Sam England
During the January meeting of the Highlands Trail Foundation two new members, Sam England and Steven Leyh, were elected to serve on its Board of Directors and AmeriCorp Jessica Black was introduced.
England is well known for his extensive work with West Virginia State Parks spanning a 40-year career that started in 1977 at Twin Falls State Park and culminated with his appointment in 2014 as Chief of West Virginia State Parks & Recreation Section of the DNR.
In 2019, he retired for a short while before accepting his current position as general manager at Canaan Valley Resort.
England states, “My life-long love of fishing, hiking, and camping along with outdoor experiences I shared with my family was instrumental in my career path.”
bjohnson@theintermountain.com
ELKINS The 2021 Annual Ramps and Rail Festival is the latest event to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision to cancel the festival, which has become a tradition in the Elkins Town Square, was based on the uncertainties of COVID-19 and public gatherings in the near future, officials said.
“This was not an easy decision because we know that people depend on the festival for income, entertainment and community connection,” Anne Beardslee, executive director of the Elkins Depot Welcome Center CVB, said Friday.
“To have the festival in April, all the decisions, invitations, booking of bands, vendor registration and arranging for required services need to take place now. We do not know what social distancing will be required in April, how many people will be allowed to attend and have been fully vaccinated, if we would have to limit vendors, etc.
Feb 6, 2021
The COVID-19 ax fell on another local event Friday, as the 2021 Annual Ramps and Rail Festival was canceled due to health concerns surrounding large public gatherings.
This is the second year in a row that the Ramps and Rails Festival has been canceled because of COVID-19, making it one of the first local events to have suffered that fate twice. Let’s hope it doesn’t become a long list.
Already in 2021, the pandemic has forced the canceling of Fasnacht in Helvetia, and the Maple Syrup Festival in Pickens was canceled for the second straight year.
In 2020, the list of annual events that were canceled was long, including such major traditional crowdpleasers as the Mountain State Forest Festival, the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, Coalton Days and all the local county fairs.