Friends of the Cheat just accepted the 2018 Watershed of the Year for the 20th annual Watershed Celebration Day!!! FOC has been working to restore and protect the Cheat River Watershed for decades, and is fortunate to have an engaged and caring community of river-lovers who help in this effort. Click here to read full article in the Preston County News – and learn more about what the FOC team has been doing to improve water quality and river access through the years.
Cheat Fest is truly a community effort – so many river lovers come out to make the festival magic happen. Now in our 25th year (Can you believe it!?!?) we are looking to invite several more folks who are looking to dig deeper into the fest. Right now, we are looking to fill openings for Lead Volunteer Coordinators as well as leadership and assistant positions before, during and after the fest. Below are some of the areas where we are looking for committed volunteer help and where you can really impact the festival! If you’re interested in joining the team, please contact the Festival Director at Cheatfest@Cheat.org to see if one of these positions is a fit good for you!
5K Coordinator
Pre-Festival Vendor Coordinator
Volunteer Café Coordinator
Education Eddy Coordinator
Gate Managers (Day Of Position)
Volunteer Leader (Day Of Position)
Pre-Festival Office Assistants
Post-Festival Office Assistants
Donate here for a chance to win a Cannondale Mountain Bike donated by our friends at Pathfinder!
The bike will be sized to the winner. The winner will be drawn at Cheat Fest on Saturday night.
Visit the silent auction at Cheat Fest at the fest to bid on a Residential or Commercial Landscape Plan complete with site visit, scaled drawing, and plant palette donated by Heather Olson.
-Local clients include private residences in and around Morgantown, Cheat Lake, Philippi, and projects at Pete Dye Golf Club, as well as schools or non-profits.
-Designer has years of experience in residential, commercial, equine, parks, and more!
-Specializing in Low-water use/xeriscape gardens, English cutting gardens, edibles, pollinator gardens and more!
-Approximate Value – $850
(Note: Area of focus not to exceed 3 acres and site shall be within 50 miles of Morgantown WV; if site is beyond 50 miles from Morgantown 26505, designer shall instead work off digital aerial imagery and client provided measurements and digital photographs in lieu of site visit)
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” ~ Marjorie Moore
Over 360 Cheat Fest volunteers exchange four hours of their time for free entry, free parking, free camping, and access to food and beer in the hospitality cafe. For four hours they work and for the remainder of the fest they kick back and celebrate. I want to get to know each and every one of these volunteers, and if they continue to volunteer year after year, I eventually will. There is a sense of connection that lasts forever when we all work together to make such a beautiful celebration come to fruition. There is a community that exists worldwide united by this river – arms open with the belief that a friend of the Cheat is a friend of mine. I’ve met veteran Cheat Fest volunteers in Chile, Colorado, and British Columbia. As I have gotten involved in my watershed, I have watched my family grow from tributaries to oceans.
The lead volunteers make up another level of volunteerism within Cheat Fest. Some give more than 40 hours of their time and skill before the festival and some of them also work during the festival. These volunteers are selflessly working for the betterment of the world. They inspire me every day to do good, without expecting compensation. Everyday, I celebrate these volunt-heros of our little corner of the World. They plant what they have: time and skill. The harvest that FOC reaps from their actions eventually becomes a treatment system removing pollutants from the river, river access sites hosting fishermen and boaters, or a rail-trail connecting communities. I’ve learned from these lead volunteers when you don’t possess the skills or the funds to build a rail-trail, a treatment system, a river access, a movement, a campaign, or a community; then find an organization that is doing this and give them what you can – time.
The following are volunt-heros that deserve a quiet day on the river with an umbrella in their drink, an awkwardly long hug from me, and much, much more.
Gail Anderson
Gail designed the Art Market and organized it until last year. Gail’s super powers are unhindered attention to detail, a community of artists, and pride in her work. She delivered a high quality experience for fest goers for years. Gail had to move away from Preston County last year and has passed her knowledge to her friend Lydia Darrow.
