Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Discovery Junction in Marlinton was pack-ed for the first First Friday event of the summer, and residents were ready to kick it off in style.
There were games and baked goods on Third Avenue, as well as a big yellow school bus for the Fill the Bus school supplies collection organized by the Communities in Schools program.
The Farmers Market started the season with fresh produce, baked goods and crocheted animals of every shape and size.
And, of course, the splash pad was spraying water for youngsters to enjoy.
The Discovery Junction stage was the main attraction with a stacked lineup of youngsters giving their all in an end of the school year performance.
The theme of the evening was “Celebrate Our Youth.”
Young dancers in Adrienne Cedarleaf’s classes performed a mix of ballet, modern and interpretive dance styles, complete with leaps and twirls galore.
Marlinton Middle School theater students, led by instructor Charlie Hughes, gave a preview of their “Under the Bigtop” play.
Hughes was the Ring Master and the students made up the quirky and mysterious group of performers in this one-of-a-kind circus.
Carrying on the family legacy of classically trained musicians, sisters Asa and Sal Marks performed on their violin and cello, instruments their parents, Paolo and Erica Marks, also play.
Music teacher Greg Morgan led his Marlinton and Hillsboro elementary students in a performance of “Hot Cross Buns.” This wasn’t your mama’s version of “Hot Cross Buns,” though. This version included a rap the students sang in between playing the tune on their neon orange recorders.
Dancer Iris Krack, who traded her ballet slippers from an earlier performance for a pair of cowboy boots, returned to the stage with her own dance floor to do some flat-footin’ while her dad, Jake Krack, played the fiddle.
Lauren Bennett, emcee for the evening, announced the winners in the Marlinton Woman’s Club Evening with the Arts event at the Opera House, also taking place that evening. [See separate article.]
The evening truly was a celebration of the youth of Pocahontas County and the traditions they carry on in musical, theatrical and artistic talents.
