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["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/"]%

1. 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.)

Listen to Audio

2. Oral history of Marion Harless and Kara Vaneck

Identifier:
4224.HarlessMarionVaneckKara.AudioInt.8.28.18
Title:
Oral history of Marion Harless and Kara Vaneck
Date:
2018-08-28
Creator:
Harless, Marion, Vaneck, Kara
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Food habits, Irish Americans, foodways, Herb gardening, Herb products, Willow baskets, Traditional medicine, Weirton (W. Va.), Canning and preserving, Dye plants, Herbs--Therapeutic use, Gardening, Basket making, Herbs--Utilization, Herbalists, Wine and wine making--United States, Apprenticeship programs
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.)
["Marion Harless of Kerens led a 2018 apprenticeship in green traditions with Kara Vaneck of Weston as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Harless is a co-founder of the Mountain State Organic Growers and Buyers Association and the West Virginia Herb Association, and has taught widely on medicinal herbs, edible landscaping, and native plants. Vaneck is the owner of Smoke Camp Crafts and has served as vice president and treasurer of the West Virginia Herb Association.Read our feature on Harless apprenticeship with Vaneck here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/12/20/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-marion-harless-kara-vaneck-green-traditions/Read Emily Hilliards article on Marion Harless here and in the Spring 2019 issue of Goldenseal Magazine: https://wvfolklife.org/2019/03/22/the-state-folklorists-notebook-people-need-to-know-about-plants-herbarist-marion-harless/"]%

3. Transcript of oral history of Marion Harless and Kara Vaneck

Identifier:
4224.HarlessMarionVaneckKara.IntTranscript.8.28.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Marion Harless and Kara Vaneck
Date:
2018-08-28
Creator:
Vaneck, Kara, Harless, Marion
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Weirton (W. Va.), Apprenticeship programs, Basket making, Herbs--Utilization, Traditional medicine, Wine and wine making--United States, Canning and preserving, Herb gardening, Irish Americans, Dye plants, Herbalists, Willow baskets, Herb products, Gardening, Food habits, Herbs--Therapeutic use, foodways
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.)
["Marion Harless of Kerens led a 2018 apprenticeship in green traditions with Kara Vaneck of Weston as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Harless is a co-founder of the Mountain State Organic Growers and Buyers Association and the West Virginia Herb Association, and has taught widely on medicinal herbs, edible landscaping, and native plants. Vaneck is the owner of Smoke Camp Crafts and has served as vice president and treasurer of the West Virginia Herb Association.Read our feature on Harless apprenticeship with Vaneck here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/12/20/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-marion-harless-kara-vaneck-green-traditions/Read Emily Hilliards article on Marion Harless here and in the Spring 2019 issue of Goldenseal Magazine: https://wvfolklife.org/2019/03/22/the-state-folklorists-notebook-people-need-to-know-about-plants-herbarist-marion-harless/"]%

4. Marion Harless prepares lunch during an apprenticeship meeting with Kara Vaneck

Identifier:
4224.HarlessMarionVaneckKara.Photo.007.8.28.18
Title:
Marion Harless prepares lunch during an apprenticeship meeting with Kara Vaneck
Date:
2018-08-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
foodways, Herb gardening, Herbs--Utilization, Traditional medicine, Apprenticeship programs, Gardening, Food habits, Herbalists
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.)
["Marion Harless of Kerens led a 2018 apprenticeship in green traditions with Kara Vaneck of Weston as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Harless is a co-founder of the Mountain State Organic Growers and Buyers Association and the West Virginia Herb Association, and has taught widely on medicinal herbs, edible landscaping, and native plants. Vaneck is the owner of Smoke Camp Crafts and has served as vice president and treasurer of the West Virginia Herb Association.Read our feature on Harless apprenticeship with Vaneck here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/12/20/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-marion-harless-kara-vaneck-green-traditions/Read Emily Hilliards article on Marion Harless here and in the Spring 2019 issue of Goldenseal Magazine: https://wvfolklife.org/2019/03/22/the-state-folklorists-notebook-people-need-to-know-about-plants-herbarist-marion-harless/"]%

5. Marion Harless and Kara Vaneck in Harless' kitchen in Kerens, West Virginia

Identifier:
4224.HarlessMarionVaneckKara.Photo.008.8.28.18
Title:
Marion Harless and Kara Vaneck in Harless' kitchen in Kerens, West Virginia
Date:
2018-08-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Food habits, Apprenticeship programs, Gardening, foodways, Herbalists, Herb gardening
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.)
["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is 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/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%

6. Dan Lehmann monitors boiling of potatoes in cast iron kettles for the Helvetia Ramp Supper

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.003.4.28.16
Title:
Dan Lehmann monitors boiling of potatoes in cast iron kettles for the Helvetia Ramp Supper
Date:
2016-04-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Food habits, Festivals, Helvetia (W. Va.), foodways, Wild leek, Cooking (Potatoes)
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.), Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is 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/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%

7. Kevin Betler fills cast iron kettles with water as Dan Lehmann sorts cooked potatoes

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.006.4.28.16
Title:
Kevin Betler fills cast iron kettles with water as Dan Lehmann sorts cooked potatoes
Date:
2016-04-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Wild leek, Cooking (Potatoes), Festivals, foodways, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.), Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is 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/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%

8. Potatoes boiling in cast iron kettles for the Helvetia Ramp Supper

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.008.4.28.16
Title:
Potatoes boiling in cast iron kettles for the Helvetia Ramp Supper
Date:
2016-04-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Helvetia (W. Va.), Food habits, Festivals, Cooking (Potatoes), Wild leek, foodways
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.), Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is 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/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%

9. Potatoes boiling in cast iron kettle for the Helvetia Ramp Supper

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.009.4.28.16
Title:
Potatoes boiling in cast iron kettle for the Helvetia Ramp Supper
Date:
2016-04-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking (Potatoes), Festivals, Wild leek, Food habits
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.), Randolph County (W. Va.)
["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is 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/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%

10. Dan Lehmann sorts cooked potatoes for the Helvetia Ramp Supper

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.011.4.28.16
Title:
Dan Lehmann sorts cooked potatoes for the Helvetia Ramp Supper
Date:
2016-04-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Festivals, Cooking (Potatoes), Food habits, Wild leek
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.), Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is 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/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%

11. Cooked potatoes for the Helvetia Ramp Supper

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.013.4.28.16
Title:
Cooked potatoes for the Helvetia Ramp Supper
Date:
2016-04-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Cooking (Potatoes), Festivals, Helvetia (W. Va.), foodways, Wild leek, Food habits
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.), Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is 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/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]%

12. Sophia and Lucy Lacocque at the Helvetia Community Hall during preparations for the Helvetia Ramp Supper

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.018.4.28.16
Title:
Sophia and Lucy Lacocque at the Helvetia Community Hall during preparations for the Helvetia Ramp Supper
Date:
2016-04-28
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Wild leek, Food habits, Festivals
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.), Randolph County (W. Va.)