The Elkhorn Inn in Landgraff, WV will host a “Coal Heritage Trail” weekend in October.An archival photo of the Elkhorn Inn from 1929, when it was the Empire Coal & Coke Co. Miner’s Clubhouse.

Landgraff, WV — A unique, fall “Coal Heritage Trail” weekend, exploring the history of southern West Virginia and Virginia with the historian and author Alex Schust, and including dining and lodging at the historic “Coal Heritage Trail” Elkhorn Inn and signed copies of Mr. Schust’s books, will take place Friday thru Sunday, October 10-12, 2008 (Columbus Day Weekend). The “Coal Heritage Trail Weekend” includes:

• Guided tours of the John Cooper House at Coopers,WV, site of the first coal operator in Southern West Virginia; historic Pocahontas,VA, the first coal mining community in the Southern coalfields, and the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine; and the historic town of Bramwell, WV and the restored Bramwell Train Depot, with lunch at the Bramwell Cafe.
• Visits to the AshlandWV Company Store; the remains of the coke ovens at Gary, WV (once the largest coal operation in the world); and Coalwood, WV, birthplace of Homer Hickam and the “Rocket Boys” of “October Sky” fame.
• Driving the “Coal Heritage Trail”, including the former N&W Railroad North Fork Branch Line that served 12 commercial mining operations; through Elkhorn, WV, where the original post office is still in use; historic Abbs Valley, the site of many Indian raids during the frontier Indian wars, Bishop WV/VA, one of the last coal communities built by a coal operator; and through the historic towns of Welch, Kimball, Keystone, Northfork, Landgraff, Eckman, Kyle, Powhatan, Upland, Maybeury, Squire, Newhall, Cucumber, War, Yukon, Caretta, Havaco, Wilcoe, Maitland, Superior, Big Four, and Vivian, WV.
• Friday evening Welcome Appetizers and Friday and Saturday Dinners at the Elkhorn Inn, the historic “Coal Heritage Trail” Inn built as the Empire Coal & Coke Company’s “Miner’s Clubhouse” and featured on HGTV.
• Friday evening presentation on tour area and coal history by Alex Schust.
• Two nights lodging with Continental Breakfast at the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre.
• Signed copies of Alex Schust’s books “Gary Hollow” and “Coalwood”, and hand-crafted West Virginia souvenirs.

The cost of the complete “Coal Heritage Trail Weekend Package” is only $675.00 + tax per couple. ($495.00 + tax for single occupancy). The minimum tour group for the trip is 10 people; maximum tour size is 25 people! For more information and to make reserervations, call Dan & Elisse Clark at the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre, Tel: 304-862-2031 or 1-800-708-2040. Tour information and photos can be found on the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre website: www.elkhorninnwv.com

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Notable bluegrass and country music pioneers and artists are included in the second round of inductees into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

Among the Hall’s class of ‘08 are Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover, Red Sovine and Charlie McCoy.

Hall of Fame officials announced the new inductees this week during a press conference in the Great Hall of the Cultural Center in Charleston, W. Va.

Wilma Lee Cooper and her late husband Dale “Stoney” Cooper, a champion fiddler, first achieved prominence in the 1940s.

Growing up as Wilma Leigh Leary, she worked as a member of West Virginia’s regionally famed performing Leary Family, developing her celebrated delivery of gospel and devotional songs at the same time. For 40 years the two performed as one of country music’s most popular duos. Their decade-long stints on the “Wheeling Jamboree” and the “Grand Ole Opry” led to recording contracts with both Columbia and Decca.

Wilma Lee, a skillful banjo player, guitarist and organist, wrote or co-wrote several of their most successful compositions including “Cheated Too,” “Loving You,” “I Tell My Heart” and “Heartbreak Street.” The duo’s rousing, old-style jubilee hits of the ’50s and ’60s included “There’s a Big Wheel,” “This Old House” and “Big Midnight Special.”

After Stoney’s death in 1977, she continued performing with her group, the Clinch Mountain Clan, and appeared on the Grand Ole Opry regularly until 2001, when she had a stroke onstage. Although doctors said she would never walk again, in February 2005, during an Opry set hosted by Emmylou Harris, Wilma Lee Cooper walked onto the stage of the Ryman Auditorium to a standing ovation.

The Smithsonian Institution honored Wilma Lee as the “First Lady of Bluegrass” in 1974.

Steeped in the brother-duet tradition of the early 1930s, B and Everett Lilly began performing professionally in 1938, over Beckley, W. Va., radio station WJLS.

