Enjoy the friendly atmosphere and a pint or two. Photos courtesy of the Brazen Head Inn

Drew Tanner
Staff Writer
      Just over the border in Randolph County, the Brazen Head Inn offers all-day dining with a flair for all things Irish. Irish brews on tap and traditional fare such as Irish potato cakes, or "paddy cakes," and Irish coddle are among the unique offerings on the menu. Our Friday night dinner reservation was for six o’clock, and the evening's first guests were just beginning to arrive.
      Owner Will Fanning welcomed us at the door and gave us the option of sitting in the dining room or the pub. A lively murmur of conversation was coming from the pub, and I could see a string bass leaning against the far wall. In the main dining room, pressed table cloths and neatly folded napkins awaited dinner guests.
      While a formal dinner might have been nice, my wife, Maribeth, and I opted for the pub, which felt homey and inviting. Our server was friendly and more than happy to bring us a couple of pints of Guinness.
      While we waited for our food, Fanning drifted from his place behind the bar and invited us to wander around the dining room and pub to take a look at the intricately detailed woodcarvings gracing the walls.
      When our food finally came, we were struck by the simple presentation. Despite appearances, however, the food before us was more than enough to fill us up.
      I had opted for the roasted salmon filet, basted and served with an Irish butter sauce. On the side were Irish potato cakes and green beans. The salmon was delicious and moist; the savory herb butter sauce gave just the right amount of added flavor to the filet.
      The Irish potato cakes were a treat in themselves. Basically mashed potatoes combined with onions and then fried in patties, they were very tasty. Maribeth ordered the Irish Portabella, a portabella mushroom cap stuffed with a mix of shredded cabbage and other vegetables and topped with melted provalone.
      I had to try a couple of bites myself and enjoyed the mixture of earthy mushroom, a slaw-like combination of vegetables and creamy provalone. Washed down with Guinness, we found our dinners very satisfying and still managed to leave a little room for dessert.
      A smooth chocolate mousse between a cake-like crust and accompanied by coffee capped our evening meal. Other entrees on the menu that caught our eyes were the Mingo Chicken ­ grilled chicken breast in a balsamic marinade and garnished with sautéed walnuts, orange slice and cranberry compote ­ and the Roasted Pork Loin. Getting a salad with your meal? Opt for the sweet and tangy raspberry vinaigrette house dressing.
      A rarity in the area, Brazen Head also offers a good mix of hearty vegetarian entrees, including the Irish Portabella, Vegetable Lasagna and Penne Pasta Primavera.

Mike's Irish Coddle- a hearty spud and onion soup is on hand year round to warm your cockles. Photos courtesy of the Brazen Head Inn

      The menu is rounded out by a variety of lighter soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch and a wide selection of breakfast fare. The inn's traditional Irish breakfast comes complete with two eggs made to order, paddy cakes, mildly spiced sausage, or bangers (imported from Ireland's County Cork) and a slab of ham, garnished with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes and served with Irish soda bread.
      West Virginia old-time breakfasts include local favorites such as home fries, bacon, biscuits and gravy and buttermilk pancakes with syrup. A selection of omelets, French toast and bagels round out the all-American portion of the breakfast menu.
      Dinner at the Brazen Head is served Wednesday through Sunday, while breakfast and lunch are served mainly on Saturdays and Sundays. During the summer, in addition to the main dining room and Mike’s Pub, the Brazen Head can seat up to 20 guests on the back porch.
      Any time of year, any time of day, you'll be likely to find something at the Brazen Head to please the palate and take your taste buds across the big pond.  

The Opera House in Marlinton provides an entertainment venue offering music, drama and dance. Photo by Drew Tanner

Opera House presents a musical March mix

Barbara Elliott
Contributing Writer
      The Pocahontas County Opera House, 818 Third Avenue in Marlinton, will present a broad spectrum of musical programs in March. Here's the lineup:

Folk-Rock Duo Smith & Roberts
Return March 5

      The popular regional folk-rock duo of Rob Smith and Keith Roberts will make an encore appearance at the Opera House on Saturday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m.

Popular regional folk-rock duo of Rob Smith and Keith Roberts will make an encore appearance at the Opera House on Saturday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. Photos courtesy of the bands

      Residents of Garrett County, Maryland, Smith and Roberts first got together in the mid-1970s. They soon became popular on the local music scene and eventually recorded a number of their original songs on the album Buffalo Run.
      After a 20-year hiatus during which the two singer/songwriters raised families, they reunited in 2003. They first performed at the Opera House soon after that reunion.
      Their act has expanded to include Fred Crozier on mandolin, Dickie Lansberry on bass and Alex Hicks on drums. Smith and Roberts share singing and guitar duties, with Roberts most often performing instrumental leads on guitar and at times on banjo. Crozier and Hicks often pitch in with vocal backings.
      One writer said that Smith and Roberts' music examines in varied ways of what life‹both on the mountaintop and in general--was, is and could be.

