Pathfinder WV has very generously donated a DAGGER GREEN BOAT to Cheat Fest! How cool is that?? We are very excited.  DONATE NOW!  $5 donation for 1 chance to win, or $20 donation for 5 chances to win.  

All proceeds support Friends of the Cheat to protect, preserve, and promote the Cheat River!

The Green Boat

“What started as a dream has become a reality…the Green Boat is a longboat that defies categorization. Fast enough to win the most competitive whitewater races in the world, with enough performance to navigate any waterway, the Green Boat has truly limitless potential. Stiff edges that offer the performance of a slalom boat, with a narrow hull that carries speed while still giving stability and consistency, the Green Boat can run the steepest creeks, the most volumous rivers, and anything in between. Also regarded as a superior multi-day kayak, the only thing that can hold you back is your imagination. “

More about the Green Boat Here

And a HUGE Thank You to Pathfinder!

Pathfinder is a small-town, outdoor shop. They originally opened in Morgantown in 1973 on Wiley Street, just a few blocks from their current High Street location. They offer many services, including a full service bike shop, full service ski and snowboard shop, custom car rack system mounting, bike fitting, & proper ski and hiking boot fitting. They like to stay engaged with the local community and support several clubs and organizations, including of course, Friends of the Cheat.

Next time you’re in need of a fresh piece of outdoor gear, or some guidance on which bike will make the perfect fit, swing by their shop and say hello! Store hours are: Mondays: 10am-7pm, Tuesday through Friday: 10am-6pm, Saturdays: 10am-5pm, Sundays: Closed. They are located in downtown Morgantown at 235 High Street.

This Earth Day, show your love for mama earth and learn how you can help us reduce Cheat Festival’s environmental footprint!

Cheat Fest Carpool Contest
Save on gas money & cut your carbon footprint by carpooling to Cheat Fest. Vehicles with 4 or more people will be eligible to win prizes like Cheat Fest Swag and VIP Access!

Dirt -> Food -> Dirt
This year we’re upping our recycling game to include composting!  Any plates or utensils  distributed by one of our food vendors, along with all food scraps, can go in the compost bin!

Bring Your Own!
What’s better than your single use fork decomposing into fresh soil? Using a real fork! This Cheat Fest, considering bringing your own dinnerware. A great place to start is with a cup and utensils.

We Need More Volunteers!

Want insider access to Cheat Fest? Become a Volunteer and we’ll treat you right! Free festival access, on-site camping, food & beverage (so long as you bring your own cup!), and lots of love. Call or E-mail Kelli today to learn how you can help make Cheat Fest a success!

Kelligeswein@hotmail.com  (304)379-8719

This year we’ll see you at the intersection of music and the visual arts with Mounir Afrangi, who will be sharing a large format painting performance inspired by the music and the energy of Cheat festival. Mounir Afrangi is a Washington DC-based abstract artist who works with mixed media on canvas and furniture to evoke emotion with his curvilinear strokes. 

Afrangi exhibits regularly in the DC area as well as overseas and has been featured in many publications. In 2010, The Smithsonian, AANM, acquired an Indian ink on paper drawing that he completed when he was 19. It is now part of its permanent collection and travels across the United States. The signature design furniture he makes, that focuses on comfort, energy, as well as aestheticism, has traveled the world from North America to Asia.

In 2010, he was awarded the first place of honors in an art competition at the Jenkins Gallery at the Arlington Arts Center. He has become a part of the several annual events and festivals as he enjoys reaching out to the community during his large format painting performance to emphasis on the connection between the surroundings and art.

Friends of the Cheat is excited to welcome Afrangi to this year’s festival. His 8′ x 8′ painting will be auctioned, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Friends of the Cheat.

See his work and learn more about Mounir Afrangi on his Facebook.

There are a lot of excellent reasons why you should carpool to Cheat Festival – here are just a few.

1. Win Prizes!
2. Reduce your carbon footprint
3. Help us maximize our limited parking space
4. Have great road trip conversations with new and old friends
5. Save money on gas

Here’s how it works – You carpool to Cheat Fest (that means 4 passengers or more) – and our parking attendants will be paying attention. During festival Saturday, attendants will select three full vehicles at random. Winning vehicles will be notified on the spot. You will revel in do-gooder  glory all year.

