Mountain Times ~ Supplement to the Pocahontas Times ~ SnowShoe, Slatyfork, Green Bank, Cass, WV

Focusing on the resort and tourist community of Slaty Fork, Snowshoe Mountain, Cass and Green Bank

Vol. 3 No. 12
December 2004

Serving SnowShoe Mountain, Slaty Fork, Green Bank and Cass
"News you can resort to"

Second Section of
The Pocahontas Times
Post Office No. 436-640
ISSN No. 07388373

Upcoming Events Around the Mountain Resort

DECEMBER
AROUND THE COUNTY
Star Lab € Every Thursday at 2:00 p.m., NRAO, Green Bank 456-2150 €Limited space: 15 participants/program. Who cares if it's cloudy! Guests will gather inside a portable planetarium for a fascinating look at the sky above.
Public Tours € NRAO, Green Bank. 456-2150. € Open Wednesday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free tours 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Group tours: motor coach groups, school groups and youth groups, civic clubs, amateur astronomers are welcome! Please contact us for reservations. Call 304-456-2164 or email gbt-tours@nrao.edu.
Solar Viewing € NRAO, Green Bank. 456-2150. € Offered every sunny day at 2:45 p.m. at the science center. Get a SAFE peek at the sun through an optical telescope... and observe the sun with a radio telescope!! Free, no reservations required!

On The Mountain
For more information on any event at Snowshoe Mountain, call 877-441-4FUN.

Dec. 10 - 12 € Demo Days & Winter Celebration € The first Big Event of the ski season! Try your skills for great prizes on the snow Obstacle Course. Witness a spectacular mountaintop fireworks display. And of course, ski and ride on the best early season snow conditions in the region.
Dec. 11 € Village Rail Invitational € Featuring some of the region's top skiers and rides battling it out on the rails for cash and great prizes. Enjoy this unique event highlight with live music from area DJ's, all right in the heart of the Village Plaza.
Dec. 16 € Silver Creek Ski Area Opens
Dec. 17 - 21 € College Road Trip Package. € Finals are over and it's time to party! Head to Snowshoe after finals week and enjoy a weekend of great skiing and snowboarding packed full of happy hour parties, live entertainment and more.
Dec. 21 - 25 € Christmas Holidays at Snowshoe € Treat your family to a white Christmas at Snowshoe and enjoy a week packed full of great fun for all. From skiing and riding with Santa, Ms. Claus and Frosty to our Christmas Eve Party and Buffet, your family will be treated to memories that will last a lifetime.
Dec. 26 - Jan.8 € Holiday Weeks: € College students converge on Snowshoe Mountain for the biggest party week of the year. Huge happy hours, live entertainment and wild games on and off the slopes make Snowshoe the perfect spot for your Winter Break.
Dec. 31 € New Year's Eve € Make your reservations early for our New Year's Eve parties. Great options are available for both young and old. Party Central Reservation Hotline opens on November 1. Call 877-441-4FUN and press Option #3 for reservations.

The Opera House in Marlinton privodes an entertainment venue offering music, drama and dance.