Solazo Blazes with Spicy Latin Rhythms

      No matter what the temperature is outside, there will be a heat wave inside the Opera House on Friday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m. when Solazo ("blazing sun") takes to the stage for an evening of Latin contemporary music. This concert was rescheduled from February due to weather.

Solazo delivers a unique blend of Latin contemporary dance music and soulful ballads that appeal to all ages and cultures. Photos courtesy of the bands

      Hailing from Cuba, Argentina, and Chile, the five members of this highly acclaimed band are now making their third tour of the United States. Solazo delivers a unique blend of Latin contemporary dance music and soulful ballads that appeal to all ages and cultures. Their newest CD, Mindful Journeys, is an exciting compilation of original music inspired by traditional styles borrowed form Spain, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Ecuador.
      Layered with sensual Cuban rhythms and spiked with the unusual flavors of Andean sounds (panpipe, charango, and mandolin), their unique and artful arrangements move fluidly from flamenco to mambo within the course of a single song, creating a rare blend of Latin folk and dance music. The band's sound is further distinguished by enchanting and pure vocal harmonies that consistently captivate the audience.
      Band members are Pepe Aranda (lead singer/guitar/bass guitar), originally from Chile; Kike Rodriguez (singer/guitar), also a native of Chile; Miguel Benitez (singer, guitar/bass and guitar/dancer) originally from Corinda, Province of Formosa, in northern Argentina; Vladimir Espinoza (percussion/dancer /singer) from Havana, Cuba; and Francisco "Pancho" Aranda (percussion /singer) from Chile.

All aboard for Larry Keel and Natural Bridge

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge at the Opera House on Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. Photos courtesy of the bands

      The freight train that is Larry Keel and Natural Bridge will make a stop at the Opera House on Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. Larry Keel is a young veteran musician who combines a deep connection to Bluegrass heritage with his highly developed ability to play and compose music ranging from classical-sounding to heavy metal energy, all the while paying respect to any style of "roots" music and music with taste.
      Over the years Larry Keel has not only developed a singular style of flatpicking the guitar, but he has used that vehicle to launch his original brand of songwriting and singing.
      Currently, Keel is matching up his sometimes explosive, sometimes delicately subtle and floating musical energies with his wife, Jenny, on upright bass and vocals and an ever-expanding roster of top guest artists. The network of musical collaborators who round out Natural Bridge is ever changing.

"Music from Home"       Embodies the Spirit of Appalachia

      On Thursday, March 31, the Opera House will present an exciting musical performance, Music from Home, written and performed by Ron Short, veteran member of Roadside Theater from the mountains of Whitesburg, Kentucky. For the past 28 years, Roadside (one part of the famed Appalshop arts and education center) has been touring its original plays across the United States and abroad.

Music from Home, written and performed by Ron Short Photos courtesy of the bands

      Music from Home, the company's newest production, features powerful vocal renditions of original songs -- sometimes sung a cappella; sometimes accompanied by banjo, guitar, fiddle, and accordion; always inspired by the Appalachian Mountain traditions in which the author/composer was born and raised.
      Woven through the musical score is a narrative of plain spoken poems and biting commentary about life and love. Short's generous performance, versatile musicianship, and soaring voice combine with a compelling script to make Music from Home a surprising evening of live performance that is musically fresh, entertaining, and, finally, moving.
      The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner raved, "Roadside Theater may be geographically from a remote region of America, but spiritually this company exposes the territory of the human heart. Ron Short's songs sound as if they were composed by a rural Bruce Springsteen." Performances at the Opera House are informal, family-friendly and open to all. Adult tickets are $5 and are sold only at the door. Children are admitted free. The entrance and main seating are handicapped accessible. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to attend; special accommodations can be arranged upon request. For further information, call 800-336-7009 or (304) 799-4636

      These performances are part of the 2004/2005 Performance Series sponsored by the Pocahontas County Opera House Foundation. The Series is presented with financial assistance through a grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Financial support is also provided by Pocahontas County Drama, Fairs and Festivals.

