1.800.447.8797                                                   Official Website of Berkeley Springs, WV ~ The Country's First Spa

by Jeanne Mozier

There's a party in Berkeley Springs on Saturday, April 17 [Ed. Note: This article refers to the 1999 festival] and the stars are products from all over Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. Not just any products, but those you can eat and drink.

Dubbed Uniquely West Virginia, the food and wine festival fills the Ice House in the center of town each year with everything from hot mustard and maple syrup to smoked trout. Tasting is encouraged especially by the half-dozen West Virginia wineries and a micro-brewery that constitute the beverage section of the show. More than 100 products will be featured, all proudly bearing the WV Grown label.

Gearing up for the sixth staging of Uniquely West Virginia, its producer looks back fondly on the event's beginnings.

"Wilson Ward came up with the idea for the show," said Jill Klein Rone who developed the event with Travel Berkeley Springs. "He wanted a wine festival in the Eastern Panhandle that would work for his award-winning Fisher Ridge Winery," she said. "We massaged it into a celebration that included everything from smoked trout logs to handmade fudge."

Rone painted the event as a success from its inception. "We were amazed at all the deal-making and product sales that resulted. It was an even bigger hit than we imagined," she said. "And we're eternal optimists."

Nearly 2000 people come to the free festival each year, not only to explore West Virginia products, but also to stroll around the historic spa town and sample other West Virginia treats in local shops and restuarants.

One of the greatest successes of Uniquely West Virginia is how it changes public attitudes about the state's products. "By now we're used to all the road kill jokes when people first come in the door," said Rone. "Their attitude changes as they move around the room filled with all the great products. Repeatedly visitors to the festival tell us that they had no idea there were so many good things to eat and drink made in the state," she said.

Uniquely West Virginia has been strongly supported by West Virginia's Agriculture Secretary, Gus Douglas. His department's technical assistance for developing and marketing West Virginia products is one reason why there are so many sellers at the festival. Joining the Department of Agriculture with a wide array of state products is Tamarack, the remarkable marketing project based in the southern part of the state. "People can check out hundreds of products at these two displays alone," promised Rone.

There are also 21 individual vendors featured at Uniquely West Virginia, most with stories as tasty as their products.

Marilyn Fauhle's smoked rainbow trout logs sell out every year. She started in the business almost a decade ago after reading about how trout farming worked as a business elsewhere. "Business is booming," said Fauhle, and not just at the one-day festival. Her whole smoked trout are regularly available as appetizers at restaurants throughout the region.

Local Berkeley Springs producers make up a third of the festival vendors and include fresh and dried herbs from Flo Hakimer's Wrenwood Nursery. Hakimer offers herbal blends developed for medicinal uses as well as simple aromatics. The award-winning Tari's Cafe will feature Tari's own special twist on two favorite West Virginia foods -- trout cakes and braided bread pepperoni rolls. The Bath House offers handmade soaps, bath products and gift baskets that compliment the bath and massage services they provide at their in-town shop.

As tasty as the food vendors are, the wineries and microbrewers are the real crowd pleasers. It's common to see folks lugging off cases of wine after choosing their favorites. Products for sipping range from honey-based mead to delicate blush.

A special attraction this year is the debut of a great new book about the state. Berkeley Springs author Jeanne's Mozier's "Way Out in West Virginia" is billed as a must-have giode to the oddities and wonders of the Mountain State. Mozier will be reading and signing her book.

The festival runs from noon to 5pm on Saturday, April 17, but the Uniquely West Virginia celebration of state edibles and potables continues through the weekend at shops and more than a half-dozen restaurants in and around Berkeley Springs.

Mobilize your tastebuds and take them for an outing in the country. Uniquely West Virginia will be on the tip of your tongue all weekend long; and if you buy wisely,for weeks to come.

For more information on Uniquely West Virginia, peruse our press release and our list of vendors, or call Travel Berkeley Springs at 1-800-447-8797.