CHARLESTON â The state will get a condensed and abbreviated version of the annual Vandalia Gathering in Charleston this weekend.
Saturday, from 2 to 4 p.m., on the north plaza of the State Capitol Complex, the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History will host a concert with performances by Kanawha Tradition, the T-Mart Rounders, and the Mountain Stage house band.
The annual celebration of the traditional arts, music, dance, stories, crafts and food will also feature a dance performance with Lou Mauri and the Appalachian Cloggers, but this yearâs gathering will not include vendors selling food, drink, arts or crafts.
CHARLESTON â West Virginiaâs annual celebration of the stateâs traditional arts and culture is returning in 2021, albeit in a highly condensed form.
The Vandalia Gathering, typically a sprawling event held at the state Capitol Complex over Memorial Day Weekend, has been reduced to a two-hour concert Saturday, May 29.
The concert will be free to the public and will also be streamed live online.
âI consider Vandalia to be our big West Virginia homecoming,â said Randall Reid-Smith, curator of the Department of Arts, Culture and History. âItâs all of our music, all of our crafts. I think it would be so bad to have to take another year off.â
Vandalia Gathering replaced with Saturday concert By
March 31, 2021 - 10:26 pm
CHARLESTON, W.Va. The annual Memorial Day celebration of West Virginia culture at the state Capitol is being replaced this year with a concert.
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History announced Wednesday the three-day Vandalia Gathering will not happen as traditionally held. In its place will be a two-hour concert on the north steps of the state Capitol. The concert will be livestreamed for people unable to attend.
The announcement of the concert’s location comes after a piece of concrete near the Capitol’s north steps fell through a ceiling and struck a state Capitol employee. An assessment related to the safety of the area is underway.