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2019 Woodly the Elf announced

The Inter-Mountain photo by Dan Geohagan Melanie Dempsey, director of the Mountain State Forest Festival’s Queen’s Department, left, smiles with Kendal Ray, winner of the 2019 Woodly the Elf poster contest.

BEVERLY– Mountain State Forest Festival officials announced Thursday that Tygart Valley Christian Academy student Kendal Ray is the winner of the 2019 Woodly the Elf poster contest.

Ray, who will portray Woodly the Elf in this year’s Forest Festival, was honored at the school Thursday afternoon.

“I am really happy,” Kendal said afterward. “I was hoping I was going to win. I thought, ‘If I win, I am going to so many places and be a part of the Forest Festival.”

This is the 50th year for the Woodly the Elf poster contest. The first winner was Christina Hensley, who named the elf in her poster “Woodly” and set the name for the popular character.

“Christina’s poster depicted Woodly in the forest involved in different events and she wrote ‘Woodly’ on there. He never had a name before,” Melanie Dempsey, director of the MSFF Queen’s Department, said Thursday. “When they asked little Christy why she named him ‘Woodly,’ she said, ‘because when I think of the Forest Festival I think of the woods, so I thought it would be a good name for our little elf.'”

Kendal said she can’t wait for the Forest Festival to begin.

“I’m excited about the Queen’s Ball and walking down the hill,” she said. Her poster was chosen out of hundreds of entries from the schools in Randolph County.

Kendal is the first private school student to ever win the contest. Last year’s Woodly was Adam Ayers from Jennings Randolph Elementary School.

The 83rd Mountain State Forest Festival will be from Sept. 28- Oct. 6.

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