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Vandalia Award

Each year at the Vandalia Gathering, West Virginia's highest folklife honor - the Vandalia Award - is presented in a ceremony on the stage of the Cultural Center theater. The individuals who receive this award embody the spirit of our state's folk heritage and are recognized for their lifetime contribution to West Virginia and its traditional culture.

You can click on the thumbnail photo to learn more about the honoree.


Melvin Wine, 1981

Ira Mullins, 1982

Woody Simmons, 1983

Aunt Jenny Wilson, 1984

Mike Humphreys, 1985

Russell Fluharty, 1986

Phoeba Parsons, 1987

Ernie Carpenter, 1988

Sylvia O'Brien, 1989

Bonnie Collins, 1990

Andy Boarman, 1991

Wilson Douglas, 1992

Jane George, 1993

Frank George, 1994

Nat Reese, 1995

Elmer Bird, 1996

Lefty Shafer, 1997

Glen Smith, 1998

Rush and Ruby Butcher, 1999

Brooks Smith, 2000

Norman Fagan, 2001

Bob Kessinger, 2002

Mack Samples, 2003

Carl Rutherford, 2004

Lester McCumbers, 2005

Ethel Caffie-Austin, 2006

Patty Looman, 2007

Lou Maiuri, 2008

Everett Lilly , 2009

Bobby Taylor, 2010

Buddy Griffin, 2011

The Bing Brothers, 2012

Gerald Milnes, 2013

Roger Bryant, 2014
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Ken Sullivan, 2015
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Joni Hoffman, 2016
Jim Good
Jim Good, 2017
Bil Lepp
Bil Lepp, 2018

Dwight Diller, 2019