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First Flannel Fest

Submitted photos Festival goers dressed in flannel enjoy the live music offered at the first-ever Flannel Fest celebration, which took place on Oct. 26 in Philippi.

PHILIPPI – The city of Philippi offered its first-ever Flannel Fest celebration on Oct. 26 with live music, craft beer and cider, cornhole games, a bonfire and more.

“I think it was a great success,” Philippi City Clerk Tammy Stemple told The Inter-Mountain. “We had great weather and lots of people came… Generally, everyone had a really great time.”

Taking place behind BC Bank on Bosworth Street, the event also featured contests and competitions including sack racing, pumpkin tossing, a beard/mustache contest with the categories of Best Decorated, Longest and Best , and a pumpkin carving contest that was determined by “people’s choice.”

“We had a lot of kids there that participated in sack races and the pumpkin throw,” Stemple said.

According to Stemple, Flannel Fest volunteers were told by festival-goers that they really enjoyed the “laid back feeling” of the event.

A competitor prepares to throw a pumpkin during the first-ever Flannel Fest’s pumpkin-tossing competition.

“It was just a relaxing event,” Stemple said. “They thought the music line-up was great, and they just enjoyed the day. It was peaceful. The weather was good, the music was good and they enjoyed getting out and talking to people.”

Flannel Fest’s music line-up included Gracie Campbell, Left on Read, Haley & The Hard Way and the Parachute Brigade.

Stemple said she and her husband estimated that around 90% of Flannel Fest attendees wore flannel during the event.

The idea behind Flannel Fest came from Philippi City Manager Jeremy Drennen, Stemple said.

“Our city manager was on vacation and the community he was at, he saw that they had a fall festival,” Stemple told The Inter-Mountain in a previous interview. “He thought that was pretty cool so he wanted to try out something here in Philippi.”

When asked if Flannel Fest was going to return next year, Stemple said yes, hopefully.

“That’s what we’re planning, you know, everything worked out well, we’ll do it next year,” Stemple said. “We’ll have a follow-up meeting here in about a month or so and get some of the committee’s ideas on what we can add, what we might need to change.”

Stemple added that Philippi’s Christmas Committee is working on several upcoming events for the holiday season, including a Christmas concert, play, dance and even a stroll.

“They’re also planning a Christmas stroll where people can stroll downtown into the various restaurants and locations to hear music,” Stemple said. “That’s a really nice evening as well.”

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