Discover the best things to do in the Middle of Everywhere.

From historical exhibitions and live music to annual festivals and holiday celebrations, find amazing events all year long in Marion County. Sign up for our newsletter to never miss an upcoming event!


Please Note: Be sure to check the website or social media pages of each individual event or contact the event organizers directly for the most up-to-date information.


Event Series Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

The Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is hosting a series of workshops, concerts, and events this spring. The Folklife Center's Spring 2023 event schedule is as follows: Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m., the Folklife Center presents Dr. Travis Stimeling and Mary Linscheid, who will share their lecture titled “Gravestones, Cemetery Plants,... View Article

Event Series Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

The Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is hosting a series of workshops, concerts, and events this spring. The Folklife Center's Spring 2023 event schedule is as follows: Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m., the Folklife Center presents Dr. Travis Stimeling and Mary Linscheid, who will share their lecture titled “Gravestones, Cemetery Plants,... View Article

Event Series Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

The Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is hosting a series of workshops, concerts, and events this spring. The Folklife Center's Spring 2023 event schedule is as follows: Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m., the Folklife Center presents Dr. Travis Stimeling and Mary Linscheid, who will share their lecture titled “Gravestones, Cemetery Plants,... View Article

Event Series Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

The Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is hosting a series of workshops, concerts, and events this spring. The Folklife Center's Spring 2023 event schedule is as follows: Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m., the Folklife Center presents Dr. Travis Stimeling and Mary Linscheid, who will share their lecture titled “Gravestones, Cemetery Plants,... View Article

Event Series Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Spring Events at the Folklife Center

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

The Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is hosting a series of workshops, concerts, and events this spring. The Folklife Center's Spring 2023 event schedule is as follows: Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m., the Folklife Center presents Dr. Travis Stimeling and Mary Linscheid, who will share their lecture titled “Gravestones, Cemetery Plants,... View Article

A Celebration of Traditional WV Music: The Dulcimer

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Lynette Swiger, Brian Conaway, and Brad Swiger will be talking about dulcimer player Patty Looman and playing some of her music. This presentation is part of the Trunk of Traditional Tunes supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council.

FREE

Burnis R. Morris reading from his book, Carter G. Woodson: History, The Black Press, and Public Relations

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Burnis R. Morris will read from his book, Carter G. Woodson: History, The Black Press, and Public Relations. Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History, was the second African-American to receive a doctorate from Harvard. He was a dean at Howard University and West Virginia Collegiate Institute (now West Virginia State University). Woodson lobbied... View Article

FREE

Bonnie Proudfoot reading from Goshen Road: A Novel

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Fairmont State University alumnae, Bonnie Proudfoot will read from Goshen Road: A Novel.  This work of fiction is about a working-class family in West Virginia. It illustrates the experiences of sisters Dessie and Billie Price and how they cope with family, personal adversities, and cultural changes in Appalachia for over 20 years. The stories begin... View Article

FREE

Ilene Evans portrayal of Coralie Franklin Cook – CANCELED

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Storyteller Ilene Evans will play Coralie Franklin Cook. Born into slavery, Mrs. Cook was educated at Storer College in Harpers Ferry and went on to become an educator, suffragist, and civil rights activist. Cook taught elocution at Howard University and was on the Board of Education in Washington, D.C.  Ms. Evans is an adjunct professor... View Article

FREE

Sharyn McCrumb will read from her book, The Unquiet Grave – CANCELED

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

New York Times Bestselling Author Sharyn McCrumb will read from her book, The Unquiet Grave. Known for her “ballad books” including The Ballad of Frankie Silver and The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, McCrumb’s work celebrates the history and folklore of Appalachia. The Unquiet Grave contains plot points from the popular West Virginia folktale, The Greenbrier Ghost.... View Article

FREE

Black Huntington: An Appalachian Story – CANCELED

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Cicero Fain will read from his book Black Huntington: An Appalachian Story. Using interviews and archival materials, Fain details the rise of the Black working class as it pursued, then fulfilled, its aspirations in early 20th Century Huntington. Fain, who grew up in Huntington, is a professor of history at the College of Southern Maryland.... View Article

FREE

James Froemel portrayal of cartoonist Charles Schultz – CANCELED

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

James Froemel will play cartoonist, Charles Schultz.  Schulz’s first Peanuts strip was published in 1950 in seven newspapers. At the time of his death in 2000, it was appearing in 2,600 papers around the world. James Froemel is a three-time winner of the West Virginia’s Biggest Liar contest and a WV comedy festival headliner.  He... View Article

FREE

Fuzzy Knight Film Seminar

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

A celebration of John “Fuzzy” Knight, a film seminar, will be a chance to see some old time films and learn a thing or two about it. During each seminar session, after the movie, Fairmont State faculty will be on hand to discussion the film and our beloved actor! Knight was an actor who grew... View Article

