Menu Expand Menu Close
Back to Top
Filter Search Expand Close Filter
Search Expand Search Close
["Diane Betler was born in Pendleton County, West Virginia and came to Helvetia as a child to live with her adopted mother Margaret Koerner, an immigrant from Germany. Ms. Koerner was a skilled home cook from her Ms. Betler learned many traditional recipes. She married Kevin Betler, nephew of Eleanor Betler, and they live in the Koerner home in Helvetias Metzner Hollow where Ms. Betler was raised. She served as the principal of Pickens Elementary/High School, the public school serving children from Pickens and Helvetia. Ms. Betler makes the yeast-raised doughnuts for Helvetias Fasnacht celebration every year using Margaret Koerners recipe.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/"]%

1. Audio slideshow of Diane Betler talking about making doughnuts for Fasnacht

Identifier:
4224.BetlerDiane.Video.001.2.6.16
Title:
Audio slideshow of Diane Betler talking about making doughnuts for Fasnacht
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Betler, Diane
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Doughnuts, Cooking, Swiss, Swiss American women, Festivals, Carnival, foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, German, Food habits
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Eleanor Betler was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1940 and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She spent her summers in Helvetia at the farm of her maternal grandparents, James and Anna Merkli McNeal. She married Howard Bud Betler in 1961. The couple moved to a hilltop farm in Helvetia and raised four children. All the good cooks, many of them relatives of Mr. Betler taught Mrs. Betler about canning, preserving, cooking and baking. She was especially interested to learn the skills of butchering and preserving meat, and making sausage. Mrs. Betler loves the Swiss traditional baking but also Appalachian ways of some neighbors. She grinds her own flour for baking bread. At Fasnacht time she invites neighbors and friends to make the hosablatz and rosettes just to keep the tradition alive. She also preserves this history by collecting stories, music, and photographs for The Helvetia Archives.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/"]%

2. Audio slideshow of Eleanor Betler talking about making rosettes and hozablatz for Fasnacht in Helvetia

Identifier:
4224.BetlerEleanor.Video.001.2.5.16
Title:
Audio slideshow of Eleanor Betler talking about making rosettes and hozablatz for Fasnacht in Helvetia
Date:
2016-02-05
Creator:
Betler, Eleanor
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk dancing, Swiss, Doughnuts, Swiss American women, Food habits, foodways, Bakers, Square dance music--United States, Farms--West Virginia, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, Carnival masks, Carnival
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/"]%

3. Vernon Burky and friends play the fiddle tune "Ragtime Annie" at the Helvetia Community Fair

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, Helvetia (W. Va.), Fiddle tunes
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/"]%

4. Vernon Burky and friends play a short fiddle tune at the Helvetia Community Fair

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/"]%

5. Audio slideshow of Cecelia Smith talking about foodways in Helvetia

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.)
["The Helvetia Community Fair, located in the Swiss community of Helvetia in Randolph County, is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in West Virginia. Activities include a parade in Swiss costume, alphorn music, Swiss folk dancing and singing, fahnenschwingen (flag twirling), a crafts, food, and canning exhibition, field events, an archery shoot, and more.Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including the Community Fair: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd in 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/"]%

6. Alphorn music and fahnenschwingen (Swiss flag twirling) at the Helvetia Community Fair

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaCommunityFair.Video.001.9.10.16
Title:
Alphorn music and fahnenschwingen (Swiss flag twirling) at the Helvetia Community Fair
Date:
2016-09-10
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Swiss Americans, Helvetia (W. Va.), Alphorn
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Helvetia Community Fair, located in the Swiss community of Helvetia in Randolph County, is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in West Virginia. Activities include a parade in Swiss costume, alphorn music, Swiss folk dancing and singing, fahnenschwingen (flag twirling), a crafts, food, and canning exhibition, field events, an archery shoot, and more.Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including the Community Fair: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd in 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/"]%

