New ‘Canoe Kiosk’ to be installed in Elkins Railyard
Trending
ELKINS – The Mon Forest Towns Partnership is installing a new “canoe kiosk” sculpture in the Elkins Railyard that will be located along Railroad Avenue near the Darden Mill/Appalachian Forest Discovery Center.
The Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB and the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the artwork on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
The sculpture is part of the “Paint and Paddle Project,” which is a public art initiative that celebrates the connection between the communities of the Monongahela National Forest and the natural waterways that run through them.
The project is a collaboration involving West Virginia University’s Art Education program, local artist Kelson Thorne, and the South Branch Career & Technical Center. The project will bring canoes kiosks to eight of the Mon Forest Towns, including Elkins, Petersburg, Seneca Rocks, Thomas, Franklin, Marinton, Richwood, and Cowen.
Canoe kiosks will be placed at river access points and will be filled with information on hiking, rivers, trails and tourism. The kiosks have been painted with unique designs to reflect the character and history of each town.
The canoe designs are inspired by the unique flora, fauna, hiking trails, and outdoor river experience native to West Virginia. The finished canoes made their public debut at the Folk Around/Appalachian Art & Music Festival that was hosted at Southside Studios in June.
The Mon Forest Towns Partnership is a nonprofit organization that serves 12 gateway communities to the Monongahela National Forest. The Partnership operates as part of the Woodlands Community Lenders, which provides critical support and financial service to the organization.
The Mon Forest Towns Partnership was formed in 2017 to help identify needs and gaps, implement community-directed and data-driven projects, and assess impacts across social, economic, and environmental outcomes. This cooperative model blends local knowledge, staff facilitation, and regional support to create a peer learning network that addresses shared challenges and advances shared opportunities.
For more information, go to www.monforesttowns.org.