It’s party time! The Back Home Festival is here again and sure to be one of the best! This is the event that brings thousands of visitors to our area and a real opportunity to put our very best foot forward as a welcoming community!
Here’s a bit of history on the festival and how it has grown over the years:
The Back Home Festival began in 2017 as the Back Home Appalachian Arts & Music Festival. In 2016, the Wetzel County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) held an Independence Day celebration that was well received by the community. The celebration included music, food and fireworks. That event sparked the idea of having a music festival the following year. Executive Director of the CVB, Robby Parsons, approached the board with the concept, and got approval for a budget. Board President, Sandy Hunt, came up with the name of the festival. The Idea behind the name was to encourage Wetzel County natives to come “Back Home” for a weekend with family and friends.
The inaugural Back Home Festival was centered around the music of regional bands, including the Davisson Brothers Band, The Rumpke Mountain Boys, Johnny Statts & the Delivery boys and many more.
Following the success of the 2017 event, the CVB decided to up the ante for the second year by bringing in a host of national acts, including the Grammy Award winning act, The Steeldrivers, and bluegrass legends, Del McCoury and David “Dawg” Grisman.
In 2019, The Allman Betts Band had the #1 rock album in the country at the time of their appearance at the festival. Each year the CVB strives to put on the best possible festival as a way to drive tourism into Wetzel County. (source: Wetzel County Museum)
The Chamber office will be closed today as we set up for the festival. Please stop by our tent for information on our local businesses.
This is a great time to get out of the house, hear some awesome music, eat delicious foods, buy many one-of-a-kind goods, see your neighbors and meet some new folks. I hope to see you there!
Click below for some tips from the Red Cross about staying safe in the heat.