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Today's Schedule

• 9 a.m.: Sunday church service

• 1 p.m.: The Crownsmen Quartet; West Virginia Woodsmen Chopping Team demonstration

• 2 p.m.: Spirit Led

• 3 p.m.: Harris Family

• 5 p.m.: Volcano Days Picnic

VOLCANO - The gray sky and sometimes heavy rains did not keep people from attending the 21st annual Volcano Days Antique Engine Show and Festival at Mountwood Park Saturday.

"It is really going well," said Mary Beth Held, marketing and event coordinator for Mountwood Park. "We had a pretty good turnout for as much rain as we've had today."

While the number of people in attendance Saturday was substantial, Held said the park was packed Friday night, which was the first night of the three-day event.

"We did pretty well (Saturday), but Friday was really great," she said. "The weather was nicer, but by 2 p.m. all of our parking lots were full with cars of people who came to see the bands and other things - it was really interesting because nothing started until 5 p.m."

On Saturday, the park grounds included mud and standing puddles, but festival-goers did not seem to mind.

"I still think people are happy to be here, even with the rain," Held said.

Dick Hutchison, of Pennsboro, said the crowd of people at the park was about on par with previous years.

"This is my eighth year here with my engine and, I think, it's going great," he said. "I'm really surprised there have been so many people here with the rain."

Hutchison kept his 15-hp Reid oil field engine running throughout the day to show people how it worked many years ago on the oil fields.

"This show is a big part of my year - my life," he said.

By late Saturday afternoon many of the flea market and craft tents had closed shop to save merchandise from water damage, but the rain did not slow down David Ferguson of Williamstown with his wood carvings.

"Even with the rain, this year is wonderful," said Ferguson.

The Volcano Days celebration is organized yearly to commemorate the oil boomtown that burned down in 1879 but had once filled the valley with houses, shops and other businesses, Held said.

"Mountwood now embraces the memory of that town with the Volcano Days Celebration," Held said.

The park had expected a couple thousand visitors to help celebrate this unique piece of West Virginia history, Held said.

"I'm not sure how many people we will end up with this year - thanks to the rain - but our donations are doing well, so I'm sure it is better than it seems," she said.

The winners of Friday night's Little Miss and Mr. Volcano pageant are Little Mister Volcano 2009 Brayden Keeney, 4, of Parkersburg, the son of Beth Keeney, and Little Miss Volcano 2009 Jayla Gard, 5, of Mineral Wells, the daughter of Jerrod and Stacey Gard.

The festival will continue today with live entertainment, displays of antique engines, historical lectures, food concessions, flea market and crafts. Today's activities will begin with a Sunday church service, while demonstrations such as the shingle mill, wood mizar, apple butter making and corn meal grinding will continue along with children's events.

Wagon transportation throughout the park was successful Saturday and will continue today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more than a century, former residents of Volcano, their relatives, descendants and others have met for an annual reunion picnic.

The reunion became part of the Volcano Days Festival nearly 20 years ago. The 117th Volcano Reunion Picnic will begin with a covered dish dinner at 5 p.m. today in the administration building basement. The dinner is free and open to everyone who wishes to join.

The reunion picnic has missed only one year, 2005, in its long history. It was started by a group of ladies who once lived in Volcano and was always held on Aug. 16.

For more information about Volcano Days, contact Mountwood Park at 304-679-3611 or www.mountwoodpark.org.