Pierslyn Laeic Farley

Director General Nathaniel Bonnell, Queen’s Department Director Megan Casto and Citizens Bank of West Virginia announce Pierslyn Laeic Farley as Woodly the Elf, the official mascot of the Mountain State Forest Festival.

Each year, a Randolph County student, from public, private or homeschooled students, is chosen to serve as Woodly the Elf through a poster contest.

Farley is the daughter of Cameron and Farrah Farley of Elkins. She is the granddaughter of Loren and Charlene Bonnell of Kerens and David and Kim Farley and Betty Smith of Beckley. She has one brother, Breckston.

In the fall, Farley will be a fifth-grade student at Elkins Middle School. She has been a dancer at Dance by Farrah for eight years, where she is a member of the competition team. She attended Third Ward Elementary, where she was an honor roll student and a member of the choir and the kindness club. Farley attends Arbor Church in Beverly. In her free time, she enjoys arts and crafts, dancing, tumbling and working on her aerial silk skills. In the future, she wants to be a dance teacher as well as a schoolteacher. She was a runner-up for Woodly the Elf in 2025 and 2024.

In addition to Farley, three runners-up were selected in the Woodly the Elf Poster Contest. This year, the runners-up are Eleanor Davis and Avery Hedrick from Jennings Randolph Elementary and Liam Rinehart from Shining Light Christian Academy. The runners-up will accompany Farley on the Woodly the Elf float in the Grand Feature Parade on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The 88th edition of the Mountain State Forest Festival with the theme “Autumn in Color” will take place from Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, through Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. More information is available by visiting festival social media, www.forestfestival.com, or calling the festival office at 304-636-1824.