With B on guitar and singing lead, Everett played mandolin and usually sang the high tenor part. Everett later took up the fiddle. The pair was soon joined by neighbor and banjo player Don Stover, and their band became popular locally and throughout the South.

Highlighting distinctive and energetic versions of songs initially made popular by the Carter Family and the Monroe Brothers, the trio later played over WCHS radio in Charleston and WWVA in Wheeling. In the early 1950’s, Everett spent two years playing mandolin and singing tenor with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs.

Then, in 1952, the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover, together with fiddler Tex Logan, accepted an offer in Boston, where they stayed for the next 18 years. Known as the Confederate Mountaineers, they performed as many as seven nights a week in local bars and honky tonks, including the infamous Hillbilly Ranch, as well as the Hayloft Jamboree and the Boston Jamboree.

In 1970, the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover introduced bluegrass music to Japan. They were an immediate sensation and spent several years touring and promoting bluegrass music throughout Japan, where bluegrass and old-time music remain popular today.

The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover retired from professional music in the late 1970s but continued to perform at festivals, concerts, and local events. The Lilly Brothers were inducted into the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and Don Stover was inducted the following year.

In 2002, the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Don Stover died in 1996, at age 68. B Lilly died in 2005, at age 83.

Everett Lilly, now 84, continues to play and perform with his sons in a band called Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers.

Charlie McCoy carries the label of undisputed king of bluegrass and country harmonica. He has been a studio mainstay in Nashville for 39 years - often working as many as 400 sessions a year. He has released 34 albums, and recorded and/or performed with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Ween, the Steve Miller Band and virtually every classic country artist from George Jones and Johnny Cash to Dolly Parton and Alabama.

A versatile multi-instrumentalist, his work on harmonica, guitar and horns can be heard on seminal Dylan LPs including “John Wesley Harding,’ “Highway 61 Revisited,” “Blond on Blond” and “Nashville Skyline.”

McCoy also served as musical director for the TV show “Hee-Haw” for 19 years.

He has won a Grammy Award, two Country Music Association awards, eight Academy of Country Music awards and has charted more country instrumentals than any artist. Additionally, he has won numerous awards provided by the three music industry trade publications, Billboard, Cash Box and Record World.

In addition to his long list of sessions and his own releases, McCoy was a member of two legendary Nashville bands, Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry. He has toured Europe and Japan regularly since 1989.

Woodrow Wilson “Red” Sovine, best known for sentimental talking numbers like “Giddy-up Go” and “Teddy Bear,” was born in Charleston, W. Va., in 1917.

Inspired by the legendary WCHS radio show and local artists like Buddy Starcher, Sovine appeared on WCHS in Charleston and Wheeling’s WWVA. In 1948, he formed the Echo Valley Boys, moved to Shreveport, La., and began performing on KWKH’s “Louisiana Hayride.” Fellow Hayride performer Hank Williams helped land Sovine a deal with MGM Records.

After releasing 28 singles, another Hayride pal, Webb Pierce, steered Sovine to Decca Records in 1954. Two years later, his first No. 1 hit, a duet with Pierce on a version of George Jones’ “Why Baby Why,” led to Sovine joining the Grand Ole Opry.

But it was in the mid-’70s that Sovine scored his biggest sides, trucker-themed recitations “Phantom 309,” “Truck Driver’s Prayer,” “Teddy Bear” and “Giddy-Up Go.”

Sovine died in Nashville in 1980 after suffering a heart attack.

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The Appalachian String Band Music Festival begins July 30 and runs through August 3 in Clifftop, West Virginia. Photo by Michael Keller.

Connecticut

July 31 - August 3 — Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival - East Hartford, CT.
Bluegrass artists expected to perform include: Blistered Fingers, Blue Moon Rising, Dale Ann Bradley, Dailey & Vincent, Cadillac Sky, The Infamous Stringdusters, Claire Lynch Band, Tony Trischka Double Bluegrass Banjo Spectacular, Nothin’ Fancy, Dan Paisley & Southern Grass, Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad, The Steeldrivers and more. A 4 day festival pass that includes camping is available for $155 at the gate and single day tickets range from $22 - $43 at the gate. Children 12 and under are free and discounts are available for Seniors (65+) and Juniors (13-17) .

Indiana

July 31 - August 2 — Bean Blossom Gospel Jubilee - Bean Blossom, IN.
Bluegrass gospel acts scheduled to appear include: The Sullivan Family, Jimmmy Hicks Family, The McPhersons, The Uplanders Singing Band, The Howards, Chapman Family, Lighthouse Gospel Singers and more. Tickets at the gate range from $13 - $20 and camping onsite runs from $6.42 / person for rough camping. RV Hookups sites are available for $21.40 (30 amp) and $26.75 (50 amp) double occupancy.

