Try out a new way to connect with your community in 2025!
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Elkins Barn Dance Collective Dance Series
Monthly in Elkins, WV
We are excited that community dancing is back in Elkins, WV! Look for announcements of monthly dances at various locations around Elkins, including the Arts Center, Big Timber, the YMCA and the downtown Augusta Heritage Center.
Friday, January 31, 2025: Square Dance @ Big Timber Brewing. Music by Chris Haddox & Friends.
Friday, February 21, 2025: Square Dance @ Big Timber Brewing
Friday, March 28, 2025: Square Dance @ The Randolph County Community Arts Center
Come out and dance!
All dances start at 7pm unless otherwise specified. General Admission: $10; Students/AmeriCorps/Fixed Income: $5
Voices of Augusta (Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m.)
Elkins, WV
Voices of Augusta is an exciting children’s program for singers in grades 1 through 6. The choir runs two 12-week session each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. Singers will experience the joy of singing in a group while learning musical traditions from Appalachia and around the world, improving their musicianship, and having fun with their friends. The choir is directed by Olivia Perske.
Rehearsal schedule: For its Spring 2025 season, the choir will meet on Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 pm from January 14 through April 1, 2025, with a concert that weekend. Choir generally does not meet when Randolph County Schools are out of session and we will be in touch with parents regarding snow days. The first two rehearsals will be open (parents welcome to attend and listen), while the rest of the season’s rehearsals will be closed so that the students can focus on the music.
Rehearsal Location: The NEW Augusta Heritage Center (downtown). 303 Davis Avenue, Elkins, WV 26241
Augusta Strings Program & Adventure Band
Elkins, WV
Augusta Strings Program (Thursdays, 5:45 – 7:15 p.m.)
The program will feature group lessons in fiddle, banjo and guitar. These classes will meet on Thursdays starting January 16, 2025, 5:45 pm – 7:15 p.m. and going through April 3 with a concert that following weekend. Classes generally do not take place when Randolph County School are out of session and we will be in touch with parents regarding snow days. Your student will have a total of 12 classes. Classes will take place at the Augusta Heritage Center Dance Hall, 303 Davis Avenue, Elkins, WV 26241.
The Spring 2025 teachers are:
Banjo: Adam Casseday
Fiddle: Jesse Milnes
Guitar: Seth Maynard
Please note that we will have an optional Instrument Fitting Day on Monday, January 13, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. To help everyone get ready for the first day of class, we’re offering an afternoon session where you can pick up your borrowed instrument, have your own instrument checked over if you have one, get help with tuning, discuss your experience level with Augusta staff, etc. This session is optional but encouraged! This session will also take place at the Augusta Dance Hall (303 Davis Avenue).
Adventure Band (Tuesdays, 3:00 – 4:15 p.m.)
Do you sing or play an instrument (any instrument!) and want to collaborate with other young musicians? The Augusta Adventure Band could be for you! This musical group, for those in 8th – 12th grade, is a unique ensemble that relies heavily on student input to guide song selection and style. Learn under the direction of Seth Young, career musician and director of the Augusta Heritage Center. Join in the fun and embark on the musical adventure of a lifetime!
For its Spring 2025 season, Adventure Band will meet on Tuesdays, 3:00 – 4:15 pm from January 14 through April 1, 2025, with a concert that weekend. Classes generally do not take place when Randolph County School are out of session and we will be in touch with parents regarding snow days.
Foodways Classes
All classes held in Elkins, WV.
Augusta is presenting a series of foodways classes in Elkins, WV. The classes will be taught by experienced chefs and home cooks from a variety of cultures represented in Appalachia today. Classes will cover specific dishes (In past seasons we have covered arepas, hand pies, pizzelles, pancit noodles, pepperoni rolls, dumplings, and collard greens, as well as addressing topics such as using local seasonal ingredients and home-canning techniques). Students can expect to come away from each class with hands-on knowledge about how to make a dish and hopefully a deeper understanding of the importance of that dish to the people whose kitchens it sprang from.
What are foodways?
Foodways are more than food itself — they are the beliefs and context surrounding food, the person-to-person teaching of its preparation, as well as the community in which the food is enjoyed. The passing down of food traditions from one generation to the next is an integral piece of a community’s identity and culture. We use food to deepen community ties, celebrate important holidays, mark milestones, and enrich our lives. A community’s values are readily communicated in the ways that food is celebrated and shared within it.
Foodways Classes for 2025 will be announced soon!
Lift Your Voice Choir
Elkins, WV
Augusta’s Lift Your Voice Choir is an inclusive and joyful community singing outlet for folks who already love to sing and those who would like to experiment with using their voices. The repertoire features traditional vocal music from exciting singing traditions found right here in West Virginia, including gospel, old-time, shape-note and more, as well as traditions from other parts of the world. Singers will come away with a beautiful repertoire of new songs, a deeper understanding of the cultures they grew out of, and the lasting joy of singing together. Singers of all levels, ages and vocal ranges are welcome! The project is aimed at increasing opportunities for creative aging and lifelong learning in our community.
Rehearsals take place on Tuesdays from 6-8pm, with each season lasting around 10 weeks. The start and end dates for the Spring 2025 season will be announced soon, but the dates will roughly be from mid-March to early June 2025.
Registration is on a sliding scale of $40 to $200 for the season, with singers choosing the amount they can contribute.