As the 2013 promotional brochures begin to circulate around the State of West Virginia, excitement grows for the four-day family event. Vendors are getting booths ready and ordering supplies, crafters are putting finishing touches on their latest art projects, festival t-shirts are being ordered to commemorate the event, and business decorating ideas are being discussed in secret. Festival season is here. With just a few weeks to go, the final details are being planned. September 19th through the 22nd will mark the 40th annual Clay County Golden Delicious Festival, “A Centennial Celebration” of the golden delicious apple. The Children’s Pageant will be held Saturday, September 7th at Clay County High School with doors opening at 9:00 a.m. (there is a small admission fee).
“Keep Calm And Run On!” has been adopted as the official slogan for the Golden Delicious Dash 5K run/walk. A revised scenic cross-country style race is being planned by new directors, Doug and Tracy Wayne. A $10.00 entry fee is required during registration on Sunday, September 22 (8:00 a.m.) and free race t-shirts will be provided to the first 40 registrants (while supplies last). Several door prizes will be awarded in addition cash prizes for the first place male ($75), first place female ($75), oldest runner ($25) and first Clay Countian ($25) to finish the race.
The festival is honored to bring Artist / Painter, Sandra King, to Clay for the “Strokes and Strings” event. Her artwork has been showcased at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA, she has been a featured artist during the ArtWalk in Charleston, WV and her paintings are exhibited in a dozen other locations around the United States. Sandra gains much of her inspiration from her Clay County, West Virginia surroundings. Sandra will be teaching techniques in water color painting during two identical sessions on the festival’s opening night, Thursday, September 19th at the Lions Club. Each session will accept the first 20 registrants to participate in a paint-with-the teacher art project which will allow each person to take their artwork home for framing. This program is planned for adults (including students 16+) there is a $5.00 sign-up fee to cover supplies and each session is expected to fill up fast. The strings part of the program is being provided by Tracy Wayne and the Clay Youth Uke band. Guests will learn techniques in how to play the ukulele. Tracy has recently launched a program to help teachers learn an new unconventional method of teaching by using music with ukuleles to teach fundamentals in the classroom. Registration forms are available on the festival’s website with instructions on how to register.
Take a step back in time. The Clay County Historical Society will hold its 3rd annual Photo Expo in the Lions Club Community Center on Friday, September 20th from 10-2. There is always an impressive display of Clay County historical photos available for public viewing during this one-day event. Bring your old photos of farms, family and fun and have them scanned and marked for Clay County history. With the assistance of Clay County High School students, your photos will be scanned and archived electronically.
The 2013 festival schedule is packed with new exciting festival events. We encourage our guests to visit other non-festival owned events which are held during the festival: Solomon’s Secret, an Indian heritage outdoor drama, the motorcycle show, the golf tournament, the antique car show, and the pancake breakfast which are all wonderful events planned by volunteer groups as fundraisers during the Clay County Golden Delicious Festival. In an effort to support their causes and their volunteerism in the community, the festival has included these events and information on our website, our programs and schedules. Visit the festival website for full details and a printable schedule: www.claygoldendeliciousfestival.com.