 

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Jason Bauserman skims impurities from the boiling sap. Photos by Drew Tanner

Making maple sugar

How sweet it is!
Drew Tanner
Staff Writer
      The sweet, sticky syrup we love to pour over a stack of pancakes or waffles has a history that dates back before colonial times.
      Here in Pocahontas county, a handful of people actively take part in the maple sugaring tradition. Some produce just enough for their families, while others make enough to share and offer for sale.
      People in the Allegheny Highlands love their maple syrup and maple trees. One local story recalls John Yeager, who was born and lived at Top of Allegheny in the early and middle parts of the 19th century. More than 500 sugar maples were on the Yeager family farm.
      During the War Between the States, Confederate soldiers felled Yeager's magnificent grove of maples to construct fortifications atop Allegheny Mountain in the autumn of 1861. Soon after, in December, Yeager passed away.
      Some say it was a broken heart, from seeing his hundreds of beloved sugar maples cut down, according to Jason Bauserman.
      Bauserman, of Bartow, has been participating in the centuries-old tradition of maple sugaring for more than 30 years.

After freezing temperatures and a day of rain, a strong flow of maple sap is found at the collection tanks. Photos by Drew Tanner

      During a six-week window that begins in the middle of February, the Bauserman family keeps an eye on the weather. Freezing temperatures followed by quick thaws provide the conditions necessary to prime the pump and keep the sweet sap flowing.
      "When it thaws, the trees seem to know it's time to begin budding and leafing," Bauserman said, "and the sugar begins moving through the tree, on its way up to the branches. That's, of course, when we catch it."
      A little rain doesn't hurt the harvest either.
      "If you have a good freeze and then it rains, you might have a run that goes on for 36 to 48 hours," Bauserman noted. "You're exhausted. You're just up all the time, keeping up with the flow."
      Of course, Mother Nature does throw the occasional curveball to toy with the sensitive sap flow. Bauserman recalled times when temperatures were above freezing, but cold winds brought a steady stream of sap to a halt. Conversely, even when it's 32 degrees, it's possible that plenty of sunshine might warm the trees up enough to result in a strong flow.

The smell of wood smoke and maple scented steam signal the beginning of the sugaring season, and a sweet treat to come. Photos by Drew Tanner

      "It keeps me guessing," he said. With more than 400 taps in 188 maple trees, Bauserman might have around 400 gallons of sap during a run.
      "Over a season of six weeks, you might get about 12 or 15 good runs in," he continued.
      Do the math, and you have the potential for 6,000 gallons of sap for the season.
      Gone, however, are the days of tapping spikes and lugging buckets of sap. At eight pounds per gallon, lugging 6,000 buckets could put quite a strain on the back. In the old days of harvesting sap on foot and by horse, a stand of maples, called a maple orchard or sugarbush, on relatively flat ground was considered ideal, noted Bauserman.
      Today, sugarbushes on inclines are preferred. Now, where once there might have been buckets and spikes, a network of food-grade tubing connects Bauserman's trees to a single collection point near the road, letting gravity do the work on the sloped maple orchard.
      Straight from the tree, the sap contains has a sugar content of about two or three percent, according to Bauserman.

Jeff Bauserman makes a field repair to a leaky sap line. Photos by Drew Tanner

      "The syrup made early on in the season is the best and the sweetest," Bauserman observed. "You can even taste it in the sap."
      The collected sap is boiled on an evaporation tray at a temperature of 217 degrees, high enough to drive off the water, but low enough that the sugar will not caramelize or scorch. The goal is a syrup that is two-thirds sugar and one-third water, according to Bauserman. A hydrometer is used to measure the sugar content and to help him bring the syrup to the fine line between crystallization and fermentation.
      "It really is a living water," Bauserman said, noting the sap needs to be boiled while still fresh, before bacteria have a chance to act on it. Maple sap harvested by the Bauserman family in the evening is typically boiled later that night.
      The maple syrup is then run through a filter press to remove nitre, or sugar sand, as well as other heavy mineral deposits found in the wood, according to Bauserman.
      The result is a "healthful sugar," said Bauserman, that contains trace amounts of minerals and vitamins that occur naturally in the trees.
      It also tastes great.
      "Blueberry waffles with maple syrup on Saturdays has become one of our family traditions," Bauserman noted. The family grows its own organic blueberries, too.

