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["Every year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, the town of Helvetia in Randolph County, West Virginia, hosts its Fasnacht celebration, a pre-Lenten mountain Mardi Gras intended both to reinforce Swiss customs for locals and bring much-needed tourist dollars to the town in the sparse mid-winter months.Though the holiday was originally celebrated only by locals in the towns private homes, in the late 1960s, town matriarch Eleanor Mailloux restored the holiday as a public celebration. Today, Fasnacht attracts attendees from near and far. The event begins with an open music jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall or a special sampler plate dinner from the Hutte Restaurant. Then everyone gathers in the Star Band Hall in their homemade papier-mache masks for a masked lampion parade to the Community Hall. At the second hall, there is a mask contest for kids, a square dance called by local callers and accompanied by the Helvetia Star Band, and a treat table of traditional doughnuts and Swiss rosettes and hozablatz made by Diane Betler, Eleanor Betler, and other local bakers. All of this takes place under an effigy of Old Man Winter, hanging over the dance floor. At midnight the Old Man is cut from the rafters and burned on the bonfire outside, as the crowd sings a rousing a capella rendition of Country Roads. Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including Fasnacht: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd her piece on Fasnachts foodways traditions on NPRs The Salt: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/17/386970143/swiss-village-west-virginia-mardi-gras-feast-fasnacht Also see the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project conducted by the West Virginia Folklife Program in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

49. Overhead view of the music jam in the Helvetia Star Band Hall

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaFasnacht.Photo.009.2.6.16
Title:
Overhead view of the music jam in the Helvetia Star Band Hall
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fiddle tunes, Old-time music, Fiddling, Folk music--West Virginia, Helvetia (W. Va.), Festivals, Winter festivals, Carnival
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Every year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, the town of Helvetia in Randolph County, West Virginia, hosts its Fasnacht celebration, a pre-Lenten mountain Mardi Gras intended both to reinforce Swiss customs for locals and bring much-needed tourist dollars to the town in the sparse mid-winter months.Though the holiday was originally celebrated only by locals in the towns private homes, in the late 1960s, town matriarch Eleanor Mailloux restored the holiday as a public celebration. Today, Fasnacht attracts attendees from near and far. The event begins with an open music jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall or a special sampler plate dinner from the Hutte Restaurant. Then everyone gathers in the Star Band Hall in their homemade papier-mache masks for a masked lampion parade to the Community Hall. At the second hall, there is a mask contest for kids, a square dance called by local callers and accompanied by the Helvetia Star Band, and a treat table of traditional doughnuts and Swiss rosettes and hozablatz made by Diane Betler, Eleanor Betler, and other local bakers. All of this takes place under an effigy of Old Man Winter, hanging over the dance floor. At midnight the Old Man is cut from the rafters and burned on the bonfire outside, as the crowd sings a rousing a capella rendition of Country Roads. Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including Fasnacht: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd her piece on Fasnachts foodways traditions on NPRs The Salt: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/17/386970143/swiss-village-west-virginia-mardi-gras-feast-fasnacht Also see the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project conducted by the West Virginia Folklife Program in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

50. Young fiddler plays in the jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall, 1 of 2

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaFasnacht.Photo.010.2.6.16
Title:
Young fiddler plays in the jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall, 1 of 2
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Winter festivals, Helvetia (W. Va.), Fiddling, Folk music--West Virginia, Old-time music, Fiddle tunes, Carnival
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Every year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, the town of Helvetia in Randolph County, West Virginia, hosts its Fasnacht celebration, a pre-Lenten mountain Mardi Gras intended both to reinforce Swiss customs for locals and bring much-needed tourist dollars to the town in the sparse mid-winter months.Though the holiday was originally celebrated only by locals in the towns private homes, in the late 1960s, town matriarch Eleanor Mailloux restored the holiday as a public celebration. Today, Fasnacht attracts attendees from near and far. The event begins with an open music jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall or a special sampler plate dinner from the Hutte Restaurant. Then everyone gathers in the Star Band Hall in their homemade papier-mache masks for a masked lampion parade to the Community Hall. At the second hall, there is a mask contest for kids, a square dance called by local callers and accompanied by the Helvetia Star Band, and a treat table of traditional doughnuts and Swiss rosettes and hozablatz made by Diane Betler, Eleanor Betler, and other local bakers. All of this takes place under an effigy of Old Man Winter, hanging over the dance floor. At midnight the Old Man is cut from the rafters and burned on the bonfire outside, as the crowd sings a rousing a capella rendition of Country Roads. Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including Fasnacht: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd her piece on Fasnachts foodways traditions on NPRs The Salt: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/17/386970143/swiss-village-west-virginia-mardi-gras-feast-fasnacht Also see the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project conducted by the West Virginia Folklife Program in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

