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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/"]](/thumb/4224BurkyVernonVideo00291016 "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:
- Helvetia (W. Va.), Fiddle tunes, Old-time music, and Fiddling
- 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/"]](/thumb/4224HelvetiaCommunityFairVideo00191016 "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, Alphorn, and 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/"]](/thumb/4224HelvetiaCommunityFairVideo00291016 "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, Helvetia (W. Va.), and Swiss Americans
- 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/"]](/thumb/4224HelvetiaCommunityFairVideo00391016 "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:
- Swiss Americans, Folk dancing, Swiss, and 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/"]](/thumb/4224HelvetiaCommunityFairVideo00491016 "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:
- Folk dancing, Swiss, Swiss Americans, and Helvetia (W. Va.)
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
