35th annual West Virginia Black Heritage Festival sees record turnout over the weekend

CLARKSBURG, W.Va (WDTV) – While the West Virginia Black Heritage Festival was opening up for its finale, guests arrived early for the morning worship led by Pastor Eric Lamont Ewell. Throughout the weekend, 37 vendors lined West Main Street in Clarksburg, filling the roadway with a variety of food, clothing and jewelry options. The festival’s vice chairman, Dorian James, has been in the position for 30 years, and credits community engagement with the success of WVBHF which saw a record turnout this year.

“One of the main things that drew me in was wanting to have community engagement but also share our culture,” said James. “That comes in many ways, arts, music and food, what better way to introduce things than on those three levels? I thought it was important to do so, and I wanted to do it in a large way.”

Although the 2024 West Virginia Black Heritage Festival came to an end on Sunday, James says the work isn’t done. The vice chairman plans to eventually have events connected to the festival throughout the year, welcoming more businesses across the state to be involved.

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