5/29/2011
The Vandalia Gathering is a celebration of all things West Virginee – so named for the once-proposed 14th colony of Vandalia, the future home of West Virginia. Perhaps this is supposed to put to rest the “West Virginia isn’t a real state: It just broke off of Virginia during the Civil War” crowd.
We had planned to go to the Vandalia Gathering last year as one last hurrah before Philip was born, but he decided to be born the weekend of the festival, so obviously we had to make a few adjustments to our plans. Undeterred we postponed until this year and now Philip gets to come with us. We also had a new family member join us – a new GPS. My old baby had a little accident. Someone carelessly set it on top of a fish tank. That someone might have been me. We don’t talk about it in my house.
The three-hour and GPS enhanced drive was very scenic. Daniel found a new excitement in his life – suspension bridges. You have to pass over a few crossing the Ohio River and Daniel made no secret of the appeal. “Here we go! Here we go!” he screamed in approval. Laura also had her own fun, arguing with a cop over whether she was speeding or not. She was scary, but she still got the ticket. Ah well. Memorial Day weekend and quotas must be met.
The free Gathering takes place on the grounds of the distinctive gold-spired West Virginia Capitol building in Charleston. We had a hard time believing that parking was also free, but it was true. Way to go, West Virginia! You truly are wild and wonderful.
Musicians played all around the grounds and although some were clearly “acts” playing on fairground stages at set times, most were just regular people lying in the grass playing mandolins, dulcimers and other Appalachian instruments. The people selling food were from the local Knights of Columbus, the Lions Club and church groups. The artisans all boasted about their local pedigree. We didn’t spot a single non-West Virginia stand at the whole event. That guy who sells lemonade for $5 and guesses your weight was clearly not invited.
Daniel spent a lot of time at the “Ol’ Time for Young’uns” section, where a very nice and patient lady made a corn-husk doll for him. She made sure to give the doll legs rather than a skirt so he could still feel manly about carrying it around. He also had a lot of fun playing with old-fashioned wooden toys.
His favorite seemed to be decorating his own wooden medallion. An Appalachian artist at work!
The only downside to the day was the heat – the 90 degree weather made it tough for two little babies and a pregnant woman, but indoor performances gave a nice respite. Dancers of various Appalachian traditions performed inside – we saw a Scottish and a German group when we sought escape from the heat. We also enjoyed snippets of the “Biggest Liar” contest. One guy’s tall-tale revolved around poking fun at the various counties in West Virginia – unintelligible to us, but clearly appreciated by most of the audience. Further proof the Vandalia Gathering has lost none of its “members-only” spirit.
From Laura: So, I definitely would have enjoyed this place more, had it not been hotter than Hades. I was content to sit in the air-conditioned building and watch the dancers for several hours. But I wasn't allowed. For the record, I was NOT going that fast. This officer of the law clearly did not care about that. Tuh.
