The Shepherdstown Public Library is hosting “Pollinator Palooza,” a four-day (Sep 7 - 10), family-friendly program in its new gardens. Read the Full Story >>
Events & Entertainment
Jefferson County Fair Marks End of Summer
The Jefferson County Fair is a week-long celebration of local agriculture, with arts & crafts and competitions in all sorts of categories for all ages. The main focus is on youth and encouraging the traditions of animal husbandry and farming that run deep in the local community. Read the Full Story >>
Friends of Music Announces 2022-2023 Concert Season
The Friends of Music 2022-2023 season starts this month with a performance by the Two Rivers Chamber Quartet on September 25. Read the Full Story >>
Bluemont Fair Celebrates Traditions
The Bluemont Fair, a celebration of traditional farming and crafts, will be held on September 17 & 18 2022, rain or shine. Read the Full Story >>
Common History, Different Perspective
Abdulrajak Gurnah was the 2021 Nobel Prize winner for Literature. His literary afterlife is just beginning. Born in Zanzibar, although writing in English, and living in England, he was virtually unknown among readers, even among many of the elite intellectuals of the literary world, despite being shortlisted for a Booker Prize with an earlier book and a few lesser prizes. Only one of his nine novels was still in print in the United States when he won. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherd University Football Team Prepared For Exciting 2022 Season
Are you ready for some home-town college football? Our local Shepherd University Rams open practice this week, looking ahead to their season opener on September 1. Read the Full Story >>
Writers Conference Returns to Shepherd University
Manuscript to Marketplace, a conference for writers of all genres, will take place on the Shepherd University campus September 9 & 10 and is expected to draw attendees from across the region and beyond. Read the Full Story >>
Music on the Mountain & in the Valley
This year’s Appalachian Chamber Music Festival will explore the connections between folk and classical music, particularly with the Scot-Irish and Appalachian traditions. Read the Full Story >>
Asking Questions, Recovering Truth
I came across When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill just after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The reviews indicated that it was a book about women’s rage, and also dragons. What’s not to love, I thought? I did indeed love it, but I was also surprised by the tender coming-of-age story about a grieving girl, and the powerful indictment of a society that tries to force its people to sweep their traumas under the carpet. Read the Full Story >>
Freedom’s Run 2022 – Your Solution to the Comfort Crisis
So many things today compete for our attention and energy. So it’s no surprise that when we get a few minutes of peace we seek comfort. But a book I brought on a summer trip to Oregon suggests we should regularly seek to get out of our comfort zones. Read the Full Story >>
Cyber Thriller Debuts at Theater Festival
It took only 20 years for the number of Internet users to grow from a few hundred million to 5 billion people. Today, cyberattacks are constant. And because the United States was an early adopter of connected technologies, we are particularly vulnerable. Read the Full Story >>
Appalachian Chamber Music Returns In August For a Second Season
Last summer, a new music festival landed in Harpers Ferry, bringing a relevant and approachable experience of classical music. The Appalachian Chamber Music Festival is now back for its second season with a two-week schedule of performances celebrating the history, nature, and culture of Jefferson County and the surrounding region. Read the Full Story >>
Fear & Injustice
When I picked up The Lioness, the latest from author Chris Bohjalian, I thought it would be a well-written beach-read-style page-turner. The combination of 1960s Hollywood and the hot Serengeti settings made me think this novel would be a thriller above all, more fun perhaps than Bohjalian’s past works. But while this book makes for compulsive reading, be forewarned that it does not shy away from extraordinary acts of violence, brutal mistakes, and their rippling consequences. Read the Full Story >>
Celebrate Independence Day 2022
The American Flag carried by members of the Shepherdstown Volunteer Fire Department (above) is a staple of the Shepherdstown’s Independence Day parade in Jefferson County every year. For fireworks and festivals, there are many events in nearby cities and counties during this July 4th weekend. JUL 2 (Sat) — Independence Day Festival in Brunswick · Read the Full Story >>
The 2022 Contemporary American Theater Festival – A Quick Guide
This year’s Contemporary American Theater Festival festival kicks off on July 3 with four days of previews (pay-what-you-can) followed by a packed schedule of opening weekend plays and events on July 8, 9 & 10. Six plays will be presented on a changing schedule Tuesday through Sunday during the following three weeks through July 31. Read the Full Story >>