Photo by Drew Tanner

A vision that's been fulfilled...again

The house that Ruth re-built Drew Tanner
Staff Writer
      An economic boom was underway. Tanneries were operating in Marlinton and Frank and the county was producing lumber from mills along the newlyconstructed branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in Cass, Clover Lick, Watoga, Denmar, Deer Creek and Campbelltown, just to name a few.
      In 1910, J.G. Tilton, a court reporter in Marlinton from Mt. Vernon, Ohio, decided to construct a second opera house. The new building would be larger and sturdier than the timber frame opera house known as The Grand, which Tilton constructed in 1907, and would serve as a performance venue and multi-purpose community space in the bustling railroad town.
      "Mr. Tilton had a vision, of course. He knew that people needed something besides just working for their livelihood," said Ruth Morgan, of the Pocahontas County Historic Landmarks Commission.
      "The Opera House was in an ideal place, because the train came in and people came in from New York and Chicago to perform. They had two trains coming in here each day," Morgan continued.
      The Victorian building with reinforced concrete walls was the first of its kind in West Virginia.
      "It's a very sturdy building," explained Morgan. "It's 12 inches thick concrete, reinforced with logging train rails. And we're sure it's the oldest [reinforced concrete structure] in West Virginia."
      A 1975 article in The Pocahontas Times by Frances Eskridge said the cement work was done by Andrew Moore and Dempsey Johnson.
      "Railroad rails were used to reinforce the concrete," the article continued.
      The carpentry work, according to Eskridge, including beadboard wainscoting and a beautiful American Chestnut railing along the balcony, was done by Bob Jordan.
      "Much of the fine carpentry work done in Marlinton was done by Mr. Jordan," she wrote.
      Once the Opera House opened, some of the locally produced plays given in the space included Madame Butterfly with Guy Bratton and Paul Overholt and So Long Marry, starring Overholt and his wife Fanny. One Marlinton resident interviewed by Eskridge recalled how impressed she was with the players in their evening dress and how "they seemed like characters out of a book in fancy costume."
      "Minstrel shows, Lyceum courses and solo artists all were part of the theatrical world of this period," Eskridge continued.
      Of course, like opera houses in communities around the country, the Marlinton Opera House was more than a performance space.

A Halloween Party during the Opera House's first heyday.
Photo courtesy of the Historic Landmarks Commission

      "They called them Opera Houses back then," Morgan said, "but of course they were used for many things."
      In fact, the Opera House saw use as a basketball court, roller skating rink, and temporary sanctuary. One photo attests to the county fair being held there.
      In 1912, Tilton edited a newspaper, the Marlinton Messenger. The weekly was also produced in the Opera House.
      By the late 1920s, through a series of circumstances, the building fell out of use as a performance space and community center. In the years after, the old Opera House was used as an automobile dealership and later as a lumber storage warehouse.
      According to Sam Brill, coordinator of building completion for the Historic Landmarks Commission, fire damaged the left front side of the building all the way up to the balcony and much of the original woodwork was removed or damaged over the years.
      "There was nothing left in the Opera House," Morgan added, describing the condition of the building when the Historic Landmarks Commission purchased it in 1991. "The stage was gone. You could see where it had been. There was nothing left but the balcony."
      "The floor was down to street level," she continued "We could see where the wood floor had been, because we could see where the joists once had been."
      According to Morgan and Brill, the car dealership had the building set up so they could drive cars in at street level through the front doors.
      Marlinton and Pocahontas County look very different than the place Tilton knew 94 years ago, but Morgan said she saw some of the same need for a performance venue and community space.
      "I think our purpose was the same as his," Morgan said. "He apparently felt that this place was so isolated in the early 1900s that it needed a space where people could get together and have all kinds of events and so forth."
      "After all, you couldn't get in and out of here. There were no good roads," she continued. "So it was either travel by riding horseback, by surrey, by wagon or train. It would take a long time."
      "The Landmarks Commission felt the same way," Morgan added. "If you wanted to go to a cultural event, you had to go to Lewisburg or Charleston. We felt that the Opera House could serve both as the preservation of a very significant historic place and also as a facility for cultural and educational events."
      With that two-fold approach in mind the preservation of a historic link to the community's past and the establishment of a community center the Historic Landmarks Commission has been working since 1991 on the restoration of the building.
      "We had to combat so much, really, when we started to attempt to do something to the building," Morgan recalled. "People would say, 'what do you want to put anything into that old building for?'"
      "We just had to turn our ears off," she continued. "Since then, we've had people come up and say, 'I was wrong. I was one of the nay-sayers.'"
      The members of the Landmarks Commission had their work cut out for them.
      "We decided the best thing we could do was to start restoring the interior so we could start having events."
      With its first grant, a Federal Transportation Enhancement grant, the Historic Landmarks Commission was able to put a new roof on the Opera House, clean and restore the building's original tin ceiling.
      "This old ceiling is really pretty," observed Brill standing on the balcony with its chestnut railing. Through subsequent grants, the Opera House received a new hardwood floor, furnaces, insulation, recessed ceiling lights, bathrooms, and a new stage.
      In addition to grants the Opera House has received generous donations of time, money and equipment from members of the community.
      Morgan recalled the first donation the Historic Landmarks Commission received in its effort to restore the building.
      A second grade teacher interested in the restoration had brought her class from Marlinton Elementary to the Opera House before the Landmarks Commission had begun work on the building, Morgan said.
      "And those kids gave us our very first donation with nickels and dimes and quarters," she continued. "It was $5.35. That was our very first donation."
      Since then, the Opera House has received an outpouring of support from the community. "People have been very generous," Morgan said. "We've had a lot of wonderful gifts."