Prizes include:

Chest Fest VIP Upgrade: Free festival entrance, camping, food & beverage – for each passenger in the car

Free Fest Entrance for each passenger in the car

2015 Cheat Fest T-Shirts for each passenger in the car

Endless love and appreciation from Friends of the Cheat!

Cheat Festival was featured in a recent article by the Preston County News & Journal! Check it out below!

Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2015 12:00 am
by Monica Ammons Phillips CORRESPONDENT

ALBRIGHT — The sleepy town of Albright will soon spring to life, as the Cheat River Festival rolls into the canyon on Saturday, May 2.

Cheat Fest is the largest fundraising effort for the non-profit group Friends of Cheat (FOC). FOC helps fund the restoration of waters polluted by abandoned coal mines, as well as initiatives for river access improvement, to help people gain access to the water for recreation.

“The festival is a really important education and outreach platform. It’s the best opportunity for FOC to interact with the local community. Having community support is just as important to achieving our mission as sampling streams is,” Festival Coordinator Lauren Greco said.

Greco has been with FOC for just under two years, and has experience working on the restoration side of the organization, such as helping manage the water monitoring program and some acid mine drainage projects. As with most small non-profits, everyone is asked to wear multiple hats, and Greco says she’s grateful for the experience of directing the festival.

If you’ve never attended Cheat Fest, there is something for everyone. “From the family down the road to the serious kayaker, young and old, we really try to make everyone feel welcome,” Greco said.

In addition to all-day live music, there is an art market, kids tent, 5K race, downriver whitewater race, fly casting demo, non-profit tent and many interesting vendors.

These activities bring several thousand people to the area.

“One of our goals is to make the festival experience more directly about the river, and the things we can all do to protect it — from treating acid mine drainage to adjusting personal habits in order to lesson our own environmental impact,” Greco said.

Several new and updated policies and procedures are now in place to help FOC lead the way in lessoning the festival’s carbon footprint. It’s a tall order, considering the size of the festival and its location, along the Cheat River, near Teeter’s Campground. More than 700 campers stay overnight on property or at the campground, and another untold amount throughout the canyon.

Festival goers are encouraged to bring their own reusable cups, utensils and plates for the weekend.

“Saying no to single-use items is a simple change everyone can make to reduce their own environmental impact,” Greco explained.

This year, all food scraps and bio-degradable dinnerware waste will be composted at a West Virginia University facility, then recycled into the soil. Vendors of the festival have agreed to switch from regular dinnerware to compostable utensils. On-site compost bins will be available throughout the festival grounds.

Organizers have also taken a look at the source of festival themed T-shirts.

“We’ve partnered with SustainU, a Morgantown company specializing in producing 100 percent recycled, USA-made apparel,” Greco said. “We wanted to make sure we work with companies who are making an effort to be as environmentally and socially responsible as possible.”

SustainU was started by ordinary people looking to make a more authentic and honest garment. Starting with great fitting tees and hoodies, SustainU’s clothing will always stay true to its hometown roots, with new timeless, basic styles that transcend fads and can be worn for years

Greco also said another way to lessen the carbon footprint is by offering incentives for carpoolers. Any car arriving with four or more people eligible to win prizes, like free festival entry, VIP access and “swag” festival gear.

“At FOC we spend most of our time trying to remediate pollution that is decades’ old, but environmental damage is much easier to prevent than it is to fix. So, as an organization we have a responsibility to really consider and try to minimize our own environmental impact.” Greco concluded.

More information about Cheat Fest, including where to purchasing discounted tickets, can be found at www.cheatfest.org, on Facebook or the Friends of Cheat website, www.cheat.org

Feature Correspondent Monica Ammons Phillips can be reached at (304) 329-0090 or by email at mammons@prestonnj.com

Cheat Fest is more than great music and wild whitewater. For years now, local potter Gail Anderson has been organizing the Cheat Festival Art Market, a place where local and regional artists showcase and sell their original work.

This year’s market will include many long time veterans as well as some new faces, working in all types of mediums from photography and pottery, to woodworking, basket weaving, and jewelry.

The Art Market is open all day festival Saturday, and is located next to the pavilion. If you can’t wait until May, click here to read about this year’s artists & check out photos of their work!

Click here to run the 2015 Cheat Fest 5K on Saturday May 2nd.

