Applause to the West Virginia Highland Dancers, who will present their 2025 Spring Highland Fling event this evening. The Fling will be at 7 p.m. at the Myles Center for the Arts at Davis & Elkins College. The performance is free to the community. The show will be “a vibrant celebration” of Scottish heritage through the art of Highland dancing, which features “precise footwork, athletic grace and rich historical significance.”

Applause to the small team of people who worked together to rescue an injured owl in Elkins. When Pam Moe and Chuck Merritt discovered a great horned owl in their backyard, the couple knew it was either injured or sick, and something had to be done to save the bird. The couple, who reside in the Highland Park area of Elkins, reached out to local raptor specialist Jo Santiago, who knew right away from what she was told over the phone that something was wrong with the owl. Santiago took the bird to the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia in Morgantown for care. On Feb. 6, with Moe and Merritt in attendance, the owl was set free in his home territory next to the couple’s residence.

Applause to Lisa A. Shaffer, who was announced this week as Director General of the 87th Mountain State Forest Festival. The festival is scheduled to take place from Sept. 27 through Oct. 5. Shaffer has themed this year’s festival, “Embrace Nature’s Charm.” Shaffer grew up in Beverly and graduated from Elkins High School and West Virginia University. Shaffer is the Executive Director of the Randolph County Housing Authority and has spent her entire career in the affordable housing industry. She serves on the board of directors of the West Virginia Association of Housing Agencies and the HomeOwnership Center, Inc. Shaffer’s husband, Ben, served as Director General of the 78th Festival. Her niece, Haleigh Riggleman, was a Flower Girl in the 2013 MSFF and Princess in 2022 and niece, Sarah Riggleman, served as a Maid of Honor in the 84th edition of the festival.

Applause to two Randolph County organizations receiving state grants for a pair of historical projects. The West Virginia Humanities Council recently awarded seven new mini-grants, including one to the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation in Beverly. The grant will help fund “Fighting Disease and Patching Wounds: Medical Service During the Civil War,” a symposium. Another grant went to Historic Beverly Preservation, to help fund presentations involving “Underrepresented Voices Building Beverly.” Historic Beverly Preservation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, heritage and preservation of historic Beverly.

Applause to the Old Brick Playhouse Apprentices, who will premiere its production of “Once Upon A Mattress” at the beginning of April. The show will run April 3, 4, 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. There will also be another performance on April 6 at 2 p.m. Reservations are necessary as tickets tend to sell out quickly. The Old Brick Playhouse Apprentice program involves bi-weekly theatre workshops, where students learn acting, singing, dancing or technical skills. The program’s current enrollment includes 64 students from sixth to 12th grade.