The Opera House's interior, above, shows off donated chairs and stage curtains, as well as the original balcony. The Opera House Foundation's monthly entertainment opportunities fill the chairs
Photo by Drew Tanner

      Through donations and local fundraising, the Opera House has received new curtains for the stage, 300 chairs for audience seating, stairs and railing for the balcony and stage, a chandelier over the main entrance and light and sound equipment, to list just a few items. And of course, people have been generous with their time as well.
      "We've used an awful lot of volunteer help in here," Brill noted.
      With the restoration well under way, the Landmarks Commission's second goal of providing a community and performance space began to be realized in 2000.
      A millennium celebration marked the reopening of the Opera House in September 2000. The event featured live performances and approximately 30 members of the Tilton family. In 1998 the Historic Landmarks Commission promoted the establishment of the Opera House Foundation, which sets the performance and concert schedule and operates the facility.
      "We try to get something for everyone, from classical to bluegrass to jazz and plays," explained Rene White, the foundation's president.
      White said the foundation tries to book well-known acts such as John McCutcheon and American Gypsy, while also providing performance opportunities for local favorites such as the Bing Brothers, the Yahoes and the Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys.
      It's not uncommon, as with an October performance by the Greenbrier Valley Theater Company of Honky Tonk Angels, for the Opera House to be filled to its full seating capacity of approximately 200.
      As the Historical Landmarks Commission and volunteers continue to restore the Opera House to its early 20th Century Victorian glory, and the Opera House Foundation books a variety of performances, the building has once again become a center of activity in the community. Opera House performances and events are listed in The Pocahontas Times and in the Opera House Foundation's quarterly newsletter.
      To be placed on the foundation's mailing list, or if you are interested in volunteering, you may contact the foundation at 304-799-4035 or 304-799-4009.
      The Pocahontas County Opera House is located in Third Avenue in Marlinton. Following State Route 39 east, turn right at the second traffic light. The Opera House is near the end of the block on the right.

The snow blowers were out in mid-November, laying down a base coat, in the hopes that Mother Nature would begin to participate soon. The first actual snowfall at Snowshoe Mountain occurred in October, but was gone quickly. Forecasters have predicted cold temperatures and above normal snowfall for Pocahontas County.
Photo courtesy of Snowshoe Mountain