Kentucky

July 31 - August 2 — Osborne Brothers Hometown Festival - Hyden, KY.
Bluegrass Artists schedule include: Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Dean Osborne Band, Dr. Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys, The Grascals, Lonesome River Band, Curtis Burch, J.D. Crowe & the New South, Kenny Baker & Josh Graves Jr. James Monroe, The Sullivan Family, Vince Combs, Kentucky Wind and more. Single Day tickets will be available at the gate for $10 (Thur) and $20 (Fri - Sat). The festival also features free primitive camping according to their website.

Michigan

July 30 at 8:00 P.M. — Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen - The Ark in Ann Arbor. MI.

New Hampshire

July 31 - August 3 — Pemi Valley Bluegrass Festival - Campton, NH.
Bluegrass artists schedule include: Nothin’ Fancy, Beartracks, Remington Ryde, Hurricane Creek, Pine Hill Ramblers, Goldwing Express, Cabin Fever band and more. A three day festival pass at the gate is priced at $58. Single day passes range from $10 - $30. Free primitive field camping with a 3 day pass. Children under 13 are free with paid adult and 13-16 are half - price.

Virginia

July 31 - August 2 — Bluegrass in the Blue Ridge’ Shriner’s Festival - Luray, VA
Along with host band Michelle Nixon and Drive expect to see the Bluegrass Brothers, Goldwing Express, Wildwood Valley Boys, Paul Williams & Victory Trio, the James King Band, Wayne T. Holt Band, Makeshift, the Carolina Rebels and more. A three day festival pass is $45 at the gate with children under 12 free with paid adult. Kids 13-17 are half price with paid adult. Rough Camping is $5 per night.

West Virginia

July 30 - August 3 — Appalachian String Band Music Festival - Clifftop, WV.
The Appalachian String Band Music Festival features banjo, fiddle and band contests, square dancing, tons of workshops for musicians and dancers alike. a Yoga class will be taught daily. The festival will also feature many activities and arts and crafts workshops for the children as well as adults. Ticket information is available on the web site.

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Tennessee

July 27 - Aug 1 — Nashcamp Bluegrass Workshops - Nashville Tenn.
Bluegrass musicians teaching workshops include Bill Evans (Banjo), Tim Stafford (Guitar), Fletcher Bright (Fiddle), Mike Compton (Mandolin), Jim Hurst (Vocals), Mark Shatz (Bass) and Tim Sheerhorn (Instrument Care & Setup). For pricing information and availability visit NashCamp online.

West Virginia

July 27 - Aug 1 — Elkins Bluegrass Week - Elkins, WV.
Bluegrass Artists and Musicians teaching at this workshop camp include: Bobby Hicks, Buddy Spicher with Clayton Campbell, and Andrew Van Norstrand (fiddle), Herschel Sizemore, Sharon Gilchrist and John Rossbach (mandolin), Russ Barenberg, Leigh Gibson and David McLaughlin (guitar), Terry Baucom, Eric Gibson and Ira Gitlin (banjo), Mike Witcher and Jimmy Heffernan (dobro / resonator), Mike Bub and Missy Raines (bass), Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum and Chris Stuart (vocals). Visit Elkins Bluegrass Week online for pricing and more information.···

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Elkins, W. VA — Bluegrass Week, billed as “The Original Pickin’ Camp,” runs from July 27 to Aug. 2 at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, W. Va.

Guest artists this year are Tim O’Brien and Stuart Duncan, who complement a lengthy list of faculty members teaching instrumentation and vocal instruction.

Fiddle instructors are Bobby Hicks, Buddy Spicher and Andrew Van Norstrand. Teaching mandolin will be Herschel Sizemore, Sharon Gilchrist and John Rossbach.

Russ Barenberg, David McLaughlin and Leigh Gibson will offer guitar instruction, while Terry Baucom, Eric Bigson and Ira Gitlin will hold court in the banjo corner of the camp.

Dobro and resophonic guitar teachers are Mike Witcher and Jimmy Heffernan. Missy Raines and Mike Bubb will teach bass.

Aspiring bluegrass vocalists will get training from Chris Stuart and Janet Beazley, while Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum teach bluegrass harmony techniques.

Information, including an Augusta Catalog, is available at www.augustaheritage.com/bluegrass.html.

The Augusta Heritage Center hosts several instructional weeks throughout the year, including Old Time Week, Blues/Swing Week, Cajun Week, Guitar Week, Dance Week and several others.

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