Fayette County, WV (WOAY) – The 14th annual White Oak Rail Trail Expo returned on Saturday, June 7, packed with 170 vendors and hundreds of visitors.
The trail was lined with organizations, services, concessions, and the work of many talented artists.
I took in the sights and sounds on this warm summer day.
“I have 75 different items here that I can put your picture or character on of your choice or engrave while you’re here today,” said Angie Caudill of Creations by Angie. “Cups of all sizes, slates, wall hangings, zipper pouches, canvas bags. Pretty much, if you can imagine it, I can put it on it.”
The Rail Trail Expo draws people back year after year.
“It’s jam-packed. It’s got a lot of vendors, a lot of good things going on for the kids, and lots of arts and crafts,” Oak Hill resident Adam Sizemore said.
La Rustic Designs’ Amy Shumate says her husband had never woodworked and she had never painted, but in 2016 she received an answered prayer and now, nine years later they are doing what they love.
She says their handmade pieces resonate, and they are very much West Virginia proud.
“We love our state and what we represent. So we try to represent that through our signs, and to come up with new ideas,” said Shumate, of their custom orders and business signs. “We’ve had great support in our local community. We go from Wheeling to Bluefield and all points in between.”
According to Caudill, on any holiday growing up with her grandma you received a big trash bag of stuff. But at the end of the day, you had junk. While it was wonderful that she gave the stuff for the joy of giving…
“It influenced me that whenever I give gifts to individuals, I want them to be really special,” she said. “For example, the last item I made, a gentleman came in. We took a picture of him and his girlfriend and put it on a shot glass. I also had him write a note on paper in his handwriting on that little shot glass, telling her he loves her.”
The White Oak Rail Trail runs almost eight miles through Oak Hill; a highlight of the route is the Railroad Depot, first opened in 1903.
“Get everybody out and about because we got some good weather now, and it’s finally looking good for us,” said Sizemore. “The rain dampened down, thank goodness.”