Lifts, trails are just waiting to go
There's no business like snow business

      Snowshoe Mountain Resort, the largest winter resort in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions, plan a Decenber 3 opening of the 2004 2005 Winter Season. This year will mark 31 years in the snow business for the Pocahontas County resort, a site that has become a skiing and boarding mecca for snow lovers.
      "We're finding more and more people visiting West Virginia from all over the country," says Snowshoe Mountain Vice President of Mountain Operations Ed Galford. "Every year, we're adding to what we can offer all kinds of snow lovers during what, we hope, is a memorable mountain stay with us. We want a visit to Snowshoe Mountain Resort to be an experience of the highest caliber."
      Snowshoe Mountain Resort is situated on more than 11,000 acres in the mountains of West Virginia and is within a day's drive of more than half of the population of the United States. The 2003 2004 Winter Season saw more than 185 inches of natural snowfall for a season that lasted nearly 130 days, the most in the region. On average, the Resort sees a total of 180 inches of natural snowfall every year.
      Snowshoe Mountain Resort is made up of two distinct mountains which skiers and snowboarders can take advantage of using one lift ticket. Unlike most resorts where the village center is located at the base of the mountain, The Village at Snowshoe Mountain, along with most of the Mountain's lodging facilities, is located at the summit, meaning guests have direct access to the start of many of the trails.
      In all, Snowshoe Mountain Resort offers 57 trails and 14 lifts, covering a vertical drop of 1,500 feet, the highest in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. This year, the lifts will open at 9:00 in the morning and stay open until 4:30 in the afternoon. Night skiing will be available until 10:00 in the evening on the lighted slopes in the Silver Creek Area. Free shuttle services connect both areas.
      Engineers have worked throughout the summer on features to add to the dozens already offered in both the Spruce Glades and Mountaineer Terrain Parks. The largest all-snow half pipe in the region will be found this season at the Mountaineer Terrain Park located in the Silver Creek Area.

Nature's Mountain PlaygroundThe Convention and Visitors Bureau's new logo is a distinct part of branding the county's tourism image.

Developing the Pocahontas County Brand
Mel Hobbs
Executive Director
Pocahontas County Convention
and Visitors Bureau
      Why should a tourist come to Pocahontas County? That question is harder to answer than one may think. It is even more difficult if you only have a few seconds of someone's time, which is usually the case in marketing. Pocahontas County is a vast collection of different "products" many different attractions and activities from which one can choose. So where do you begin the short conversation?
      Actually, the answer is found in having a clear, distinct Pocahontas County Brand. To answer it, we must go beyond talking about our many tourism "products" and define what meaning the Pocahontas County Brand holds for tourists.
      First, it helps to understand why branding a destination like Pocahontas County is important. A Brand is a short-cut in the marketing communications process. A Brand encompasses a destination's entire being: how it describes itself, how it presents itself, how people perceive it. It is a process of building a unique image that evokes specific thoughts and feelings about that destination. A Destination Brand goes beyond the mere physical attributes and details of its various tourist attractions. It gets at the whole offering and includes intangibles that establish an emotional connection with people.
      Successful Destination Brands are those that are able to clearly differentiate themselves from their competitors. The stronger the distinction, the stronger the Brand.
      What happens if we don't brand Pocahontas County tourism? Then it has no clear, defined meaning in the minds of tourists who have never been here. It also runs the risk of being positioned in 101 different ways, perhaps even to our disadvantage.
      But what does Pocahontas County tourism in its entirety mean to people?
      What is our dominant positioning? Certainly there are mixed messages. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank is a long way from fly-fishing. Visiting the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is a lot different than mountain biking.
      But there are dominant themes. We just have to connect with them.
      The Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau, through a recent strategic planning session, determined three distinct, defining benefits that Pocahontas County provides to tourists.
      First are our natural resources and beauty. More than 60% of the county is protected state or national forest land.
      Then there are our mountains. Even within a mountain state, Pocahontas County still distinguishes itself with its breathtaking and majestic landscape.
      Finally, pure enjoyment can be experienced through our long list of activities, no matter what your preference. Through recreation, science, heritage or culture, people who visit Pocahontas County receive pleasure by doing different things.
      Pocahontas County is truly a tourist playground. And what is a playground but a place with warm, positive connotations. A playground is childhood memories of a place we all enjoyed. It is where friends get together. It is many different fun and exciting choices. A playground is a place where you just want to go and stay for awhile.
      These combined benefits form our new Pocahontas County tourism brand positioning. Nature's Mountain Playground.
      Soon, you will be seeing and hearing it quite often. Hopefully, so will the many tourists we hope will come for a visit.
      Ultimately, our Pocahontas County Brand communicates through everything we do. It will shape how tourists think of and interpret the whole offering of Pocahontas County.