51. Young fiddler plays in the jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall, 2 of 2

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaFasnacht.Photo.011.2.6.16
Title:
Young fiddler plays in the jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall, 2 of 2
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Carnival, Helvetia (W. Va.), Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes, Old-time music, Winter festivals, Fiddling
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Every year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, the town of Helvetia in Randolph County, West Virginia, hosts its Fasnacht celebration, a pre-Lenten mountain Mardi Gras intended both to reinforce Swiss customs for locals and bring much-needed tourist dollars to the town in the sparse mid-winter months.Though the holiday was originally celebrated only by locals in the towns private homes, in the late 1960s, town matriarch Eleanor Mailloux restored the holiday as a public celebration. Today, Fasnacht attracts attendees from near and far. The event begins with an open music jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall or a special sampler plate dinner from the Hutte Restaurant. Then everyone gathers in the Star Band Hall in their homemade papier-mache masks for a masked lampion parade to the Community Hall. At the second hall, there is a mask contest for kids, a square dance called by local callers and accompanied by the Helvetia Star Band, and a treat table of traditional doughnuts and Swiss rosettes and hozablatz made by Diane Betler, Eleanor Betler, and other local bakers. All of this takes place under an effigy of Old Man Winter, hanging over the dance floor. At midnight the Old Man is cut from the rafters and burned on the bonfire outside, as the crowd sings a rousing a capella rendition of Country Roads. Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including Fasnacht: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd her piece on Fasnachts foodways traditions on NPRs The Salt: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/17/386970143/swiss-village-west-virginia-mardi-gras-feast-fasnacht Also see the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project conducted by the West Virginia Folklife Program in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

52. Fiddler Jesse Milnes plays in the music jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaFasnacht.Photo.012.2.6.16
Title:
Fiddler Jesse Milnes plays in the music jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Old-time music, Festivals, Tourism and the arts, Fiddle tunes, Carnival, Fiddling, Winter festivals, Helvetia (W. Va.), Folk music--West Virginia
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.), Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Every year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, the town of Helvetia in Randolph County, West Virginia, hosts its Fasnacht celebration, a pre-Lenten mountain Mardi Gras intended both to reinforce Swiss customs for locals and bring much-needed tourist dollars to the town in the sparse mid-winter months.Though the holiday was originally celebrated only by locals in the towns private homes, in the late 1960s, town matriarch Eleanor Mailloux restored the holiday as a public celebration. Today, Fasnacht attracts attendees from near and far. The event begins with an open music jam at the Helvetia Star Band Hall or a special sampler plate dinner from the Hutte Restaurant. Then everyone gathers in the Star Band Hall in their homemade papier-mache masks for a masked lampion parade to the Community Hall. At the second hall, there is a mask contest for kids, a square dance called by local callers and accompanied by the Helvetia Star Band, and a treat table of traditional doughnuts and Swiss rosettes and hozablatz made by Diane Betler, Eleanor Betler, and other local bakers. All of this takes place under an effigy of Old Man Winter, hanging over the dance floor. At midnight the Old Man is cut from the rafters and burned on the bonfire outside, as the crowd sings a rousing a capella rendition of Country Roads. Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including Fasnacht: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd her piece on Fasnachts foodways traditions on NPRs The Salt: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/17/386970143/swiss-village-west-virginia-mardi-gras-feast-fasnacht Also see the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project conducted by the West Virginia Folklife Program in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