7. Helvetian children performing Swiss folk dance at the Helvetia Community Fair, 1 of 3

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaCommunityFair.Video.002.9.10.16
Title:
Helvetian children performing Swiss folk dance at the Helvetia Community Fair, 1 of 3
Date:
2016-09-10
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk dancing, Swiss, Swiss Americans, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Helvetia Community Fair, located in the Swiss community of Helvetia in Randolph County, is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in West Virginia. Activities include a parade in Swiss costume, alphorn music, Swiss folk dancing and singing, fahnenschwingen (flag twirling), a crafts, food, and canning exhibition, field events, an archery shoot, and more.Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including the Community Fair: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd in 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/"]%

8. Helvetian children performing Swiss folk dance at the Helvetia Community Fair, 1 of 3

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaCommunityFair.Video.003.9.10.16
Title:
Helvetian children performing Swiss folk dance at the Helvetia Community Fair, 1 of 3
Date:
2016-09-10
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk dancing, Swiss, Swiss Americans, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Helvetia Community Fair, located in the Swiss community of Helvetia in Randolph County, is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in West Virginia. Activities include a parade in Swiss costume, alphorn music, Swiss folk dancing and singing, fahnenschwingen (flag twirling), a crafts, food, and canning exhibition, field events, an archery shoot, and more.Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including the Community Fair: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd in 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/"]%

9. Helvetian children performing Swiss folk dance at the Helvetia Community Fair, 3 of 3

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaCommunityFair.Video.004.9.10.16
Title:
Helvetian children performing Swiss folk dance at the Helvetia Community Fair, 3 of 3
Date:
2016-09-10
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Swiss Americans, Folk dancing, Swiss, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Henry Rice was born in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1978. He is the daughter of Catherine Irene Mailloux and grand-daughter of Eleanor Mailloux, the co-founder of the Hutte. His daughter, Morgan Rice, was also interviewed for this project. Henry Rice cooks for the Hutte Sunday buffet, and works in construction. He is also an avid hunter, trapper, ginseng and ramp digger, morel mushroom hunter, and a collector of old bottles and other artifacts.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/"]%

10. Audio slideshow of Henry Rice, talking about digging ramps and working at the Hutte Swiss Restaurant in Helvetia

Identifier:
4224.RiceHenry.Video.001.4.30.16
Title:
Audio slideshow of Henry Rice, talking about digging ramps and working at the Hutte Swiss Restaurant in Helvetia
Date:
2016-04-30
Creator:
Rice, Henry
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Cooking (Sausages), Cooking, Swiss, Forage plants, Bakers, Restaurateurs, Swiss Americans, Helvetia (W. Va.), Pickling, Cooking (Chicken), Restaurants--United States, Wild leek
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Morgan Rice was born in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1999. She is the daughter of Hutte cook Henry Rice, and great-granddaughter of town matriarch and co-founder of the Hutte restaurant, Eleanor Mailloux. Ms. Rice is a member of the Helvetia Farm Womens Club and works part-time as a waitress at the Hutte restaurant. In 2015 she created a petition to save Helvetias Ramp Supper.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/"]%

11. Audio slideshow of Morgan Rice talking about the Helvetia Ramp Supper

Identifier:
4224.RiceMorgan.Video.001.4.30.16
Title:
Audio slideshow of Morgan Rice talking about the Helvetia Ramp Supper
Date:
2016-04-30
Creator:
Rice, Morgan
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
foodways, Wild leek, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, Forage plants, Swiss American women
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Sharon Rollins grew up in Charleston, West Virginia and moved to Dallas, TX when she was thirty years old. Upon retirement in 2010, she moved to Helvetia, West Virginia and has since become involved in a number of community projects. She manages the Ramp Supper, serves as treasurer for the Helvetia Community Fair, and 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/"]%

12. Audio slideshow of Sharon Rollins talking about foodways at the Helvetia Community Fair

Identifier:
4224.SharonRollins.Video.001.4.30.16
Title:
Audio slideshow of Sharon Rollins talking about foodways at the Helvetia Community Fair
Date:
2016-04-30
Creator:
Rollins, Sharon
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily, DeWitt, Gabe
Subject:
Canning and preserving, Craft festivals, Festivals, foodways, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Agricultural exhibitions
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)