Lydia Darrow
Lydia stepped up in 2017 to take on coordination of the 
Art Market. Lydia has the spirit of the river and shares her contagious joy through music and boating. So basically, she lives Cheat Fest. She grew up on the river and watched FOC flow and grow. Lydia is an amazing Friend of the Cheat with roots in Preston County. We are so lucky that she invested in her community to share her knack for getting people together, keeping folks smiling, and sharing art with the world.
Bill Pennington
If you ask Bill Pennington to do something, he probably already did it. Bill is an ultra efficient person who knows how to go with the flow – a lawyer by trade and a river rat by heart. Bill grew up near the headwaters of the Cheat on the Shavers Fork. FOC is so lucky that Bill always has space in his heart and his Shredder for us. If I could hand Bill a quiet day on the river with his fly rod wrapped in a bow, I would.
Jamie Saunders
As Bill P. decided to bow out of the 5K Coordinator position, Jamie stepped up to lead the race. Jamie has organized a 5K before for the WVU Organic Farm. She is a WVU student, a committed West Virginian, a patient leader, a dog lover, and a friend of plants. Jamie dreams of planting love in our ground and harvesting resilience.
Camp Dawson Crew: Rick Chaney, Mike Plevich, Ryan Snyder
These volunt-heros from the Camp Dawson Army Training Site Environmental Office donate their time to Friends of the Cheat to do a lot of heavy lifting. With their large equipment and their shining attitudes, they help Friends of the Cheat prepare the site with roads, earth grading, and tree and limb removal. We would be in deep…mud…without them. Last year, in addition to managing all of the festival waste as Trash Czars, they swept in after the festival to regrade and reseed the site. Rick, Mike, and Ryan balance families, award winning work at Camp Dawson, and volunteering.
If you would like to take a slice off of their overflowing plate, you could wear the Trash Czar crown.
Karen Koehnlein
Karen has been creating the volunteer cafe (aka the hospitality cafe) for over 20 years. She is an original river rat who sat at the Cheat Fest brainstorming meetings in the formative years and made her own river gear. Her commitment and workload grew from feeding under 100 volunteers to serving over 500 VIPs, volunteers, sponsors, and musicians. Kar
en secures donations from over 20 local restaurants, organizes the delivery of the food, and keeps it hot all day. Aft
er giving her heart and her time to Cheat Fest for so long, Karen wants to come enjoy Cheat Fest as a guest. This year we are recreating the volunteer cafe, and searching for a new Cafe Queen or King. This royal office comes with as much responsibility as you want. We know that it is likely that no one can commit as much as Queen Karen.
Jimi Snyder
Jimi, puts the roof on the stage, hangs the lights over your heads, and offers wisdom and support to festival coordinators. He has been handling this huge part of the festival for years with skill, reliability, and contagious enthusiasm. If you see him at Cheat Fest, give him a high five. If you can’t find him at the fest, check under water at the Alley…
Chip Mefford
Love that Russ’ Ribs, those lil’ fried donuts, that fiddle lick, or the bulbs that light your path? Then, thank Chip. He drives a long way to show up before the fest and set up the electricity. After many years of committed volunteering, Chip has passed his knowledge of the electricity at the site to our staff.
Sarah Hinnant
Sarah (and her amazing family) organize the VIP party. Somehow Sarah balances Working at WVU medicine, mothering two amazing little boys, sitting on the FOC board and volunteering to throw a fancy party for FOC’s major donors, sponsors, musicians, and volunteers on Friday of Cheat Fest. Sarah brings her hostess skills in full force with ethical food and doily detail.
Kelli Geswein
Kelli and Karen worked together to build out volunteer family. Kelli coordinates the volunteers before the fest, assigning them to duties and tapping into her widespread community to recruit. Kelli answers hundreds of emails to make sure that those who want to give their time to Cheat Fest are honored. Friends of the Cheat is lucky to have Kelli, a master of organization, on our team.
John Victor
John Victor designs the famous Cheat Fest art. With a passion for nature and a background in design, John saw an opportunity to help FOC. John researches the ecology of the Cheat every year to make accurate art and works with us to communicate important details from FOC’s year in the piece. If you are lucky you will see John around the campfire with his harmonica, on the river with his friends, or in the forest with his paint brush.
