81st Mountain State Forest Festival
September 30th – October 8th 2017

About Forest Festival

The Mountain State Forest Festival is one of the largest and oldest festivals in West Virginia, continuing to promote the beauty and splendor of our mountains and valleys in all their autumn glory and promoting prudent development, conservation and culture of our abundant natural resources for the future.

The festival affords us the opportunity to share with our community and state the important role West Virginia’s natural resources play in our economic development. Rich in tradition, the Festival also plays a major role in our local and state economy and offers something for everyone to enjoy, such as, headline concerts and music shows, lumberjack competition, forestry & wood exhibits, juried art show, photography exhibit, quilt show, arts and crafts, amusement rides, (3) parades and the Royal Coronation of Queen Silvia.

Randolph County and the City of Elkins open their streets to accommodate 75,000+ visitors each year, with an opportunity for exploring our surrounding counties.

Morgantown resident Morgan Alyssa Stephens is 81st Mountain State Forest Festival

Meet Maid Silvia – 2017

Morgantown resident Morgan Alyssa Stephens has been selected as Maid Silvia for the 81st Mountain State Forest Festival by Director General Chad Shoemaker.

The selection of Maid Silvia has been kept confidential for months. She will visit Elkins on Sunday to attend a private reception in her honor, sponsored by Graceland Inn and Conference Center, Davis and Elkins Dining Services and John & Joyce Allen.

“I am very excited to announce Morgan Alyssa Stephens as Maid Silvia for the 81st Mountain State Forest Festival” Shoemaker stated. “From the first moment I met Morgan, I knew she was a young lady who understands and appreciates the honor and privilege it is to represent the Mountain State Forest Festival as Maid Silvia.”

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Director General Chad Shoemaker

The Mountain State Forest Festival Board of Directors announces the appointment of Chad Shoemaker as Director General of the 81st Mountain State Forest Festival. The annual fall celebration is scheduled to take place September 30-October 8, 2017.

The Forest Festival is the state’s oldest and grandest running festival and a premier mountain event annually attracting tens of thousands of visitors for a regal celebration. Director General Shoemaker has themed this year’s festival, “FALL into Autumn Traditions”.
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Director General Chad Shoemaker
Ricky Skaggs

Ricky Skaggs:
A Lifetime of Music

The music show for the 81st Mountain State Forest Festival, featuring Ricky Skaggs, has officially been announced! An evening of award winning classic country, bluegrass, and gospel music spanning the decades. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show at 7:30 p.m. at Harper-McNeeley Auditorium on the campus of Davis & Elkins College.

Tickets are on sale now! Get yours today!

Click Here To Buy Tickets

Heat in the Street Chili Cook-off

Videos from the 80th Mountain State Forest Festival

Volunteers

The Mountain State Forest Festival is dependent on a solid volunteer base to plan, coordinate and execute each of our many different events. We are so very grateful for the thousands of volunteers, who throughout our decades of festival celebrations, made us what we are today. We can find a place for everyone who has the desire to be a part of one of West Virginia’s oldest and largest festivals. Throughout the years of our traditions and new beginnings, the volunteers have worked together as a team representing Randolph County and the City of Elkins.
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