Group tours Railyard Conference Center

ELKINS – The Rotary Club of Elkins held a special meeting at the Railyard Event & Conference Center, getting an inside look at the facility and learning about upcoming events. Nina Hebb, the center's director of entertainment, briefly addressed the group in the conference center area and then gave the group a tour of the building, pointing out many interesting and unique features of the center.

The center opened for operations on July 24 with a stand-up comedy showdown.

"Seven people came from all across the state and competed to win an opening spot for two main line acts, Katherine Blanford, and Brooks Whelan from Saturday Night Live. Those events were super successful. We also had the Eagles Project which is an Eagles tribute band," said Hebb, adding that 70% of the ticket holders for the Eagles Project were from outside of the county.

There are many other events already on the schedule for the Center. The West Virginia Outdoor Expo was recently held with nearly 1,000 visitors taking part in the event. There were vendors from West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Bringing visitors to the Elkins area is the main point for the center, noted Hebb.

In addition to the out-of-town acts, the center will also produce house shows. This coming season will include Echoes of Icons, featuring the music of legendary performers such as Tina Turner, Johnny Cash and the Blues Brothers. Memories on the Mainline features high energy music and fabulous costumes that span the 1950s through today's hits. A Christmas show, Home for the Holidays, will premiere on November 27 and run through December 22. Upcoming single performance acts include Felix and Fingers (a dueling piano act), an Elvis tribute, comedian Connor King, Grammy and Dove Award winner Jason Crabb and Revival on the Rails. A complete schedule of events can be found at https://therailyardwv.com/ or by calling 304-568-3030.

The conference center, in its entirety, holds approximately 500 people. The larger space can be subdivided into three smaller spaces with one of those spaces having the capability to be further split into two smaller spaces. Anyone who is interested in booking a space in the conference center can contact Holly Ferguson, the center's director of sales, at 304-568-3030. Members of the staff have visited with bus travel companies at conventions in Owensboro, KY and Reno, NV, and Pidgeon Force, TN, promoting the Railyard and all it has to offer.

The conference center's design pays tribute to the roundhouse that used to stand on the site. There is a semi-circular line on the floor that mimics the outline of the roundhouse continuing to the outdoor plaza's perimeter, completing the outline of the roundhouse. "You can see a line in the floor. It makes a perfect circle, preserving that history, going all the way out and when you open the door, the circle is completed on the other side," added Hebb.

"The trains came in and the roundhouse was where they serviced the trains. The roundhouse didn't sit over top of the turntable. They would turn the engines and take them into the roundhouse," added Rotarian and long-time train aficionado, Jim Schoonover.

The lobby that separates the conference center side of the building from the performance side of the building features artworks from local artists. “Elkins… A Journey Through Time,” by Brad Basil and Dylan Basil, as well as “Autumn Spectacular - High Falls of the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River” by Kevin "Woody" Woodcock, and “Roots, Rails & Renewal” by Brianna Kelly grace the lobby area of the Railyard. There is also a three-piece tapestry series, “Train Tracks Through Time,” created by fiber artist Nevada Tribble. Additional pieces, including Twilight Passage by Shawn Dilly and a shadowbox containing a quilt piece entitled Coming Home by Susanne Thompson will be added to the collection.

The theater is a state-of-the-art facility that holds 418 seats.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen in this area. It really is a blessing to have something like that right here, centrally located in West Virginia," said Hebb. There is an 8-seat VIP section at the back of the theater that features a server during the show who will take care of any concession needs for those patrons throughout the performance.

"It sounds so good in here, they put a lot of work into making everything sound great with the sound clouds and the acoustics," said Hebb. The backstage area includes a green room for visiting performers as well as dressing rooms and a preparation area for the regular cast. There is also an elevator that allows access to the front rows of the theater for those who need that accommodation. "It's my job to bring in four outside acts monthly which I feel for this area is a big thing. That's what we have going on this year," added Hebb.

The Ascend West Virginia program is also headquartered in the Railyard Event and Conference Center. Ascend West Virginia offers remote workers and entrepreneurs a cash incentive and outdoor recreation packages along with dedicated coworking spaces to relocate to select communities, including Elkins, in the state. The space in the Railyard includes the office of the program's director, the office for the local area experience coordinator and numerous coworking spaces for Ascenders as they are needed.

More information about the Railyard Event and Conference Center, including a full schedule of performances and events, can be found at https://therailyardwv.com/ or by calling 304-568-3030.

Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in their communities, and in themselves. Visit www.Rotary.org to learn more about Rotary International, visit the club's Facebook page - Rotary Club of Elkins – or contact 2026-2027 club president Karen Wilmoth at wilmothk@gmail.com for more information about the Rotary Club of Elkins.