Souter

DAVIS — Blackwater Falls will host a free “Evening of American Irish Songs and Stories” performance by West Virginia’s “Bard of Education” this Friday for St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

The performance will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Blackwater Falls State Park Lodge and is free to the public.

Elkins actor and musician Mick Souter will be performing a series of American Irish songs and stories that will include numerous sing-a-longs and a wide array of instruments, “including banjo, fiddle, autoharp, guitar, dulcimer and mandolin,” according to a release from Souter.

“It’s a free event,” Blackwater Falls Park naturalist Pauletta Cousins, who put together the event, told The Inter-Mountain. “You just show up at 7 o’clock.”

According to Blackwater Falls’ website, Souter is “West Virginia’s leading educational performing artist who has made over 3,000 appearances at festivals, theaters, state parks and schools throughout West Virginia and several other states.”

Souter’s performance will be interspersed with “humorous and historically based twisted tales and tangled yarns” that will set up the songs while adding an “intriguing touch of Irish blarney to the evening,” the release states.

“The show will include a variety of American Irish songs that celebrate the experience and sentiment of the Irish immigrants who poured onto America’s shores in wave after wave during the 1800s and early 1900s,” Souter said in his release. “In the process they brought not only their indomitable spirit and willingness to tackle back-breaking jobs like building the railroads and working in the mines, but also brought their wit, culture and lilting music.”

Souter will be performing songs such as “Wild Rover,” “Wearin’ of the Green,” “Whiskey in the Jar,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smilin’,” “Molly Malone” and more.

Blackwater Falls invites event guests to stay overnight at the Lodge after the performance and “enjoy a Saturday morning hike with a naturalist, exploring the woods for signs of spring.”

For more information, call Blackwater Falls State Park at 304-259-5511 or at 304-259-5216.