by Kate Evans
The 2024 Morgan County Expo will take place on Saturday, July 27 at Berkeley Springs State Park and the Morgan Arts Council’s Ice House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Spearheaded by the Morgan County Extension Office, the family event features art, musical entertainment, exhibits, food, crafts, vendors, a watermelon-eating contest, the 4-H cake auction and other activities. The event will take place rain or shine.
Free swimming at the Berkeley Springs State Park pool is also being offered during the Expo, said Morgan County West Virginia University Extension Agent Cindy Smalley. Stop at the West Virginia University booth for free swimming tickets.
Entry categories
The Expo will feature traditional county fair contests that show off handiwork, food preparation, garden produce, artwork and more. Members of the public can enter their items for judging—pre-registration ends this Friday, July 19.
Regular Expo entries will be on public display at the Ice House on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Categories include jewelry, sewing, quilting, needle arts, photography, floral arrangements and wreaths, watercolors, horticulture including herbs, garden produce and fruits, Legos, art and collections such as buttons, rocks and coins.
The Wild and Wonderful category includes items such as the largest tomato, the largest squash, the tallest weed and the ugliest or most unusual vegetable.
Pre-registration of regular Expo entries is required and is due by Friday, July 19. Entries must be dropped off at the Ice House on Friday, July 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Hosting the displays of the regular Expo entries at the Ice House is a neat partnership, Smalley said, since the Delectable Mountain Quilt Guild quilt show opens that weekend at the Ice House.
4-H projects
4-H projects will be on display at Hunter’s Hardware the weeks of July 21 and July 28, Smalley said. 4-H projects are slowly coming in. Cooking and cake decorating projects are really popular this year as are fishing projects. She also has kids doing sewing and food preservation projects. Those traditional skills are coming back, she noted.
Other 4-H projects include photography, woodworking and animal projects. One kid is doing a cat project. Around 85 kids are involved in 4-H locally.
Participation in 4-H keeps growing, Smalley said. She has 13 kids doing the “This is 4-H” beginning project this year. It’s been really exciting to see 4-H coming back after COVID, she said.
Community service
A new 4-H project category this year is “My Hands to Larger Service” which is about connecting kids to community service, Smalley said.
4-H Mighty Iroquois club member and upcoming eleventh grader Eli Cheshire coordinated the 4-H club’s project of painting the pavilion and benches at Pleasant View Elementary as his 4-H Expo project. The club also mulched the butterfly garden at the school. Cheshire received a $200 grant for supplies from West Virginia 4-H All States, one of 10 grants given out in the state, she said.
The Youth Art in the Park event is also taking place at Berkeley Springs State Park in conjunction with the Morgan County Expo on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s an opportunity for youth to sell their handcrafted wares as artists, Smalley said.
The Morgan County Partnership, Life or Drugs and MC After 3 are hosting the Youth Art in the Park.
Music, fun
BlackCat Music Cooperative youth bands will be providing music at the Morgan County Expo. 92.9 FM Radio Staion will be doing a live broadcast at the event from 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon. A Kid DJ from BlackCat Cooperative will also provide tunes.
A bouncy house and face painting at the park will add to the Expo offerings. Smoky the Bear will be on hand to celebrate his 80th birthday, said Morgan County Extension Office administrative assistant Liz Campbell.
Vendors and organizations
The park will have over 30 vendors and non-profit organization booths with displays and activities during the Expo, said Campbell.
Organizations and agencies include 4-H, Master Gardeners, Sleepy Creek Watershed, the Morgan County Partnership, Life or Drugs and MC After 3, the West Virginia Farm Bureau, Mountaineer Community Health Clinic, Eastern Panhandle Empowerment, Community Alternatives to Violence, Quilts of Valor, the Delectable Mountain Quilt Guild and more.
The Morgan County Public Library will also be giving away gently used teen and children’s books at the Expo and registering people for library cards, Campbell said.
Smalley said they’re always excited to show at the Expo how wonderful and creative the people of Morgan County are.
They’re always looking for more volunteers to help with the Morgan County Expo and people to take on leadership roles on the Morgan County Expo Board, Smalley said. Call Cindy Smalley at 304-258-8400 at the Morgan County Extension Office if interested.
