June is here and posters are popping up all over town on bulletin boards and inside windows everywhere. You will see the white wording: “Wild Wonderful Woods!” on a deep, livable, green background as if the tree silhouette to the right side of the poster whispers secret mysteries from the deep woods.

Our past and future depend upon our relationship with our forest heritage.

On June 24, Kump Education Center will celebrate West Virginia’s 160th Birthday with an event that will focus on the new Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area (AFNHA). This is a new regional tourist destination that Congress approved before the pandemic, and the traveling public discovered when remote cabins became the best COVID-free vacation venues.

We are asking local leaders in the Appalachian Forest Nation Heritage Area to help us learn more about the towns in and near the Monongahela National Forest.

We hope visitors will enjoy a whole Saturday afternoon experiencing local crafts, foods, history and music and learn more about the benefits of our national heritage area brand image.

AFNHA is a new designation for the counties in and near the Monongahela National Forest.

The national heritage area (NHA) recognition program was started by Congress under President Ronald Reagan in 1984 to promote conservation of natural, cultural and historic resources. There are 55 NHA areas and most are located east of the Mississippi River.

West Virginia has three NHA designations: Appalachian Forest, National Coal and Wheeling heritage areas.

Our new AFNHA designation was established only a year before the pandemic limited indoor social events and made travel to remote places the only safe option for tourists.

As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, it becomes clear that West Virginia can increase tourism if our internet service is reliable, and if we continue to develop our good reputation for adventure, entertainment and hospitality in these scenic mountains.

The noon to five afternoon event at Kump Education Center, 401 South Randolph Ave. in Elkins, WV 26241 will once again include a traditional pie auction at 2 p.m.

Kump Center Pie Auctions were legendary events before Grace Sundelin and Mary Frances Merrin moved away from Elkins to be near their young grandchildren. After these pie procurators left town, I thought our pie auctions could not happen.

If it were not for the new leadership of Laura Santmyer, we might never have considered another pie auction.

When she said to me in January that we should have a pie auction and she agreed to take on the responsibility of organizing it, I was glad the pie auction leadership baton could be passed to a new generation. Laura has found a new auctioneer and the pie list is growing.