When: Thursday, June 20, 2019
2:00 - 4:00 P.M.
Where: The MacFarland-Hubbard House
1310 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25301
Admission is free.
See the Cannonball: Built in 1836, the house took a direct hit from a cannonball during the Civil War, and served for a time as a hospital for federal troops.
This year's West Virginia Day also marks the Humanities Council's 45th anniversary.
Charles Schultz presentation: The Council's Open House event will include a History Alive! presentation featuring Charles Schulz, portrayed by James Froemel of Maidsville. Charles Schulz, our newest character on the roster, was a cartoonist best known as the creator of the Peanuts comic strip that featured Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and all the rest of the gang. A veteran of World War II, Schulz's first Peanuts strip was published in 1950 in seven newspapers.
Live music: Guests will also enjoy live music by Kanawha County old-time musicians Kim Johnson and Bobby Taylor. Bobby Taylor is a fourth-generation fiddler and the 2010 Vandalia Award Winner, West Virginia's highest folklife honor. Kim Johnson learned to play banjo while playing with legendary Clay County fiddler Wilson Douglas. Through Douglas she met and went on to play with other West Virginia mountain music legends including Sherman and Burl Hammons, Woody Simmons, Sylvia O'Brien, and Blackie Cool. Johnson was recently interviewed about her life in music for the West Virginia Folklife Program archive.
Refreshments will be provided, including a special West Virginia themed treat from Rock City Cake Company
Admission is free.
Eric Waggoner began October 1, 2018 as the Council's new director following the retirement of Ken Sullivan. Waggoner is a native West Virginian. He earned his PhD in American Literature from Arizona State University, an M.A. in English from Old Dominion University, and a B.A. in English from West Virginia Wesleyan College
