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West Virginia turns 160: Governor leads celebration at Culture Center Theater

By Steven Allen Adams 3 min read

CHARLESTON -- Gov. Jim Justice, First Lady Cathy Justice, and Babydog helped ring in West Virginia 160th with a message of optimism.

"You are really special," Justice said during his opening remarks Tuesday afternoon to a packed Culture Center Theater during West Virginia Day festivities at the Culture Center on the grounds of the State Capitol Complex. "All of you should absolutely know you're the real deal. You're the envy of the world, and absolutely you've got to carry that pride, the confidence. You don't need to lower your head. You're really, really special."

West Virginia Day festivities took place at noon Tuesday with music, cake, punch and special commemorative gifts. Eighth grade students from the West Virginia Ambassadors Camp sang "The West Virginia Hills," Brodrick Hammers of Cabell County performed "Take Me Home, Country Roads" on the piano and Emmet Cahill, lead singer of the Irish singing group Celtic Thunder, performed "Danny Boy."

Visitors to the Culture Center were treated to slices of "Ms. Van's Blackberry Skillet Cake" made from a recipe submitted by Scott Depot resident Kim Wymer, the winner of last year's First Lady's West Virginia Birthday Cake contest. Cindy Scott of Morgantown won the first West Virginia Birthday Punch contest, submitting a non-alcoholic punch recipe called Mountain Mama's Refresher.

"Forever, people have mad bad jokes about West Virginia and said we were poor, not very smart, dingy, dark, whatever it may be," Justice said. "In many ways, we were just flat insulted, because I knew exactly how great all of you all.

"The seasons are unbelievable. The absolute air is pristine as are the waters. Every single day we live in paradise and the world just didn't know it," Justice said. "Any frog that is not proud of his own pond isn't much of a frog. We needed to be proud, so we've started down this path and look what has happened. All of a sudden now, you have become the diamond in the rough that everyone missed."

Tuesday's events also included a focus on history. The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History held its second annual History Bowl Legends Tournament. And previous winners of the Golden Horseshoe Award gathered at the Culture Center for a reunion. First Lady Justice was also named an honorary knight of the Golden Horsehoe for her work in education and the Communities and Schools program.

"I want to tell you all how much this meant to me today to be knighted in the Golden Horseshoe," First Lady Justice said. "I just love West Virginia and love learning about all the facts about West Virginia. It's just been great."

Going back to 1931, the Golden Horseshoe Award takes the top-scoring eighth grade students in a test on West Virginia history and brings them to Charleston to be inducted as knights and ladies of the Golden Horseshoe. Winners of the Golden Horseshoe are presented with a horseshoe pin based on golden horseshoes presented to members of a 1716 expedition into what is now West Virginia by Virginia Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood to commemorate the expedition.

West Virginia Day marks the day on June 20, 1863, when the state was admitted into the Union, separating from Virginia, a member of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

"It's an honor to be ruddering a boat that is so capable of doing really, really neat and good stuff," Justice said. "Think about where we are and where we can go. Our future is really bright."

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