As you might recall from your eighth grade civics class (if you were schooled in West Virginia, that is), that site is Spruce Knob in Pendleton County, ascending to 4,863 feet above sea level -- and the site of the fourth annual Spruce Knob Kite Festival, happening from noon until 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 29.
Festival-goers can fly their own kites during the day or just gaze skyward and marvel at the monster kite demonstrations that will take place during next week's event.
The festival is produced under the aegis of the nonprofit, Circleville-based Experience Learning and is intended to be as easy as it is breezy for its participants to attend and relish.
"We're excited about hosting events of all sorts," Experience Learning Executive Director David C. Martin said earlier this month from his Pendleton County office. "A lot of them are a little bit intimidating for people. We have a big foot race in the fall called the West Virginia Trilogy that we do with the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners. We have a bicycle race in July, the Gravel Ride Up Spruce Knob. A few of the things like that are pretty athletic, but the Kite Festival is something free and open to the public, a low-barrier event for people to come up and enjoy the place. We were looking for events and wanted to do something pretty low-key, family friendly and free. It's almost always windy on Spruce Knob, so we decided to try kite flying.
"It's kind of like an old-fashioned open house. There's no RSVP needed -- just come on up to Spruce Knob and enjoy some of the prettiest country in the state."
Martin said the three previous Kite Festivals have attracted approximately 200 people to the windy pinnacle each year. "Folks come up to enjoy the vendors, fly a kite or just sit back, watch and enjoy the view. I don't fly kites, but my kids certainly do. ... It's become a bit of a reunion over the years as well; lots of folks come for a lot of reasons."
Along with the kites in flight, the festival will feature a beer garden that opens and untaps at 2 p.m. and offer an array of local brews and ciders to sample and savor. Food trucks will provide plenty of nosh options, including maple cotton candy.
Following the high-flown festival, visitors can travel down the slope to the yurts for an evening promising more food trucks, live music and a community campfire.
Primitive camping will be available on site for $10; payment will be accepted at the welcome tent. Other accommodations are available at nearby Yokum's Vacationland and NROCKS.
All proceeds from the festival are channeled to Experience Learning. "As a nonprofit, anything we generate over operating expenses we roll over into future growth for the programs for the kids," Martin explained.
The Experience Learning ethos
"Experience Learning is basically a youth development organization, sort of like 4-H or Scouts or any other number of organizations like that," Martin said.
The Experience Learning staff works with youths in two main fields to foster their development, he added. "We have science education to help kids get a little more up to speed on science topics, and we do personal growth stuff through adventuring. It's about self-confidence building.
"We work all year round all over the Eastern Seaboard, predominantly here in West Virginia. In three seasons, we work with schoolkids from all over the place. It could be something as simple as scientific method or basic STEM concepts to more in-depth studies of water quality or making maple syrup in their classrooms. We're helping kids and their teachers use the outdoors as an extension of their classrooms."
Each summer, Experience Learning also oversees a variety of stewardship camps for youths ranging from Small Fries (for first and second grade students) to Mountain Trail Biking Camps for eighth through 12th graders, as well as some outdoor opportunities for adult campers, too.
"The summer camps are neat, because there's a stewardship focus they have. Kids can have fun and adventures like camping, backpacking, rock climbing, and canoeing, but we also ask them to be stewards for trail maintenance and cleanups to give back to the community and the spaces we work in in the program. They have a great time in the summer and meet kids from all over. They can also earn some of their community service hours at the camp," Martin said.
While some of the camps have already taken place or have reached enrollment capacity this year, others are still accepting applications. A list of the camps, dates, fees, and further details is available on the Experience Learning website (the URL is posted below).
"We do have a pretty good scholarship pot of money available right now," Martin noted, "so parents shouldn't consider financial limitations a barrier to attending the camps."
And if you're intrigued by the prospect of joining the Gravel Run Up Spruce Knob, this year's GRUSK event is scheduled for July 11 through July 13. Mountain bicyclists have the option of undertaking the gravel-and-dirt Spruce Knob course on 27-, 50-, 82-, 14- or 212-mile routes. GRUSK will also feature a post-race dinner, live music each evening, camping ($15 per person for the weekend) or dorm bunking (for $30 per night), a charity raffle, and campfires each night.
Additional information, including registration forms, is posted on the Experience Learning website. For more information about the Spruce Knob Kite Festival, the summer stewardship camps and other programs and outdoor activities provided by Experience Learning, visit www.experience-learning.org or call 304-606-3233.
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