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.
By Gabe DeWittBy Jon Pitts
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.
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 2nd PRTC will host the 11th 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.
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.
A little bit about where the 2015 Festival T-Shirts are coming from (Pre-order yours now)
As this year’s festival coordinator, I am thrilled to share that Friends of the Cheat is partnering with SustainU to produce the Fest T-Shirts. Below are the results of a recent conversation I had with the company’s founder, Chris Yura.
Headquartered in the Morgantown Industrial park, SustainU might not be what comes to mind when you imagine business in West Virginia. A clothing company dreamed up and powered by 23 young, decidedly passionate West Virginians, SustainU is leading the way for the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Mountain State. SustainU operates according to something called a triple bottom line. This means that they prioritize environmental and social responsibility alongside profit. On the surface, these may seem like contradictory maxims. Often, we think that making money requires sacrifices elsewhere; the factory that discharges untreated wastewater directly into a river at the expense of the fish. But as you will see, a closer look reveals that these priorities can actually work in concert with one another.
SustainU apparel is made from 100% virgin material and manufactured in the United States. The process goes something like this: Recycled and chipped plastic is melted into pellets and then transformed into a fiber called Repreve in North Carolina. This fiber is blended with recycled cotton in knitting factories in North and South Carolina, and then sewn into blank shirts in South Carolina and Pennsylvania. The blanks are then printed, labeled, and distributed from our own Morgantown, WV.
What does this have to do with that triple bottom line? According to their website, the production of a single recycled t-shirt is estimated to use 700 fewer gallons of water and a half gallon lessgasoline than a t-shirt made from conventional cotton, even the organic kind. Suffice it to say, Homo sapiens haven’t yet evolved to drink cotton. Moreover, as the decreasing space in landfills becomes prime real-estate, it makes good financial sense for the enterprising entrepreneur to reverse the direction of the flow of waste, and see ‘garbage’ as a valuable resource. By localizing production to a few eastern states, SustainU minimizes shipping costs while also reducing its fossil fuel consumption. Localized production also affords them a close relationship with their factory partners. This means they can easily check in on the factory conditions, and know that the employees are being paid fair, living wages – a difficult task for their competitors who manufacture internationally. Finally, Morgantown itself is a particularly sweet spot for distribution as it lies within 500 miles of half of the UsS population. Again, saving money and reducing pollution.
Chris was careful to point out that he doesn’t view these decisions as sacrifices, but rather as advantages. He explained that SustainU isn’t alone in this, “We do as much consulting as we do manufacturing. Other companies want to know how our process works and how they can get on board. We just want to raise awareness, push technology, and that reduces prices […] collaboration is the only way that the sustainable business model will work.”
To me, this is the most encouraging part. Of course, no one makes t-shirts or hosts festivals without having some kind of footprint. However, we can strive to regularly consider alternatives that factor the environment and community into our bottom line. The more we can do this without feeling as though we have made a sacrifice, the more other people will get on board and bring new, innovative ideas to the table.
All pre-ordered shirts will be available for pick-up during Cheat Festival on Saturday, May 2nd during Festival Hours. If you aren’t able to make it, contact FOC directly to arrange for a shipment after the fest.
Yesterday the Friends of the Cheat office received a call from an eager festival-goer inquiring about the water level of the Cheat. While we would LOVE to know what kind of water we will have festival weekend a month out (holy smokes, CF is almost one month away!) it’s pretty impossible to say. We always schedule Cheat Fest for the first weekend in May in hopes of catching some great water for our visiting paddler friends and the Down River Race. Usually, things work out pretty darn well.
If you want to keep track of current water conditions, check out the USGS website which posts up to date water level data for many rivers throughout the country. We like to keep an eye on the Cheat and Big Sandy.
But, since you asked, I decided to look back at what the water level has been for the past year’s festival weekends, the results of my in depth analysis are below. Conclusion: be ready for anything! One of my favorite things about the Cheat is how much the river changes at various water levels – and since the river is free flowing, we get to experience infinite versions of the Cheat at each of those different levels. Pretty cool!
Cheat Festival is more than just great music. This Cheat Fest, join WV local Jack Bell down by the river for a fly casting demo that is sure to impress! Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm, Jack Bell will share his expertise and showcase his talents on our own Cheat River. Jack has been fly fishing for 50 years, has worked worked as a part time guide for the past 25, and has helped teach fly casting and fly fishing to hundreds of people over the past 40 years. And he knows his stuff – Jack was the West Virginia state fly casting champion for both distance and accuracy in 1975, 1976, and 1979.
Counting the days until May 2nd?? Well, how about you go ahead and get your tickets now!! Pre-sale tickets cost $15 and will be available through April 26th. More importantly, when you get your tickets early the FOC staff sleeps better at night.
Want to get into Cheat Fest for free? Camp on the festival grounds? Enjoy deliciously free food and beverages? Support Friends of the Cheat and help make this year’s festival the best yet? Are you reliable? Great! It sounds like you might make a good volunteer!
Volunteer shifts are 4 hours long, and cover all sorts of different jobs – from keeping the fest site clean (aka picking up garbage) to selling tickets at the front gate to helping time the down river race. If you’re interested, contact the volunteer coordinator Kelli Geswein at kelligeswein@hotmail.com.
We also have opportunities for volunteers who want to complete their job before the festival.
For the past several years, friend of Friends of the Cheat John Victor has dreamed up incredible artwork that embodies the spirit of Cheat Fest. Well, he’s done it again and we love what he’s come up with. Check it out!
Love it too? Pre-order your festival t-shirt starting March 1st. This year’s artwork will be printed on 100% recycled, USA made shirts from SustainU. Shirts will be available for pick-up during the festival, and for delivery directly afterwards.
