Local Events

Berkeley Castle is once again the site for the annual Yule Tea to benefit the Museum of the Berkeley Springs. Sunday, December 2 marks the fifth year for this unique event.

"It's hard to identify a single segment of the event that makes it so popular," said Tamme Marggraf, the Museum's Executive Director. "People love everything from the beautifully decorated Castle and all the silver to Rosa Suit's historic character performed by Jill Klein Rone and the tasty food. They even like the valet parking," she laughed. Other features include period music by members of the Potomac Crossings Consort and a take-home program that features historical material on the Castle and the Victorian period.

The next meeting in Morgan County of Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Panhandle (HFHEP) will be held at Berkeley Baptist Church, 72 Winchester Grade Road, Berkeley Springs, on Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. The church is located on Winchester Grade Road, Route 13, third driveway on the right after turning off Route 522 on to Route 13.

Those interested in the HFH mission working to fulfill the need for affordable housing are welcome to attend.

In an effort to help veterans and their families learn more about the benefits of hospice, the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center Hospice Veterans Partnership will host a community hospice open house, Friday, November 16, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 1B-114.

Wild Hare Records recording artist, The Droptops of Rockville, Md., will present their style of roots rock and rockabilly music at the fall Cruise In, on November 10 at 270 N. Washington Street in Berkeley Springs, adjacent to the Old Factory Antique Mall.

The Droptops are seasoned veterans of the cruise-in and car show circuit.

The ninth annual Festival of Light on Saturday, November 10 features more than 30 practitioners of spiritual and physical healing techniques. The festival is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Country Inn in Berkeley Springs. "We urge people to come early so they can arrange appointments with some of the most popular readers," said Jeanne Mozier, a longtime supporter of the event.

Attendees may spend the day seeking answers and insights from practitioners reading everything from past life patterns and Tarot cards to etched stones or the swing of a pendulum. "The most asked questions are the obvious ones about meeting a partner or getting a job," said Mozier. "People return each year so I assume they are satisfied with the answers."

After six weeks of Art Saturday classes at the Ice House, the Morgan Arts Council (MAC) presents two unusual offerings this week. Kirsten Trump is teaching dialects to the youth class, and any adults who choose to attend, from 10 a.m. to noon. "Learning to speak with a specific accent is an important skill for an actor as well as lots of fun, " said Mary Hott, MAC's Executive Director.

One of the artists on exhibit in the Ice House Farm art show, Susan Elkin is teaching a special four-hour Introduction to Spinning class to adults from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. "Students will learn to spin wool into yarn including how to prepare raw wool," said Elkin who teaches regularly at the Augusta Heritage workshops. Elkin is bringing both treadle and great spinning wheels so those attendees will have a chance to try both. "Students will take home some yarn as well as a quick hat pattern I have that works well with the usually lumpy beginning yarn," she said. "People may start off being clumsy, " said Elkin, "but spinning is like riding a bicycle: once they get the hang of it, they never forget how."

The Berkeley Springs Womens Club will celebrate the club's 70th anniversary this Saturday, November 10, from 2-4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church Hall, located at 49 S. Green Street, Berkeley Springs. Refreshments will be served and the club welcomes new members. Organized in 1937, the Berkeley Springs Women's Club has been dedicated to serving many local community organizations including the library and the American Red Cross. The club has been actively involved in promoting adult literacy, cancer awareness, domestic violence awareness, and donating to charities.

The public is welcome to the celebration.

The Morgan County Reading Council will meet on Tuesday, November 13, 4 p.m. at Warm Springs Intermediate School. The program for the meeting will be "Introduction of New Literature" and Vandalia Educational Services Book Fair. Refreshments will be served.

Anyone who is a registered Morgan County Reading Council member, and in attendance at this meeting is eligible for the Book Fair Gift Certificate Drawing. The drawing will be held between the business meeting and the program.

The Empty Bowls Benefit is scheduled for Friday, November 16 from 4-7 p.m. at Widmyer Elementary. Local organizations and volunteers began the event to bring attention to homelessness and hunger during National Homeless Week.

The Berkeley Springs-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce will host a special breakfast/meeting on Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30 a.m., The Country Inn, with guest speaker Dr. Russell Sobel, Professor of Economics from West Virginia University.

Dr. Sobel will present a summary of his book, "Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border and How to Fix It." This book, a collection of articles by 25 authors, explains why West Virginia's economy has historically lagged behind other states, and contains suggestions for specific policy reforms that would promote prosperity and long-run economic growth in West Virginia.