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In celebration of Mountain Times 3rd year online,
we thought you'd like to review the earlier postings.
Feb. 2002 | March 2002 | Apr. 2002 | May 2002 | June 2002
July 2002 | Aug. 2002 | Sept. 2002 | Oct. 2002 | Nov. 2002
Jan. 2003 | Feb. 2003 | March 2003 | Apr. 2003 | May 2003 | June 2003
July 2003 | Aug. 2003 | Sept. 2003 | Oct. 2003 | Nov. 2003 | Dec. 2003
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July 2004 | August 2004 | Sept. 2004 | Oct. 2004 | Nov. 2004
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Outfitters
Restaurants
Realestate

Burton ~ Salomon ~ Nitro ~ New and Used Demos Come talk to the resort's most
experienced snowboard outfitters.
Store Sale 20 - 50% OFF
Ski and Snowboard Rentals and Sales
1 mike south of WV 66 ~ 304 572-4173

Open Daily 7:30 am - 11 pm, Later on Friday

Largest Ski and Snowboard Rental Co. in the Southeast 304 572-1234
Located at the corner of Rt. 219 and Rt. 66
LOWER RATES ~ FRIENDLY SERVICE
All Ski & Snowboard Clothing and Equipment
ON SALE!!!
Entire 2nd Floor DISCOUNTED

SNOWBOARD & SKI RENTALS
Great Quality, Great Prices
Daily 7:30 am - 11 pm
Friday 7:30 am - 2 am    304 572-1200
route66@neumedia.net

Restaurant
at the Inn at SnowShoe ~ EVERY WEEKEND ~
SHOW COOKERY & BUFFET STATION
Room service available 6:30 am- 1 am
Lounge hours
Mon. - Fri. 4:30 pm - 1 am
Sat. amd Sun. 1 pm to 1 am
Menu Items available daily 'til 1 am
~ 304 572-1000 ~

Open 7 AM until 9 PM
Home of the $4 breakfast!
Located on the corner of
Rt. 219 and Rt. 66

An intimate off-mountain dining experience
Featuring an International Buffet with
live local music each Thursday nite.
5 miles south of WV 66 on US 219
Open Thursday thru Monday evenings
For reservations call:     304 572-3771
Privately owned and operated Since 1982

Douglas S. Keith, Broker
Christine Butler, Assoc. Broker
Beverly Figg, GRI ~ Matt Matthews
Raymond Godwin     304 572-5687
P.O. Box 364 Snowshoe, WV 26209
Visit our Office in Shaver's Centre, Snowshoe Mountain

Presenting the Height of Luxury
Allegheny Springs at Snowshoe Mountain
Yours to own 1-800-489-1943

Mountain Country Properties
304 572-4663      mcpinfo@sunlitsurf.com
David Curtis, Broker
Sales Associates: Jeanette Canada, Bet Curtis P.O. Box 7
Slaty Fork, WV 26291
on Rt. 219, about 1 mile south
of Rt. 66 intersection.

Glades Hardware

Marlinton WV
304 799-4912

Calhoun & Kipp
Unique Items from around the world.
Mon. thru Sat. 10 am 'til 9 pm
Sunday 9 am 'til 8 pm
304 572-5250

shgiven@pocahontastimes.com

Eight Rivers Web Designs Last update Oct. 29, 2004
by Michael Condon omb00875@mail.wvnet.edu

	Douglas S. Keith, Broker Christine Butler, Assoc. Broker Beverly Figg, GRI ~ Matt Matthews Raymond Godwin 304 572-5687 P.O. Box 364 Snowshoe, WV 26209
Visit our Office in Shaver's Centre, Snowshoe Mountain