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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/"]%

1. 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:
Helvetia (W. Va.), Randolph County (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/"]%

2. Square dance under the effigy of Old Man Winter in the Helvetia Community Hall

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaFasnacht.Photo.017.2.6.16
Title:
Square dance under the effigy of Old Man Winter in the Helvetia Community Hall
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Tourism and the arts, Carnival, Helvetia (W. Va.), Folk music--West Virginia, Winter festivals, Square dance music--United States
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/"]%

3. 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.)
["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"]%

4. Attendees of the Helvetia Ramp Supper in the Helvetia Community Hall

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.002.4.30.16
Title:
Attendees of the Helvetia Ramp Supper in the Helvetia Community Hall
Date:
2016-04-30
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
foodways, Tourism and the arts, Wild leek, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Festivals
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)

Listen to Audio

5. Oral history of Kristy Henson

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."]%

6. Transcript of oral history of Kristy Henson

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.)

Listen to Audio

7. Oral history of Porter Lyons

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.)

Listen to Audio

8. Oral history of Porter Lyons

Identifier:
4224.LyonsPorter.AudioInt.6.26.20
Title:
Oral history of Porter Lyons
Date:
2020-06-26
Creator:
Lyons, Porter
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Video gamers, Carnival, Carnival masks, Tourism and the arts, West Virginia--Fiction, Video games--Design, Video games, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Porter Lyons (b. October, 1993, Cleveland, OH) is a resident of Dayton, OH and Fallout 76 gamer. He was inspired to visit West Virginia in anticipation of the games release, and then visited again after he began playing the game. In 2019 he participated in the Fasnacht celebration in the Randolph County Swiss community of Helvetia, which is featured in Fallout 76.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."]%

9. Transcript of oral history of Porter Lyons

Identifier:
4224.LyonsPorter.IntTranscript.3.18.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Porter Lyons
Date:
2020-03-18
Creator:
Lyons, Porter
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Helvetia (W. Va.), Video games, Carnival, Tourism and the arts, Video games--Design, Video gamers, Apocalyptic art, West Virginia--Fiction
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Porter Lyons (b. October, 1993, Cleveland, OH) is a resident of Dayton, OH and Fallout 76 gamer. He was inspired to visit West Virginia in anticipation of the games release, and then visited again after he began playing the game. In 2019 he participated in the Fasnacht celebration in the Randolph County Swiss community of Helvetia, which is featured in Fallout 76.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."]%

10. Transcript of oral history of Porter Lyons

Identifier:
4224.LyonsPorter.IntTranscript.6.26.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Porter Lyons
Date:
2020-06-26
Creator:
Lyons, Porter
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Carnival masks, Video games, Video gamers, West Virginia--Fiction, Apocalyptic art, Helvetia (W. Va.), Video games--Design, Carnival, Tourism and the arts
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Mike Mallow (b.1981, Pendleton County, WV) is a resident of Franklin in Pendleton County, WV, a newspaper producer for The Moorefield Examiner, and a Fallout 76 gamer. He was inspired to visit various locations in West Virginia, such as Spruce Knob and Seneca Rocks, after experiencing the virtual representation of those locations in Fallout 76. 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."]%

11. Transcript of oral history of Mike Mallow

Identifier:
4224.MallowMike.IntTranscript.3.18.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Mike Mallow
Date:
2020-03-18
Creator:
Mallow, Mike
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
West Virginia--Fiction, Video gamers, Apocalyptic art, Video games, Video games--Design, Tourism and the arts, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Moorefield (W. Va.), Charleston (W. Va.)