Henry Cerbone
Henry grew up next to the Fest Site. Henry has been the official Right Hand Man for the Fest 
Coordinator for four years. Henry always shines, but he is particularly bright when he is volunteering or leading his community. His leadership skills are insurmountable and his positive attitude is contagious. He has an ability to support over 300 volunteers of all ages, empowering them to solve problems on their own and teaching everyone (including the festival coordinator).
Rachel Griffith
When Jen Short stepped down to bring her own kids to Cheat Fest, and Moriah Peddicord stepped down to pursue her own mobile boutique at Cheat Fest, Rachel stepped up! Rachel collects reusable materials for crafts all year, preps the crafts, and leads the activities on the day of the fest. The Kids Tent is a huge part of the fest and Rachel delivers a high quality memorable experience for the future of FOC.
Adam Payne 
Adam Payne is a master of his craft. He gives his time, his connections, and his expertise. Adam helps FOC to connect with bands before the fest, facilitates the sponsorship relationship between FOC and 123 Pleasant Street, and runs. the. show. the day of the fest. The music goes off seamlessly with the help of Adam, a true professional. Adam lives and breathes music and supplies West Virginia with high quality acts. He is making West Virginia a better place to live one show at a time.
Jim Meckley
Jim Meckley does it all. In addition to helping with water monitoring year round, he helps to prep the site for the fest, man the gate in the week before the fest, clean signs, fix the stage floor, and much more. Jim is always there to help, even if you just need a cup of coffee or serenade.
Lisa Maraffa 
Lisa has volunteered this year to oversee the silent auction. Lisa is working to collect auction items, organize them, deliver the auction on the day of the fest, and carry out the proper thank yous. Lisa’s amazing attention to detail is her super power. An environmental scientist and a dog lover, Lisa fits right into the team here at FOC.
We love our volunteers. If you would like to be part of our team, email me at cheatfest@cheat.org. Let’s chat to see how you can make a part of the fest your own.
With endless gratitude,
Ellie Bell
Here’s how it works:
When you purchase a presale ticket for Cheat Fest here you will be entered into a raffle every two weeks. The earlier you purchase, the more chances you have to win the goods! We will pick each week from out entire pool of ticket holders, so purchasing now sets you up for a chance to win all of these.
1/19 – $100 Friends of the Cheat Membership – Join the clean water fam! We ♥ our members. With this Confluence Crew membership you will get one $5 off coupon for FOC merch, a member sticker, and an 8×10 photo print of the Cheat River.
2/2 – FOC Map T – Next time you are talking about that rapid that dumped you, you can orient your friends on your t-shirt.
2/16 – FOC Hat – These new hats are stylin’! Consider it your Cheat Fest crown.
3/2 – Swag bag – I hope you like surprises!
3/16 – TBD
3/30 – VIP upgrade – Get VIP perks with your Cheat Fest ticket. Camp onsite for free, join us at the VIP Party Friday night, enjoy hospitality backstage, and park onsite!
4/20 – VIP Upgrade
How do you make having to wear four layers of clothing to stay warm and maneuvering through soft pools of oozing, brown mud into fun? Well, you call it Cheat Fest. You call it family.
This 23rd year of the festival that celebrates the beloved river, the Cheat, is just past, and I, a somewhat long-time supporter, want to report that the last two years I’ve attended, Cheat Fest renews my faith in the organization called Friends of the Cheat. The organization, which used to have a somewhat scruffy, ragtag reputation, pulled this major feat together with determination and forethought, and this year, regardless of weather and its stupendous mud, with tremendous professional skill. No ragtag group puts this thing together. It’s more like a group of smart, flexible, class-five rapid-runners.
A new spin for 2017, the event began one day earlier. And Friday was one of those perfect, crisp, fresh spring days when wind gently rustled blooming dogwood branches and grass was still under foot . As a major donor, my eyes look a little differently at FOC than maybe a once-a-year attendee. Of course, I want to see progress, and well-considered spending of precious resources. I hope for sustainability, and thoughtful planning. I could see that everywhere, from the large, new composting toilets to even the food vendors using very cool heavy paper plates that could be composted too. How vendors came to do that wasn’t necessarily on their own—it was at the urging of Cheat Fest organizers.
