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West Virginia Day Celebration Is Monday at Independence Hall

By SHELLEY HANSON 2 min read

WHEELING - People are invited to celebrate West Virginia's 159th birthday during a celebration Monday at West Virginia Independence Hall Museum.

The celebration will begin at noon and last until 4 p.m. at the hall, located at 1528 Market St. in downtown Wheeling.

The free event will feature birthday cake and refreshments. There will also be a photo booth and people can sign a card to celebrate the day.

An Abraham Lincoln impersonator, John King, will be in attendance to read "Proclamation 100 - Admitting West Virginia into the Union."

"In 2013, King won the 'Lincoln Look-Alike Contest' at the Shriver House Museum in Gettysburg, Pa.," according to museum information. "For the past 25 years, he has been telling the story of the 16th president during great conflict."

Live music from the Faire May band begins at 1 p.m. The band plays a variety of music including Appalachian bluegrass, music from Celtic nations, European Folk and Early American music.

While celebrating the state's birthday, visitors may want to check out the museum's new Civil War Trails sign beside the building. Two other signs were installed as well, including at the location of the historic Camp Carlisle on Wheeling Island and at the historic former location of Wheeling Hospital at 108 Main St. in North Wheeling.

The new signage was made possible by the Civil War Trails Inc. program and local historians.

The museum's main entrance is located at the rear of the building where a parking lot is situated, too.

Elsewhere in West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice will be hosting a day of celebration at the State Culture Center at the Capitol Complex in Charleston on Monday starting at noon. Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice will announce the winner of the West Virginia Birthday Cake Contest, with the winning recipe becoming the official state birthday cake, served every year on June 20.

Justice then will host a Golden Horseshoe Reunion, open to all former recipients of the Golden Horseshoe Award in recognition of their knowledge of West Virginia history. The reunion will feature a ceremony in the State Theater, beginning at 12:30 p.m., which will include Justice being knighted with an honorary Golden Horseshoe.

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