Music festivals are in no short supply this summer. It seems like there is a different one every week and in a different holler or new mountaintop. There’s something about enjoying music outside in the fresh air that is irresistible. This season brings evening concerts, weekend-long music festivals, musical tours, fundraisers, and of course, the exciting line-up the fair brings every year.
Healing Appalachia, a festival that raises funds and awareness to ease the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic, is returning to the West Virginia State Fairgrounds. This three-day event features Tyler Childers, Joslyn & The Sweet Compression, Stereophonic and so many more. Then there’s Culturefest, a four-day festival held in Pipestem that brings arts and music from all over the world to a small mountain town in West Virginia.
These events don’t even scratch the surface of what’s available this year. The Cass Scenic Railroad State Park holds a railroad tour that includes a bluegrass show, Ivy Terrace at Carnegie Hall is always entertaining, and there are countless restaurants and establishments all over these mountains that host live outdoor music all summer. Some have a cover charge, some require tickets, and some are free. You can make a weekend camping trip out of it, a dinner with friends or a few hours with the family. It’s all available at any point all summer.