Speaking of vendors, I was blown away by the artists that bring their work to sell. Their wares are really quite high quality—from indigo-dye, earth-image printed clothing, to delicately woven-wire jewelry to intricate mosaic-inlaid cutting boards—I could do a whole year of gift shopping in one fell swoop if I wanted. And feel good about it since the person you’re buying from is usually the person whose sweat and vision made the thing.
Board member Connie Miller organized a membership drive this year. I don’t know the final numbers. But speaking with attendees was so inspiring and useful from the standpoint of just spreading the word about FOCs projects. Let me tell you about some encounters when my shift came around. I’d ask people to join us Friends of the Cheat for an annual member fee of $30. Sometimes I’d discuss the remediation work FOC does, with lots of back and forth questions. (And with the help of FOC staff!) Or I’d explain the water monitoring CAPABLE program, where we regularly visit creeks to gather their baseline health. The person would say, “Wow. I always believed in you guys, and I come to this festival, but I’m so glad you talked with me. Your work is amazing. I guess I never realized the extent of what you do.” Other times I’d ask where they were from. Answers ranged from Cleveland (!) to Baltimore to Preston County. The fellow from Baltimore had been coming for 14 years! The Preston County guy had personally known the painter, Hoyt Reel, of the FOC giveaway postcard. And had been attending every year. The Cleveland couple explained it was their first year and that they knew quite an entourage in their Ohio city who love Cheat Fest and attend. One woman wanted to be the 28thmember to sign up since her birthday falls on the 28th. One man just about demanded to donate money to the stage. We made sure they got what they wanted.
But I took away the kind of thing you can’t put a price tag on. Like from a young woman who returned to be certain we’d follow up with a call so she can start monitoring the creeks (yep, I’ve got that covered!). Or when I asked one young guy if he was a member, and would he like to join, he stopped dead still. After a moment of quiet reflection, he said with reverence and awe, “I. Love. This River. I love. This river. So much. Yes. Yes, I’d really like to become a member.” He might’ve been the one who also said he was so glad someone cared about it like he did. Another memorable joiner wrote on our sign-up sheet, “Thank you. God Bless.”
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FOC thanks Susan Sauter for sharing her time and talent in CAPABLE volunteering and writing! We are so grateful for her kind words…
Did you ever wonder what we do with all the $$ love that funnels through the races? Let’s break it down. Follow the links to online registrations!
Cheat Fest 5K – all proceeds from this race go to the Preston Rail-Trails Committee, a sub-committee of FOC that has been wheelin’ & dealin’ for nearly 15 years to turn those unused train tracks into beautiful rail-trail. Big strides have been made in the past 3 years with the purchase of the Northern and Cheat rail-trails – both of which are now entering into construction phase! THE DEAL – registering for the 5K gets you 1) a nice bit of exercise for the morning of May 6th, 2) free entry to the fest, 3) a sweet t-shirt (if you register by March 31st!), 4) years of improved living conditions with walkable, bikeable rail-trails!, 5) a whole bucket of warm fuzzy feelings because you’re just the best.
Cheat Canyon Down River Race – all proceeds from this race benefit FOC directly! The Downriver Race is touted as one of the largest mass start river races in the country, maybe. 🙂 Racers load into the Cheat just downriver of Albright, and take on 10 miles of gnarly whitewater to the finish line, the Jenkinsburg Bridge. Registering in advance saves you $5! THE DEAL – registering for the Downriver Race gets you 1) in a boat, that’s a given, on a gorgeous stretch of whitewater, 2) free entry to the fest, 3) a sweet t-shirt, 4) the awesome knowledge that you are helping to improve the water quality of the Cheat River and are having a blast doing it, 5) free beer (for all paddlers over 21) at the after-party full of all your favorite people!
Want to support the 5K or downriver race but can’t make it in person? You can sponsor, too! Donate to the Rail-Trail or straight to FOC – we’ll be happy to help you out! Email bwarnick@cheat.org for help.