53. Sam Petsonk and Stephanie Tyree waltz at the Helvetia Fasnacht Square Dance

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaFasnacht.Photo.018.2.6.16
Title:
Sam Petsonk and Stephanie Tyree waltz at the Helvetia Fasnacht Square Dance
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Tourism and the arts, Winter festivals, Fiddle tunes, Square dance music--United States, Folk music--West Virginia, Helvetia (W. Va.), Fiddling, Carnival
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Sam & Joe HerrmannJoe Herrmann (b.1949) and Sam Herrmann (b. 1949), both Maryland natives, are traditional musicians who play together as part of Critton Hollow String Band. They have been a couple since the mid-1970s when they moved to Hampshire County, West Virginia. Joe is a fiddle and banjo player, and Sam is a guitar and hammer dulcimer player. Sam is also a knitter, hand yarn spinner, and owns the knitting kit company Samspun. They live on a piece of land in Paw Paw, WV where they keep sheep."]%

54. Joe and Sam Herrmann play music on their back porch

Identifier:
4224.HerrmannJoeHerrmannSam.Photo.001.7.19.16
Title:
Joe and Sam Herrmann play music on their back porch
Date:
2016-07-19
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fiddling, Banjo, Critton Hollow Stringband, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes, Old-time music
Location:
Hampshire County (W. Va.)
["Sam & Joe HerrmannJoe Herrmann (b.1949) and Sam Herrmann (b. 1949), both Maryland natives, are traditional musicians who play together as part of Critton Hollow String Band. They have been a couple since the mid-1970s when they moved to Hampshire County, West Virginia. Joe is a fiddle and banjo player, and Sam is a guitar and hammer dulcimer player. Sam is also a knitter, hand yarn spinner, and owns the knitting kit company Samspun. They live on a piece of land in Paw Paw, WV where they keep sheep."]%

55. Joe and Sam Herrmann play banjo and fiddle on their back porch outside of Paw Paw, West Virginia

Identifier:
4224.HerrmannJoeHerrmannSam.Photo.002.7.19.16
Title:
Joe and Sam Herrmann play banjo and fiddle on their back porch outside of Paw Paw, West Virginia
Date:
2016-07-19
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk music--West Virginia, Critton Hollow Stringband, Fiddling, Banjo, Old-time music, Fiddle tunes
Location:
Hampshire County (W. Va.)
["Joe Herrmann (b.1949) and Sam Herrmann (b. 1949), both Maryland natives, are traditional musicians who play together as part of Critton Hollow String Band. They have been a couple since the mid-1970s when they moved to Hampshire County, West Virginia. Joe is a fiddle and banjo player, and Sam is a guitar and hammer dulcimer player. Sam is also a knitter, hand yarn spinner, and owns the knitting kit company Samspun. They live on a piece of land in Paw Paw, WV where they keep sheep."]%

56. Old-time musicians Joe and Sam Herrmann of Hampshire County, West Virginia

Identifier:
4224.HerrmannJoeHerrmannSam.Photo.003.7.19.16
Title:
Old-time musicians Joe and Sam Herrmann of Hampshire County, West Virginia
Date:
2016-07-19
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Critton Hollow Stringband, Fiddling, Banjo, Old-time music, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes
Location:
Hampshire County (W. Va.)
["Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan were participants in the 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Kim Johnson, a resident of South Charleston led an apprenticeship in banjo traditions of central West Virginia with apprentice Cody Jordan of Charleston. Johnson began playing with fiddler Wilson Douglas in 1979 and has played with and learned from many acclaimed West Virginia old-time musicians including Frank George and Lester McCumbers. She has taught both locally and nationally, at Augusta Heritage Center, Allegheny Echoes, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and the Berkeley Old-time Music Convention. Jordan plays guitar in The Modock Rounders with Johnson, touring across the state and region, and is looking forward to expanding his knowledge of central West Virginia old-time banjo traditions.See our feature on Johnsons apprenticeship with Jordan here: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/09/04/2020-folklife-apprenticeship-feature-kim-johnson-cody-jordan-banjo-traditions-of-central-west-virginia/The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms, as well as their histories and traditions.The apprenticeship program grants are administered by the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council in Charleston and are supported in part by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. West Virginia Folklife is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, presentation, and support of West Virginias vibrant cultural heritage and living traditions."]%

57. Old-time banjo players Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan play under a tree at the Craik-Patton House in Charleston, 2 of 3