Jeff Bauserman collects sap from the large collection tanks to take to the sugar shack. Photos by Drew Tanner

      The flavor and color of the syrup are affected by a variety of variables.
      Take the trees, for example.
      "Trees are just like people," Bauserman observed. "Some are sweeter than others, some give more sap than others and some you don't get anything out of."
      "You can stand under some trees on a sunny day and feel like you're being rained on," he added.
      The trees that yield the sweetest sap are those with many leaves, found in relatively open areas, according to Bauserman. Roadside and fence row trees tend to have sweeter sap as well.
      "Maple trees in the woods, with fewer leaves, are not quite as good," he added.
      In Pocahontas County, sugar maples are usually found in the limestone soils found west of the Greenbrier River, Bauserman noted.
      How early or late in the season sap is collected also has an affect on the syrup's taste, he continued.
      The best syrup comes early in the season, when the sugar content of the sap is more concentrated. In February, Bauserman might have to boil only 27 gallons of sap to get one gallon of syrup. Toward the end of the season, one gallon of syrup might take 60 gallons of sap, he said.

Jason's wife, Julia, handles the marketing of the Bauserman family's maple syrup. Photos by Drew Tanner

      Having to boil more syrup for a longer time means a higher likelihood some of the sugar might caramelize, slightly altering the flavor of the syrup and resulting in a darker color. Some people prefer the darker syrup, Bauserman noted, while the highly refined grading system used in Vermont extols the virtues of Grade A Light Amber.
      Aside from the soil, individual trees, timing and weather, luck and intuition are the remaining factors affecting the flavor.
      "Everybody makes a good syrup and a bad syrup," Bauserman said. With so many variables from sap to sugar shack, no two batches are ever quite the same.
      For Bauserman, collecting the sap and heading to the sugar shack to fire up the evaporator is just plain fun.
      "It's just an enjoyable thing to do," he said.
      Over 30 years, Bauserman has watched his hobby of making eight or 10 gallons each year for his family grow into a small business necessitating a 1,500 gallon holding tank just for the sap.
      Quart jugs of his family's maple syrup can be found on store shelves in Pocahontas and Greenbrier Counties.
      The Bauserman family's maple syrup was also served at this writer's brunch wedding reception last September, much to the pleasure of about 50 friends and family members.

 

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County tourism numbers tell a success story

Mel Hobbs
Executive Director
Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau
      For any organization it's always important to have standard procedures that can track and measure progress. This not only helps to monitor your present course of action but also determines your degree of success in reaching your short- and long-term goals.
      At the Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau, we track all tourism inquiries through phone calls to our Bureau, our Web site and advertising leads. Not only does this statistical data give us an important measurement tool, it also builds a database of names and addresses for targeted direct mail programs. More than 20,000 names are captured each year and added to our database.
      In the past year, 24,061 persons contacted the Bureau to request tourism information. This represents a 5% increase compared to 2003. It means more people are interested in knowing more about us.
      Our Web site, www.pocahontascountywv.com, is tracked for the number of page views. During the past year, the number of page views has tripled compared to 2003. More than 57,000 pages of our Web site are viewed each month by online visitors.
      Interestingly, while our Web site use has increased, phone calls to the Bureau have slightly declined. This is indicative of the growing trend by people to seek information online.
      But, of course, these numbers tell only the amount of people seeking information. It doesn't tell us how many people actually visited Pocahontas County.
      The total number of visitors is difficult to ascertain. Someone from another state or county can slip into Pocahontas County, do a little fishing or hiking for the day, and slip back out without anyone knowing they were here.
      But we can measure the cumulative number of persons visiting the major tourist attractions in the county based upon the numbers they provide.
      During a five year period from 1999 through 2003, it is reported that more than 1.2 million people visited the county's major tourist attractions [based upon those attractions that provided a visitation report]. The good news is this represents a 15% increase in visitors during this time period.
      Another measuring stick includes the number of people who came to our five Visitor Centers in the county. In 2004, our Centers at Marlinton, Cranberry, Green Bank, Cass and Durbin greeted 101,316 people, a 10% increase over the previous year.
      Perhaps the most important measurement, at least to the Bureau and those organizations that benefit from it, is the Hotel/Motel Tax, a consumer tax of 3% for visitors staying overnight in a Pocahontas County lodging establishment.
      Again, using the same five year period from 1999 through 2003, the county has experienced tremendous growth in the amount of lodging dollars, averaging 8% growth per year and a total increase of 40% over this time period.
      All of these numbers tell us that tourism in Pocahontas County continues to grow and succeed, which is certainly good for our business community and economy. But of course there is always something else to measure.
      This information doesn't tell us what satisfaction level visitors experienced during their stay in Pocahontas County or if they plan to come back again. Yes, more measurements and tracking. But we'll leave those for another time.

 

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