June 19, 2007
 
Vendors Wanted for Hinton's 2007 Festival of the Rivers Slated for Labor Day Weekend
 
By HNN Staff
 
Hinton, WV (HNN) -- This year’s Festival of the Rivers will feature fifteen musical acts including a showcase of the winners of the West Virginia Finest competition at the 2007 Labor Day Weekend music event.
 
The free festival is located in Hinton WV at the confluence of the Greenbrier, Bluestone, and New rivers. As the "Gateway Community" for the New River Gorge National River, the community and festival are near both the National Park Service's New River Visitors Center on Interstate 64 and the breathtaking beauty of Sandstone Falls.
 
Beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. daily, the Saturday and Sunday event at Hinton’s City Sidetrack Park, "Festival of the Rivers 2007", remains FREE to the public. The festival features something for every member of the family and the Water Slide will be open each day from 11 a.m. till 7 p.m. Hinton’s “Jewel of the Hills” features traditional, regional, and international music performed by musicians from around the world.
 
Individuals or companies interested in vending at the festival should contact vendor coordinator, David Williams, at (304) 890-4602 or email by davesele@hotmail.com . The vendor fee is $25/day and spaces are limited. For more information please visit the event website at www.hintonwva.com/festrivers.html.
 
The free festival is held by the Flannagan-Murrell House, Inc. (FMH), a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to using the arts for the benefit of the people of Hinton, Summers County, and West Virginia in general. FMH is maintained through community support and staffed by volunteers. For more information on the organization please call publicity coordinator, Gregg Wingo, at (304) 646-3960 or visit the event website at www.hintonwva.com/festrivers.html.
 
Festival of the Rivers is sustained through the ongoing support of the State of West Virginia, corporate sponsors, and private donors. The international event will also include a “How to Build and Play a Cigar Box Guitar” class and all materials will be provided for participants. Seats are available to anyone ages five and above. All participants will have an opportunity to learn about guitar history, construction, and theory, and how to build and - will be able to take home their own cigar box guitar. Pre-registration is $5.00 non-refundable for the “rain or shine” event and seats will remain available until the class is full. To pre-register or learn more about the festival contact Gregg Wingo at (304) 646-3960 or by email at gwingo@usa.net.
 
Hinton is the county seat of Summers County WV. The town and county are rich in outdoor activity with superb fishing, two state parks, rail and coal history, and home of the Legend of John Henry, The Steel Drivin' Man. For more information on Hinton and the surrounding area visit the Summers County Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.summerscvb.com. Beginning with the Gay 90's of the nineteenth century, the community experienced explosive growth. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the historic district includes over two hundred architecturally distinctive buildings. Styles encompassed are American Gothic, Classical, High Victorian, American Foursquare, and Greek Revival. The community is literally a living architectural exhibit.
 
Flannagan-Murrell House, Inc. (FMH) was founded in 1990 with the purpose of preserving the oldest extant house in the Hinton National Historical District. A group of concerned citizens of Hinton and Summers County banded together and obtained a loan to purchase the abandoned house in order to save it from being razed. Cost of annual membership in the organization is $15 for an individual, $25 for a family, or $50 in in-kind donations or services. FMH also offers lifetime memberships for $1000 and welcomes support for the continuing restoration of the building and program development in the arts. For more information call Fred Long at (304) 466-0005 or by email at hinton1000@aol.com.