ELKINS — The Randolph County Commission approved a funding request from the Mountain State Forest Festival during its most recent meeting.

Mountain State Forest Festival Executive Director Heidi Bray spoke before County Commissioners David Kesling and Chris See and provided an update on new things happening at this year’s event, which is scheduled for Sept. 27 through Oct. 5.

“This year we are striving again to bring big acts and exhibits in for everyone,” Bray said. “Our Grand Feature Parade includes the Avalon String Band from Philadelphia, the Camden County New Jersey Emerald Society Pipes and Drum Band, the Pittsburgh Steel Line Band, and the X Pogo Performers. We encourage West Virginia high school bands to come and participate in both the parade and vote performance.”

Bray said that the MSFF has restructured its Band Field Show this year to a “Band Spectacular” rather than a “Band Field Show.”

“We are offering a travel stipend for those bands to come, instead of giving out prize money,” Bray said.

Bray told the commission that this year’s events at the Elkins City Park include a butterfly encounter and a fishing tank.

“We have two new events this year, including Woodley’s Great Gravel Adventure, which is a bike race up Bickle Knob, and our Pump N Run, which is a bench press and 5K race, ” Bray said. “We are also bringing back the Chili Cook-Off on Davis Avenue that will be part of our kick-off party event.”

Bray said between this year and next, the MSFF is looking to replace all the flags located downtown.

“We are looking to replace all the flags on the city’s streets, U.S. flags, state flags, and the Mountain State Forest Festival flags,” Bray said. “They were last replaced in 2021 at a cost of $7,000.”

Randolph County Commission President David Kesling said the commission was adding money to the amount the MSFF had requested to help with the purchase of the flags.

“We have budgeted the $10,000 and then we were looking to do an additional $5,000 out of hotel/motel tax that can be used toward your flag purchase,” Kesling said. “So we are giving you a total of $15,000.”

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The Randolph County Commission also unanimously approved a funding request from Elks Lodge 1135 during the meeting.

The request was for $2,500 and was to help the Elks’ National Drug Awareness Program. The money will help pay for a guest speaker coming to Randolph County during National Drug Awareness and Prevention Week, which will be Sept. 23 through Sept. 26.

“We’ve been working a lot with the opioid money that we’ve been receiving, and I think this would be another great thing to help bring awareness to the problem we have here in the county,” Kesling said.

The next Randolph County Commission meeting will be Sept. 18 at 1:30 p.m.