Proceeds benefit Rail Trail projects in Preston County

On Tuesday, project partners Preston County Parks and Recreation Commission (PCPaRC) and Friends of the Cheat (FOC) announced that ten miles of the former West Virginia Northern railroad corridor between Kingwood and Tunnelton has been purchased for conversion into a rail-trail.

Funding for the property acquisition was provided by the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program administered by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways; the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust; and, the West Virginia Division of Tourism.  The property and associated trail rights were purchased from Utah-based Kern Valley Railroad which acquired the railroad in 2000 following the closure of the stakeholder-operated Kingwood Northern tourist train.

Since 2002, a group of volunteers known as the Preston Rail-Trail Committee (PRTC) has worked persistently and patiently on developing rail-trails on three corridors in Preston County, and this purchase marks the group’s first rail-trail acquisition.  In 2011, FOC took action to bring attention and resources to other aspects of the project.  These efforts resulted in a wave of activity:  the century old water tower was listed as a historic Endangered Property by Preservation Alliance of West Virginia; funding and technical support from the West Virginia Northern Brownfields Assistance Center supported the development of conceptual revitalization plans for the former railcar maintenance facility near the water tower; and Stan Hostler donated 2.5 acres of property adjacent to the water tower and trail.  The emergence of the Preston County Parks and Recreation Commission as a partner represents the project’s final keystone because their willingness to own and manage the trail allows the project to come to fruition.

“The West Virginia Northern Rail-Trail is exactly the type of endeavor the Preston County Parks and Recreation Commission was formed to support.  The rail-trail will link two communities and provide a new outdoor space for free, low-impact exercise.” explains PCPaRC President Lynn Housner.  PCPaRC Commissioner Paul Martin believes the new rail-trail will also “enhance existing recreation opportunities offered at the Craig Civic Center and local schools in both Kingwood and Tunnelton.”

PCPaRC and FOC are ready to hit the trail running, and they have the funds to do so.  The Recreational Trails program has granted the project team an additional $420,000 for rail-trail design and construction.  With support from the Division of Highways, design will commence immediately with construction slated for 2016.  A ground breaking event is being planned for this summer.

The groups will fundraise for additional rail-trail construction and maintenance funds.  On Saturday, May 2^nd PRTC will host the 11^th annual Cheat Fest 5K with proceeds benefiting rail-trail projects in Preston County.  Sign up to participate at http://cheatfest.org/activities-2/5k/

PRTC is eager to get more community members involved.  The group meets the first Monday of each month at 5pm at the FOC offices in Kingwood.  Learn more at www.cheat.org/recreation/trails.

Memories of Ken

Ellie Sanders expressed extreme gratitude for the proceeds generated to help her with expenses following the loss of her husband Ken.  Friends of Ken Sanders are thankful for support from Liquid Logic, PS Composites, FOC, and all those who donated by purchasing t-shirts, river gear or Liquid Logic kayak raffle tickets.  They would also like to thank those who volunteered their time and resources.  The winner of the kayak was Dean Millard – congrats Dean!

Ralph & Kathy Take It Easy

The 2014 fest honored the contributions of long-time FOC supporters, Ralph and Kathy Teter.  Kids and the young-at-heart sported “fingerstache” tattoos in the spirit of Ralph’s famous mustache (even Jimmy Snyder sported a ‘stache for the day!).  Ralph and Kathy were spotted enjoying the festival, something that they really haven’t gotten to do for many years due to their vast responsibilities at the campground.

Cheat Canyon Feature

Prior to the final act, FOC screened a short video on the Cheat Canyon produced by Dan Henninger and Dale Rongaus.  The video started with an exciting flyover (thanks Mysti!) over the length of the Canyon and featured several FOC friends enjoying the variety of recreational opportunities the Canyon has to offer.  Check out the flyover, video, and opening event coverage on the Friends of the Cheat website and get out and see the real thing by visiting the new Cheat Canyon Wildlife Management Area, including a section of WV’s longest trail, the Allegheny Trail.  Special thanks to Dan and Brian for handling the video logistics.

Can the Stew Get Any Bigger?

Thankfully, we reinforced the stage.

A New Human!

Many birthdays have been celebrated at the fest but this year the Cheat River community welcomed a new human to the planet following his parents’ hectic journey from Albright to Sang Run to DC.  FOC supporters, Chris Glazner and Summer Austin welcomed baby Austin Garrett to the world later that night.  Chris shared this photo of him feeding Austin for the first time in his only clean shirt – his new Cheat Fest tee.