgantown
5th place – Silas Powell, Jane Lew
Lap Dulcimer (all ages)
1st place – Hunter Walker, Beckley
2nd place – David O’Dell, Glenville
3rd place – Ezra Drumheller, Prosperity
4th place – Leah Mabry, Beckley
5th place – Martha Turley, Ona
           
Old-Time Banjo (59 and under)
1st place – Nick Freeman, St. Albans
2nd place – Hunter Walker, Beckley
3rd place – Pete Kosky, Charleston
4th place – David O’Dell, Glenville
5th place – Jesse Pearson, Huntington
Senior Old-Time Banjo (age 60 and over)
1st place – Jim Mullins, St. Albans
2nd place – Paul Gartner, Yawkey
3rd place –  John Morris, Ivydale
4th place – Dwight Diller – Marlinton
Youth Flatpick Guitar (age 15 and under)
1st place – Hazel Riley, Hillsboro
2nd place – Silas Powell, Jane Lew
           
Flatpick Guitar (all ages)
1st place – Bryant Underwood, Charleston
2nd place – Robin Kessinger, St. Albans
3rd place – Matt Lindsey, Culloden
4th place – Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
5th place – Jarrod Saul, Sumerco
Liars (all ages)      
Biggest Liar (1st place and Goldenseal magazine’s Golden Shovel award) Kennie Bass, Dunbar
Bigger Liar (2nd place) David Yaussey, Charleston
Big Liar (3rd place) Nancy Belle Anderson, Charleston
Youth (age 15 and under, and Goldenseal magazine’s Golden Shovel award) Zane Wilkinson, Ovapa
Favorite Family Bar Cookies (all ages)
1st place – Lisa Asti, Charles Town
Youth (age 15 and under) Kendall Atkins, Scott Depot
           
Pound Cake (all ages)
1st place – Holly Baker, Charleston
2nd place – Karen Cobbs, Charleston
3rd place – Lynna Middleton, Charleston

The annual Vandalia Gathering is a free celebration of the traditional arts, music, dance, stories, crafts and foods of West Virginia. The Culture Center and State Capitol Complex grounds host this expanding family-style gathering each year on Memorial Day weekend. The unique blending of ethnic and cultural heritage combines an atmosphere as comfortable as a family reunion with the excitement of a state fair. The statewide folk festival, named for the proposed 14th colony, pays tribute to the state’s ethnic heritage through a variety of exhibitions and programs.

Vandalia Gathering is a program of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. For more information, contact Andrea Nelson, public information specialist for the division, at (304) 558-0220 or Andrea.E.Nelson@wv.gov.

 

-30-

  




Exit mobile version