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![["Vernon John Burky was born to a Swiss family in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1925. He grew up speaking Swiss on his family farm, where his parents raised animals and managed a sawmill, and his grandparents operated a cheese house. They made Helvetia cheese, a type of Swiss cheese, similar to Emental, that was made throughout the Helvetia community and a staple in the diet of residents. As a child, Burky raised chickens and tapped maple trees on his family farm. As an adult, he was an active winemaker, a common pursuit in the Helvetia community. During his working years, Burky worked as a truck driver for a saw mill and a coal company. He learned to play fiddle as a child and started playing in the Helvetia Star Band, the local dance band for generations and the namesake of one of the villages two dance halls. He still plays in the group, which performs regularly for Helvetia square dances and events. This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%](/image/4224BurkyVernonVideo00191016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.BurkyVernon.Video.001.9.10.16
- Title:
- Vernon Burky and friends play the fiddle tune "Ragtime Annie" at the Helvetia Community Fair
- Date:
- 2016-09-10
- Creator:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Old-time music, Fiddling, Fiddle tunes, Helvetia (W. Va.)
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["Vernon John Burky was born to a Swiss family in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1925. He grew up speaking Swiss on his family farm, where his parents raised animals and managed a sawmill, and his grandparents operated a cheese house. They made Helvetia cheese, a type of Swiss cheese, similar to Emental, that was made throughout the Helvetia community and a staple in the diet of residents. As a child, Burky raised chickens and tapped maple trees on his family farm. As an adult, he was an active winemaker, a common pursuit in the Helvetia community. During his working years, Burky worked as a truck driver for a saw mill and a coal company. He learned to play fiddle as a child and started playing in the Helvetia Star Band, the local dance band for generations and the namesake of one of the villages two dance halls. He still plays in the group, which performs regularly for Helvetia square dances and events. This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%](/image/4224BurkyVernonVideo00291016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.BurkyVernon.Video.002.9.10.16
- Title:
- Vernon Burky and friends play a short fiddle tune at the Helvetia Community Fair
- Date:
- 2016-09-10
- Creator:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Fiddling, Helvetia (W. Va.), Old-time music, Fiddle tunes
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["Cecelia Coleman Smith was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1949. Originally from Pickens, West Virginia, her family moved away from the Helvetia/Pickens community when she was seven so her father could take a coal mining job. She moved back to Pickens in 2005. Mrs. Smith served in the military and is a member of the local American Legion chapter. She is also part of the Pickens Improvement and Historical Society, the Farm Womens Club, and occasionally volunteers at the Hutte Restaurant.This audio slideshow is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%](/image/4224CeceliaSmithVideo00143016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.CeceliaSmith.Video.001.4.30.16
- Title:
- Audio slideshow of Cecelia Smith talking about foodways in Helvetia
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Smith, Cecelia
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Bakers, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Pickling, Swiss American women, Cooking (Sauerkraut), Wild leek, Canning and preserving, foodways
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.), Randolph County (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.CeciliaSmith.AudioInt.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Cecelia Smith
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Smith, Cecelia
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, Swiss American women, Food habits, Wild leek, 4-H clubs, Bakers, Canning and preserving
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.001.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 1 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Cooking, Swiss, Wine and wine making--United States, 4-H clubs, Veterans, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), foodways, Coal mines and mining, Wild leek
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.002.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 2 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Food habits, Wine and wine making--United States, Veterans, 4-H clubs, Cooking, Swiss, Wild leek, foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Coal mines and mining
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.003.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 3 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Wild leek, Coal mines and mining, 4-H clubs, Veterans, Wine and wine making--United States, Cooking, Swiss
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.ErnestHofer.AudioInt.004.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Ernest Hofer, 4 of 4
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, 4-H clubs, Wild leek, Coal mines and mining, Wine and wine making--United States, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, Food habits, Veterans
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.HensonKristy.AudioInt.3.25.20
- Title:
- Oral history of Kristy Henson
- Date:
- 2020-03-25
- Creator:
- Henson, Kristy
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Video games--Design, Apocalyptic art, Video games, Video gamers, Helvetia (W. Va.), Parades, Festivals, Carnival masks, Carnival, Tourism and the arts, West Virginia--Fiction
- Location:
- Buckhannon (W. Va.), Charleston (W. Va.)
![["Kristy Henson is an assistant professor of forensic science at Fairmont State University and a Fallout 76 gamer. She is originally from southern Ohio, but has lived in Buckhannon, WV for 5 years. She attended Helvetias Fasnacht celebration in 2019 based on her experience in the game, and made a papier-mch owl mask inspired by one of the Fasnacht masks in Fallout 76. In this interview, she speaks about how playing the game has informed her understanding of West Virginia culture and geography. This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with Fallout 76 gamers, some of whom are from West Virginia, and some of whom were inspired to visit West Virginia because of the game."]%](/image/4224HensonKristyIntTranscript32520/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HensonKristy.IntTranscript.3.25.20
- Title:
- Transcript of oral history of Kristy Henson
- Date:
- 2020-03-25
- Creator:
- Henson, Kristy
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Tourism and the arts, Carnival, Winter festivals, Video games--Design, Video gamers, Video games, Carnival masks, West Virginia--Fiction, Apocalyptic art, Helvetia (W. Va.)
- Location:
- Charleston (W. Va.), Buckhannon (W. Va.)
![["Ernest Hofer, born in Helvetia in 1950, is from a family with deep roots in Helvetia. His grandfather was the first baby boy born in the community in the 1870s. Aside from serving in Vietnam for two years, Hofer has lived in Helvetia his entire life. Hofer recently retired from working in the mines, and has worked at the Pickens [Helvetias neighboring town] Ramp Supper for forty-two years, and the Helvetia Ramp Supper for twenty-five. He is treasurer of the Helvetia Community Hall Association and is a member of the Pickens Volunteer Fire Department. He retired from working in the mines earlier this year.People aren't going to tell you where the ramp patch isthat's a well-kept secret and I'm not tellin' you where mine's at! And a lot of the property has been closed to ramp-digging due to the lumber companies, leasing the property. Which...has hurt the ramp suppers a lot. So, you just can't dig 'em. This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%](/image/4224HoferErnestIntTranscript43016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HoferErnest.IntTranscript.4.30.16
- Title:
- Transcript of oral history of Ernest Hofer
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Coal mines and mining, Wine and wine making--United States, Wild leek, Veterans, Helvetia (W. Va.), foodways, 4-H clubs, Cooking, Swiss, Food habits
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.LyonsPorter.AudioInt.3.18.20
- Title:
- Oral history of Porter Lyons
- Date:
- 2020-03-18
- Creator:
- Lyons, Porter
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Video games, West Virginia--Fiction, Carnival masks, Helvetia (W. Va.), Video gamers, Carnival, Apocalyptic art, Video games--Design, Tourism and the arts, Winter festivals
- Location:
- Charleston (W. Va.)