Event Series Fuzzy Knight Film Seminar

Fuzzy Knight Film Seminar

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

A celebration of John “Fuzzy” Knight, a film seminar, will be a chance to see some old time films and learn a thing or two about it. During each seminar session, after the movie, Fairmont State faculty will be on hand to discussion the film and our beloved actor! Knight was an actor who grew... View Article

Event Series Fuzzy Knight Film Seminar

Fuzzy Knight Film Seminar

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

A celebration of John “Fuzzy” Knight, a film seminar, will be a chance to see some old time films and learn a thing or two about it. During each seminar session, after the movie, Fairmont State faculty will be on hand to discussion the film and our beloved actor! Knight was an actor who grew... View Article

Civil War Exhibit Grand Opening

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

The Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center will host The Civil War: Selections from the Porter Stiles Collection. The exhibit focuses on the Civil War and West Virginia’s involvement and features artifacts on loan from the collection of local Civil War expert Porter Stiles. Stiles will speak about the collection with a reception... View Article

Event Series Fuzzy Knight Film Seminar

Fuzzy Knight Film Seminar

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

A celebration of John “Fuzzy” Knight, a film seminar, will be a chance to see some old time films and learn a thing or two about it. During each seminar session, after the movie, Fairmont State faculty will be on hand to discussion the film and our beloved actor! Knight was an actor who grew... View Article

Coralie Franklin Cook Portrayal

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Fairmont State University adjunct professor, Ilene Evans will portray educator and suffragist, Coralie Franklin Cook. Coralie Franklin Cook was born enslaved. She went on to graduate from Storer College in Harpers Ferry, WV, the first descendant of a Monticello enslaved person to graduate from college. She was a gifted public speaker, and she taught elocution... View Article

FREE

Book Reading

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Local author and educator, Amy Williams Wilson, will read from her book, The Bite, The Breast, and the Blood: Why Modern Vampire Stories Suck Us In. Central to every vampire story is the undead's need for human blood, but equally compelling is the human ingestion of vampire blood, which often creates a bond. Wilson’s analysis of... View Article

FREE

An African American Experience in Marion County presentation

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Dr. Raymond Alvarez will present “An African American Experience in Marion County 1850s - 1940s: Harriet Wilson Whitely and Alfred Meade".  Alvarez will look at the lives of Alfred Meade, a freed slave, and his sister-in-law, Harriet Wilson Whitely (Aunt Hat) who was the last person born into slavery in Marion County. The program will... View Article

FREE

Square Dance & Cake Walk

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

As part of the Introduction to Folk Music class taught by Lynette Swiger, a square dance and cakewalk will be held in the Great Room of Cultures at the Frank and Jane Gabor WV Folklife Center on the campus of Fairmont State University. The dance is free and open to the public and has become... View Article

Diversity in Appalachia

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

“Diversity in Appalachia” is a series of programs featuring scholars who look beyond the white, Anglo-Protestant, working-class culture to reveal the diversity that sometimes lies hidden in many communities. As the last in the series, Reverend Richard Bowyer will talk about his experience 50 years ago during the Farmington Mine Disaster. The series is in... View Article

Remembering the Farmington Mine Disaster

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

Throughout the month, the Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts and the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folk Life Center will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster. This event had a devastating effect on Marion County and the surrounding area, but it also brought about changes in mine safety.... View Article

Diversity in Appalachia

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

“Diversity in Appalachia” is a series of programs featuring scholars who look beyond the white, Anglo-Protestant, working-class culture to reveal the diversity that sometimes lies hidden in many communities. As the fourth in the series, Dr. Connie Rice and Ilene Evans will talk about “The Great Migration” of African-Americans to the coal fields. The series is... View Article

Diversity in Appalachia

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

“Diversity in Appalachia” is a series of programs featuring scholars who look beyond the white, Anglo-Protestant, working-class culture to reveal the diversity that sometimes lies hidden in many communities. As the third in the series, Dr. Ellesa High will discuss Native Americans in modern-day Appalachia. The series is in response to 'Hillbilly Elegy' by J.D. Vance... View Article

Diversity in Appalachia

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

“Diversity in Appalachia” is a series of programs featuring scholars who look beyond the white, Anglo-Protestant, working-class culture to reveal the diversity that sometimes lies hidden in many communities. As the second in the series, Dr. John Boback will speak about the diversity among native people who lived in what is now Central Appalachia before... View Article

Polka Night

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

The Folklife Center is hosting an evening of polka music and dancing with Joe Valencic from the Cleveland Polka Hall of Fame. Local musicians will be featured, and of course there will be food and drink!

Diversity in Appalachia

Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Squibb Wilson Blvd, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, United States

“Diversity in Appalachia” is a series of programs featuring scholars who look beyond the white, Anglo-Protestant, working-class culture to reveal the diversity that sometimes lies hidden in many communities.
The series is in response to 'Hillbilly Elegy' by J.D. Vance and will explore who lives and works in Appalachia and how our heritage has an impact on who we are as a people.
First in the series is Joe Valencic from the Cleveland-style Polka Museum. He will talk about Slovenian migration to West Virginia and the polka music that group brought with them.