Local News

Maids of Honor

Fath and Shoemaker selected to serve in MSFF 85th Royal Court

ELKINS -- Mountain State Forest Festival Director General Jon Morgan has announced the appointments of Miriam Christienne Fath and Sophia Ann Shoemaker as Maids of Honor to Queen Silvia LXXXV. Fath and Shoemaker are bestowed with the highest Randolph County honors in the Forest Festival's 85th Royal Court.

Fath is the daughter of Rick and Tracy Fath of Elkins. She is the granddaughter of Holt and Sue Chenoweth of Elkins, Tom and Connie Fletcher of Pinehurst, North Carolina, and Michel and Marinette Fath of Lausanne, Switzerland. She has two brothers, Hunter and Levi Fath.

Fath is a 2023 graduate of Elkins High School, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, Top 10 percent of her graduating class, a varsity tennis player and a varsity cheerleader. In the fall, she will be a freshman at West Virginia University where she plans to major in Political Science/Pre-Law with the hope to continue to law school.

Fath is employed at Starbucks at The Marketplace as a Barista. In her spare time, Miriam enjoys playing tennis, shopping, baking and spending time with friends, family and her three labs.

Shoemaker is the daughter of Chad and Christie Shoemaker of Elkins. She is the granddaughter of Patricia Corley and the late Curtis Corley and the late Bud and Elsie Shoemaker, all of Elkins. She has one sister, Sara Shoemaker.

Shoemaker is a 2023 graduate of Elkins High School, where she was Valedictorian, Student Body President, National Honor Society President, a four-year member of Class Council, a member of the Spanish National Honor Society and a member of the track and field team.

In the fall, Sophia will be a freshman at West Virginia Wesleyan College, where she plans to major in Biochemistry. At Wesleyan, she is a Presidential Scholar, a member of the WVWC Honors Program and a WVWC Service Leadership Scholar. Her future plans include attending Medical School to one day be a physician.

In her spare time, Shoemaker enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, babysitting and cooking/baking.

Shoemaker said, "I am excited to be a part of the 85th Mountain State Forest Festival and experience everything it has to offer. The Festival has been a tradition in our family, my mom was a Maid of Honor in 1994, my sister was a flower girl in 2011, and my dad Director General in 2017." Sophia also served as a Royal Jester in the 80th Festival.

Fath and Shoemaker will accompany Queen Silvia LXXXV during her Royal Coronation on Oct. 6, 2023, at the Citizens Bank of WV Outdoor Amphitheatre located on the campus of Davis & Elkins College.

The 85th edition of the Mountain State Forest Festival with the theme "Endlessly Wild and Wonderful" will take place Sept. 30, 2023, to Oct. 8, 2023. For more information, visit the Mountain State Forest Festival website at www.forestfestival.com or call the festival office at 304-636-1824