Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
There aren’t many guarantees in life, but there are several when it comes to the Little Levels Heritage Fair. You are guaranteed to hear some great music, visit with friends and family and enjoy some good old-fashioned fun.
Last Saturday, the fair kicked into high gear in the field behind Hillsboro Elementary School as musicians entertained the crowd under a big tent. Familiar favorites like Juanita Fireball and the Continental Drifters, Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys and the Viney Mountain Boys were joined by Rock House Road – new to the fair, but welcomed like old friends.
During the Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys set, band leader and banjo player Richard Hefner – who was also the parade marshal – invited a couple of friends to join the band on stage.
First, he asked his nephew Jeff Hefner to sing a song with them. Then he noticed Charlie Jo Breece was in the crowd and asked if she had her banjo with her. As her dad went to the car to get the instrument, Hefner explained how he and Breece met several years ago at Allegheny Echoes.
Hefner performed one afternoon at the week-long event and afterward, Breece asked him to show her a couple things on the banjo. The pair have since become friends and, in fact, the banjo Breece had with her was a 1929 Gibson she bought from Hefner.
Breece refers to Hefner as her bluegrass granddad and said she was pleased to get to join the band for a couple songs. She is a biochemistry major at Marietta College, in Marietta, Ohio.
While the bands performed, youngsters at the fair were enjoying some old-time games including tug-of-war, a sack race and a three-legged race. They couldn’t get enough of racing up and down as their parents cheered them on.
At one end of the field, glistening classic and antique cars were on display for the annual car show. With hoods up and windows down, the cars were marveled over by fair goers who took in the before pictures of some of the restored beauties.
It was like day and night to see how much work was put into all the automobiles there. They were all proof of a labor of love. Later, in the parade, the cars got to show off their abilities – albeit at a slow pace – as they cruised down Main Street.
On the other end of the field, in the school’s picnic pavilion, crafters and bakers sold their wares and shared stories of the items that were made with loving hands.
When it came time to eat, no one went hungry. Hillsboro Library Friends hosted a breakfast buffet in the library’s backyard. Then there were the lunch and snack options. The Community Club had its delicious pork tenderloin sandwiches, with or without seasoned fries; the Marlinton Woman’s Club had their famous kettle corn; Little Levels 4-H delighted with hot dogs and lemonade; Pocahontas County Senior Citizens had Philly cheesesteaks, and the Hillsboro Girl Scouts had a lemonade stand.
There was also the annual pie contest with local bakers making either cream or fruit pies in the hopes of winning the top prize.
Winners of the contest were: Cream pies – first place, Jill Seldomridge; second place, Michael Smith; and third place, Joyce Mullens. Fruit pies – first place, Merrily Taylor; second place, Alida McNeel; and third place, Cathy Mosesso.
Seldomridge won Best of Show with her piña colada pie.
Winners in the parade:
Agricultural equipment – first place, Bee Rose; second place, Dustin Simmons; and third place, Samuel Will-iams.
Miscellaneous – first place, Cheat Mountain Salamander NICA team; and second place, Sammy Williams with his homemade car.
Floats – first place, Hillsboro soccer team; second place, West Virginia Insurance, Timothy VanReenan; and third place, Johnny Landis with his stump grinder.
The evening was capped off with a square dance under the fair tent with music by Juanita Fireball and the Continental Drifters.
