Events have been announced for the 51st annual West Virginia Molasses Festival on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-29, at West Fork Park, Arnoldsburg. This year’s theme is “Growing Our Future Through Traditions.”
Coronation of Molasses Festival Queen Caylie Simmons will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2 p.m., at Arnoldsburg Community Building. A reception will follow the ceremony.
Quilts only will be accepted on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, Sept. 26, exhibits and coun-try store items can be submitted from 2 to 7 p.m.
Festival organizers are requesting additional items for the country store. Commission is 10 percent.
Numerous vendors will be operating on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-29, and a variety of concessions will be available starting at 9 a.m. Molasses making demonstrations will be held each day.
Crowning of the fes-tival king and queen will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27. Candidates are students from Arnoldsburg Ele-mentary School. The king and queen are selected by penny a vote, with proceeds going to the PTO.
Pretty baby contest will begin after the king and queen are crowned on Sept. 27, with regis-trations taken until 5 p.m. on that day. Additional information is available by calling Kristie Ritchie, 354-0118, after 6 p.m.
Heritage Day will be held on Sept. 28. Elemen-tary students will attend and see more than a dozen demonstrations from mo-lasses, basket, and rag rug making to a Civil War encampment.
Another Sept. 28 high-light is a sausage and pancake supper from 3:30 to 6 p.m., sponsored by Minnie Hamilton Health System. Gospel music will feature The Tanner Boys at 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 30’s events in-clude a 5K race at 8 a.m., with registration beginning at 7 a.m. The kitchen will open at 8 a.m. and the Country Store will open at 9 a.m.
Chicken barbecue din-ners will be available at 11 a.m., sponsored by Calhoun Banks.
The 9th annual Cal-houn County 4-H & FFA Youth Livestock Show and Sale will be held at the Youth Livestock property (old Arnoldsburg school), with animal placement at 10 a.m., showmanship, 3:30 p.m., registered buyers dinner, 4:30 p.m., and auction, 5 p.m.
Parade line-up will begin at 11 a.m. at Arnoldsburg Elementary. Judging of horses and wagons at the school will begin at noon. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. For information, call Stewart or Michelle Fitwater, 655-8527.
Tractor show and judg-ing will be held behind the community building after the parade.
Cruise-in will be held in Stump Funeral Home lot from 2 to 5 p.m.
At 3 p.m., there will be skillet and hay bale tossing competitions on the baseball field. Entry fee for each toss is $5, with women’s class (13-up), men’s class (13-up) and kid’s class (12-under) for each skill. For information or to enter, call Denise Carter, 655-7487.
Parade trophy presen-tations are at 3:30, with prize and raffle drawings at 6:45.
Country music will be provided by the Cowboys of Gassaway at 7 p.m.