Identifier:
4224.JohnsonKimJordanCody.Photo.006.8.27.20
Title:
Old-time banjo players Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan play under a tree at the Craik-Patton House in Charleston, 2 of 3
Date:
2020-08-27
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fiddling, Old-time music, Folk music--West Virginia, Banjo, Apprenticeship programs, Johnson, Kim (Banjoist)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["John D. Morris of Ivydale led an apprenticeship in old-time fiddle and stories of Clay County with Jen Iskow of Thomas as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. John D. MorrisBorn in Ivydale, Clay County, into a family steeped in traditional music, David and John Morris learned from family and neighbors, including banjo player Jenes Cottrell and fiddler French Carpenter. After David returned from Vietnam in 1968, the brothers began organizing musical get-togethers and, in 1969, held the first Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival that same year. The festival became a major traditional music event in Clay County and filmmaker Bob Gates documented the 1972 festival in his film The Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival.Members of The Morris Brothers band included Pocahontas County old-time banjo player Dwight Diller and the late North Carolina harmonica player John Martin. Playing a mix of old-time, bluegrass, and country styles, including some of Davids original music, the group played together through the mid-70s, releasing an LP in the late 60s, Music As We Learned It, and two live shows on eight-track tapes. John, a traditional fiddler, and David, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, were involved in union and environmental activities from the late 1960s through the 1970s. They were also instrumental in establishing the first Vandalia Gathering at the Cultural Center in 1977.The Morris Brothers music was featured in Barbara Kopples 1976 film Harlan County, USA. David, who passed away in 2016, contributed music to Kopples 2015 film about Vietnam vets, Shelter.John lives in Ivydale and plays fiddle at music events across West Virginia. He is a rich source of information about the history of old-time music in central West Virginia, and one of the few native fiddlers of his generation to continue the older style of playing.Morris was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the nations highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, in 2020.Jen IskowJen Iskow is an artist, designer, musician, and community organizer based in Thomas, West Virginia. Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, Jen grew up learning to play blues and punk music. It wasnt until she moved to Morgantown in 2009 for college that she was introduced to old-time music at the weekly Brew Pub jam hosted by Stewed Mulligan. After graduating from West Virginia University, she finally settled in Elkins, West Virginia and accepted a position as the Marketing Coordinator for the Augusta Heritage Center. Suddenly being surrounded by so many talented traditional artists, Jen was immersed into the music and inspired to learn to play fiddle. After studying under talented fiddlers such as Scott Prouty, Erynn Marshall, Jesse Wells, Ben Townsend, John Harrod, and more, Jen met John Morris at his house in Ivydale, and the rest is historySee our feature on Morris apprenticeship with Iskow here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/11/09/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-john-morris-jen-iskow-old-time-fiddling-and-stories-of-clay-county/"]%

58. Jen Iskow plays fiddle at a Folklife Apprenticeship Program public event at the Big Otter Community Center in Clay County

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.Photo.001.11.30.18
Title:
Jen Iskow plays fiddle at a Folklife Apprenticeship Program public event at the Big Otter Community Center in Clay County
Date:
2018-11-30
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fiddling, Old-time music, Clay County (W. Va.), Folk music--West Virginia, Apprenticeship programs, Fiddle tunes
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)
["John D. Morris of Ivydale led an apprenticeship in old-time fiddle and stories of Clay County with Jen Iskow of Thomas as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. John D. MorrisBorn in Ivydale, Clay County, into a family steeped in traditional music, David and John Morris learned from family and neighbors, including banjo player Jenes Cottrell and fiddler French Carpenter. After David returned from Vietnam in 1968, the brothers began organizing musical get-togethers and, in 1969, held the first Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival that same year. The festival became a major traditional music event in Clay County and filmmaker Bob Gates documented the 1972 festival in his film The Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival.Members of The Morris Brothers band included Pocahontas County old-time banjo player Dwight Diller and the late North Carolina harmonica player John Martin. Playing a mix of old-time, bluegrass, and country styles, including some of Davids original music, the group played together through the mid-70s, releasing an LP in the late 60s, Music As We Learned It, and two live shows on eight-track tapes. John, a traditional fiddler, and David, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, were involved in union and environmental activities from the late 1960s through the 1970s. They were also instrumental in establishing the first Vandalia Gathering at the Cultural Center in 1977.The Morris Brothers music was featured in Barbara Kopples 1976 film Harlan County, USA. David, who passed away in 2016, contributed music to Kopples 2015 film about Vietnam vets, Shelter.John lives in Ivydale and plays fiddle at music events across West Virginia. He is a rich source of information about the history of old-time music in central West Virginia, and one of the few native fiddlers of his generation to continue the older style of playing.Morris was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the nations highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, in 2020.Jen IskowJen Iskow is an artist, designer, musician, and community organizer based in Thomas, West Virginia. Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, Jen grew up learning to play blues and punk music. It wasnt until she moved to Morgantown in 2009 for college that she was introduced to old-time music at the weekly Brew Pub jam hosted by Stewed Mulligan. After graduating from West Virginia University, she finally settled in Elkins, West Virginia and accepted a position as the Marketing Coordinator for the Augusta Heritage Center. Suddenly being surrounded by so many talented traditional artists, Jen was immersed into the music and inspired to learn to play fiddle. After studying under talented fiddlers such as Scott Prouty, Erynn Marshall, Jesse Wells, Ben Townsend, John Harrod, and more, Jen met John Morris at his house in Ivydale, and the rest is historySee our feature on Morris apprenticeship with Iskow here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/11/09/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-john-morris-jen-iskow-old-time-fiddling-and-stories-of-clay-county/"]%

