If you walked around Elkins, WV between July 6 and August 7, you would have seen and heard a bustling amount of activity. Teens and adults carried music cases in and out of the old Manos Theatre. Food and Cajun culture enthusiasts made gumbo and socialized at the YMCA and Big Timber. Parents dropped their children off at the Old Brick Playhouse for a day of Folk Arts for Kids, while craft lovers gathered at the Elkins Sewing Center and First United Methodist Church to learn traditional crafts such as quilt making and block printing. In the evening, Augusta participants joined by the Elkins and surrounding area communities headed over to the Augusta Dance Tent at Citizens Bank for two stepping, square dancing, honky tonks and live-band karaokes. It was vibrant, electrifying and many memories were made as people made new friends and memories while enjoying a Big Timber Blonde from the beer tent and steaming hot cachapa from El Gran Sabor’s pop up.
From the Tygart Hotel to the Holiday Inn, and from the Arts Center to the Rotary Amphitheater, Augusta was once again a visible part of downtown Elkins. The summer of 2026 marked the return of the Augusta Heritage Center to downtown Elkins, where it all began. For five consecutive weeks, five different genres (Cajun and Classic Country, Blues, Old Time, Vocal and Bluegrass) brought local community members and participants from across the United States and beyond downtown for a transformative week. Some students attended multiple weeks, immersing themselves in traditional music and arts education during the day, followed by dances, concerts and late night jamming that often continued into the early hours of the morning. “Augusta makes me want to move here to Elkins,” said Old-Time Week student Nic, 29, from Bamberg, Germany.
World-renowned musicians from a wide range of musical genres and instructors of traditional crafts came to share their knowledge with students of all ages and skill levels. From Introduction to Cajun Harmonica with Cajun culture bearer Jerry Devillier and Nashville Co-Writing with Grammy Award winning songwriter Melody Walker, to Bluegrass Kids Academy with Sarah Larsen and Greenwood Joinery Introductions with Terry Ratliff, there was something for everyone.
Even though the Dance Tent has come down for the year and the dining hall chairs have been put into storage, Augusta is here to stay and will continue to offer life defining musical programs for the city of Elkins and beyond.
