Submitted photo Augusta Heritage Center Chief Executive Officer Seth Young met with the Rotary Club of Elkins to update them on the Wilt Building project in downtown Elkins as well as the group’s current activities.

ELKINS — Augusta Heritage Center Chief Executive Officer Seth Young met with the Rotary Club of Elkins and provided the group with an update on the rehab and renovation of the Wilt Building in downtown Elkins as well as the group’s activities.

Since January of 2024, the Augusta Heritage Center has been fully operating from the Wilt Building in downtown Elkins. Now, the organization is working on a phased rehabilitation of the building. The downstairs of the building will contain a dance hall and a cafe. The restaurant will be rented to a vendor and there will be a common area to be shared between the vendor and Augusta. The Augusta office suite and classroom space, located on the second floor, is in the finishing stages of redevelopment. The upper two floors will be dedicated to twelve residential units for AmeriCorps and artists who have a community engagement stipulation in their lease.

“When we set out to take on this project, our vision was that the complete envelope of the building would be mission-centric to what our organization is about. We wanted to create a vibrant community of those who are engaged in civil service in our area and who are living in downtown Elkins,” said Young. Augusta has been working with AFNHA to provide services through the AmeriCorps program. Certain residential units will be redeveloped to fit within the threshold of the AmeriCorps housing stipend. Other units will be redeveloped to house emerging artists. “A part of their lease is that they will have at least one community service project per year, whether it’s a performance, a series of workshops, or a gallery show, that will be a part of their lease for living in the building,” stated Young. The first resident, Maddie Bowers, has moved into the building.

Coincidentally, Bowers was able to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards conference while in high school and she shared with Young that the weekend had a huge impact on her life. Bowers recently graduated from WVU with a master’s degree in marketing. “She’s our first resident and she’s doing a community service project through children’s theater at the Old Brick Playhouse,” said Young. It is anticipated that four of the incoming AmeriCorps members will be living in the building as well.

The top floor of the building has two efficiency apartments that will be reserved for traveling artists coming to the community to provide short-term projects, workshops, one-night concerts etc., giving Augusta the flexibility to provide more programming.

Much of the work that’s been done to the Wilt Building so far has been behind-the-scenes, yet essential, work. The fire escape has been brought up to code and rewelded. A drop-down ladder has been installed on the Third Street side of the building to provide a canopy covering for cafe tables in that area. The elevator has been returned to service and inspected. “We received a $50,000 cultural facilities grant from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History to entirely revitalize the boiler system in the building. We received a $750,000 congressional earmark through Senator Manchin’s office that is committed to upgrading the life safety systems in the building, the sprinkler, and new wiring,” added Young. “The things you’re seeing going on in there are the beginnings of the behind-the-scenes stuff before we can put the signage up and the finishing touches on it.”

The Augusta summer programming began in earnest on July 1 and concluded on July 27 with the Augusta Craft Fair in the park and the Augusta Block Party in downtown Elkins. There were over forty vendors in the park with some of West Virginia’s finest goods being showcased. There were demonstrations and workshops as well as an open fiddle and banjo contest and kids’ activities.

The themes for the various weeks included Cajun, Creole, Country, Bluegrass, Vocal, Blues and Old-Time music. “This year our Bluegrass and Vocal weeks sold out, something that hasn’t happened in a long time,” said Young. “People all over the world are hearing about the good things that are happening down here in Elkins, and they want to be a part of it.”

In addition to its summer programming and craft fair, Augusta sponsors many year-round programs in the area. The group works with Blackwater Falls State Park to implement an Irish music program and Spring vocal program which celebrates old-time bluegrass and classic country music. Additionally, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park hosts the October Old-Time retreat where the park is turned into a campus for West Virginia traditional music.

Augusta has partnered with the Benedum Foundation to create programs for the area schools. Tutorials about the culture of West Virginia have been created to help students have a sense of pride and understanding about our community.

Augusta has also worked with the Old Brick Playhouse to create a play that is about a garden. “It’s about how if your garden was about one type of vegetable, it would be a very boring garden. Gardens are the best type of garden when there’s a diverse array of plants growing in harmony together,” stated Young. The play was scripted by Missy McCollam at the Old Brick and scored by Augusta.

In conjunction with Mayor Jerry Marco and the City of Elkins, Augusta is working on an Our Town grant through the National Endowment for the Arts.

The project that is on the verge of being submitted revolves around artist wayfinding, which is sometimes referred to as Italian streetlights or bistro lights. The lights will provide a visual cue in the downtown area from the train stations to downtown businesses to help visitors find their way to those businesses. The area will include two blocks of Third Street (from Railroad Avenue to Kerens Avenue) and two blocks of Davis Avenue (from 2nd Street to 4th Street).

If the grant application is approved, local artist Nevada Tribble will provide art installations along that pathway.

Randolph County School students also benefit from Augusta’s year-round programming. There is after-school programming that includes a children’s choir. Master artists from around the state are brought in to work with those groups. Artists have taught the students songs from diverse cultures including Appalachian ballads, Cuban, Eastern European, and Gospel music. This program has been started in the elementary schools with hopes that as the students move through the grades, a middle school choir can be developed followed by a high school group in the coming years.

There is also a traditional strings program that includes fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Many area musicians including Jesse Milnes, Adam Cassiday, and Seth Maynard, teach these classes.

To eliminate the financial barrier to the program, there is a library of instruments that students can sign out for the program.

Every school in Randolph and Upshur counties participates in an assembly program that takes place during the school day. There are plans to expand this program to Pendleton, Pocahontas, Tucker and Webster counties.

“Our partnerships with area schools has never been stronger. We are dedicated to helping West Virginia’s youth learn about their culture and celebrate it,” said Young.

“We are finding many, many partners in this state as we start to transition into a tourism-based economy. That part of the portfolio is certainly growing right now. We are finding that all types of entities want to partner to create diverse and dynamic programming that celebrates our number one export right now, which is West Virginia culture.

“You travel anywhere in the world and you hear a country song or a fiddle play, that is West Virginia culture touching that area of the world,” concluded Young.

More information about the Augusta Heritage Center can be found at its website, www.augustaartsandculture.org or by calling 304-637-1209.

Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in their communities, and in themselves.

Visit www.Rotary.org to learn more about Rotary International, visit the club’s Facebook page — Rotary Club of Elkins — or contact club president Tammie Rizzio at tammierizzio@gmail.com for more information about the Rotary Club of Elkins.