59. Portrait of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.Photo.001.6.14.18
Title:
Portrait of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow
Date:
2018-06-14
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Apprenticeship programs, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddling, Old-time music, Fiddle tunes, Clay County (W. Va.)
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)
["John D. Morris of Ivydale led an apprenticeship in old-time fiddle and stories of Clay County with Jen Iskow of Thomas as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. John D. MorrisBorn in Ivydale, Clay County, into a family steeped in traditional music, David and John Morris learned from family and neighbors, including banjo player Jenes Cottrell and fiddler French Carpenter. After David returned from Vietnam in 1968, the brothers began organizing musical get-togethers and, in 1969, held the first Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival that same year. The festival became a major traditional music event in Clay County and filmmaker Bob Gates documented the 1972 festival in his film The Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival.Members of The Morris Brothers band included Pocahontas County old-time banjo player Dwight Diller and the late North Carolina harmonica player John Martin. Playing a mix of old-time, bluegrass, and country styles, including some of Davids original music, the group played together through the mid-70s, releasing an LP in the late 60s, Music As We Learned It, and two live shows on eight-track tapes. John, a traditional fiddler, and David, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, were involved in union and environmental activities from the late 1960s through the 1970s. They were also instrumental in establishing the first Vandalia Gathering at the Cultural Center in 1977.The Morris Brothers music was featured in Barbara Kopples 1976 film Harlan County, USA. David, who passed away in 2016, contributed music to Kopples 2015 film about Vietnam vets, Shelter.John lives in Ivydale and plays fiddle at music events across West Virginia. He is a rich source of information about the history of old-time music in central West Virginia, and one of the few native fiddlers of his generation to continue the older style of playing.Morris was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the nations highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, in 2020.Jen IskowJen Iskow is an artist, designer, musician, and community organizer based in Thomas, West Virginia. Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, Jen grew up learning to play blues and punk music. It wasnt until she moved to Morgantown in 2009 for college that she was introduced to old-time music at the weekly Brew Pub jam hosted by Stewed Mulligan. After graduating from West Virginia University, she finally settled in Elkins, West Virginia and accepted a position as the Marketing Coordinator for the Augusta Heritage Center. Suddenly being surrounded by so many talented traditional artists, Jen was immersed into the music and inspired to learn to play fiddle. After studying under talented fiddlers such as Scott Prouty, Erynn Marshall, Jesse Wells, Ben Townsend, John Harrod, and more, Jen met John Morris at his house in Ivydale, and the rest is historySee our feature on Morris apprenticeship with Iskow here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/11/09/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-john-morris-jen-iskow-old-time-fiddling-and-stories-of-clay-county/"]%

60. John D. Morris plays fiddle at a Folklife Apprenticeship Program public event at the Big Otter Community Center in Clay County

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.Photo.002.11.30.18
Title:
John D. Morris plays fiddle at a Folklife Apprenticeship Program public event at the Big Otter Community Center in Clay County
Date:
2018-11-30
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fiddling, Apprenticeship programs, Fiddle tunes, Old-time music, Clay County (W. Va.), Folk music--West Virginia
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)