Sistersville Marble Festival rolling forward for 19th year
Photo Provided The Sistersville Marble Festival will be held Sept. 28-30. For information about free vendor setup for selling marbles, collectibles or baked items, or to be added to the Sistersville Marble Festival mailing list, call Jim King at 304-652-3032.
Photo from Sistersville Public Library The original Sistersville General Hospital is located on present-day Riverside Drive. The photo was taken during the 1913 flood, which prompted the move of the facility to higher ground.
Photo Provided The Sistersville Marble Festival will be held Sept. 28-30. For information about free vendor setup for selling marbles, collectibles or baked items, or to be added to the Sistersville Marble Festival mailing list, call Jim King at 304-652-3032.
Photo from Sistersville Public Library The original Sistersville General Hospital is located on present-day Riverside Drive. The photo was taken during the 1913 flood, which prompted the move of the facility to higher ground.
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SISTERSVILLE -- The 19th annual Sistersville Marble Festival will be held Sept. 28-30.
The three-day event draws national and international attention and includes exhibits, food, vendors and entertainment.
"There are many excellent marble shows held throughout the United States," Jim King, a founder, organizer and coordinator, said. "Most are done in motels with room to room trading. I wanted something that was more festive and for the whole family, so that everyone could enjoy it."
The festival is a commemoration of the marble industry history in the area.
More than 20 marble factories were within a 60-mile radius of Sistersville, located at the heart of marble country. When playing marbles hit its worldwide peak, a majority of the marbles children used were produced in this area.
Sistersville is located between two of the remaining American-based toy marble manufacturers: Marble King, 4 miles north of Sistersville in Paden City; and JABO Vitro Marble Factory, 25 miles south of Sistersville in Newport.
The festival includes handmade marble-making demonstrations by world-renowned glass artists, a children's marble tournament, a silent auction for marbles, numerous beautiful marbles and flea market items.
Local restaurants and food trucks are a source of fuel as marble enthusiasts and other spectators enjoy all this event has to offer, King said. Vendor setup has always been free, allowing a large variety for visitors to explore.
This year's festival commemorative marble will feature the first free-standing building of Sistersville General Hospital located along the Ohio River on Riverside Drive.
The hospital at that location served the area from 1911-1913. The hospital was moved to higher ground after the 1913 flood.
Only 2,018 of the limited-edition marbles were made.