Foklife Gala Celebrates Local Artistic Talent

The talent of artisans, local authors, historical groups and musicians will be on display for the seventh annual Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Gala on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Fairmont State University's Colebank Hall, beginning at 6 p.m.

The gala will also feature the presentation of the 2007 B.B. Maurer West Virginia Folklife Scholar Award honoring the WV Italian Heritage Festival Association, the 2007 Traditions Salute Award recognizing Rosalyn Queen Alonso, a wine tasting and a silent auction.

A $25 admission fee per person covers the cost of the gala events, except for the wine tasting. Those who wish to participate in the wine tasting will be asked to show proper ID. Fairmont State students and children younger than 10 will be admitted for free.

One of the featured artisans to display his work will be Ron Hinkle of Hinkle's Glass in Buckhannon, W.Va. He is considered the leading blown glass artist in West Virginia and has received many honors for his creative works.

Hinkle is a master craftsperson and a master at marketing his creations. The clear molten glass is extracted from the glowing furnace, takes on color, shape and design, materializing into a vase, a stemmed goblet, a bowl, an ornament or some other pragmatic or decorative treasure. No molds are used. All pieces are created entirely by hand. The Ron Hinkle Glass company is a model in both creativity and productivity. Ron's work has won many awards throughout the region, and his marketing skills have been recognized over and over. He has been presented the Top Sales Producer award for the last several years by Tamarack in Beckley. He was honored with the Tamarack 2005 Craftsperson of the year designation as well. He also received the Made Right Here in WV Outstanding Small Scale Manufacturer's 2004 award from the Center for Economic Opportunities, presented by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller in Charleston.

Ron's work is marketed in over 30 states and in more than 50 shops in West Virginia alone. He offers tours of his studio and conducts classes for beginners on a scheduled basis. His sales room is open Monday through Saturday. Equally important to the WV Folklife Center is the fact that Ron Hinkle serves as a Master Craftsperson in the Pierpont Community & Technical College of FSU's Craft Production and Marketing Certificate Apprenticeship program where students study directly with creative and production artisans in his/her working studio. This hands-on opportunity is the perfect process for the student to become a skilled craft maker.

Other displays and exhibits planned include the following: Dr. Beth Newcome, Fairmont State Vintage Clothing Collection; The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center; Pricketts Fort; Vandalia Heritage Foundation Legacy Program; Russell Bonasso, author of "Fire in the Hole;" Dr. Rhonda Sanford, water colors; Kaleidoscope, breast cancer awareness; Helen Efaw, basketmaking; Dora Grubb, Marion County Historical Society; Johnnie Johnson Blues & Jazz Festival; Charlotte Meade, author and poet; African American Culture; Rosalyn Queen Alonso, Italian Customs and Cookbook; West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival; Mountain Heritage Quilter's Guild; Fairmont State Foundation, Inc., Folklife Center Kennedy Barn Restoration Fund; Jack Wills, Copper's Mill; homemade wines; JoAnn Lough, early Fairmont State theatre history and early Fairmont history; and art works by Lauren and Chelsey Adams and Derrick Overfield; Main Street Fairmont and a "Feast of the Seven Fishes" preview.

Musicians scheduled to perform include Ott and Sam, Italian street musicians; "Wha-ke-we-nn" dulcimer band; Mike Shoring and the "Slow Children Playing Band;" Alexander Kadner and Bill Stalnaker on blues acoustic guitars; and other "old-timey" mountain and folk music. The West Virginia Italian Heritage Dancers and the Piccolini Italian Children Dancers will perform.

For more information on how you can make a gift in support of the programs sponsored by the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, Fairmont State or for special limited, legacy naming opportunities in the new Folklife Center facility, contact the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc., at (304) 367-4014 or toll-free at (800) 372-2586. For more information about the West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State, visit wvfolklife@fairmontstate.edu.