Crowds keep coming back for Mount Hope Jubilee

Sep. 14—mount hope — It will be an old home week this week in the streets of Mount Hope.

The 32nd annual Mount Hope Jubilee will unfold on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15-16. The jubilee wasn't held in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 but came back strongly last year.

An alumni gathering beginning at 5 p.m. Friday will kick off the fun, and fireworks will conclude the first evening. Saturday's activities will include vendors, a car show, the 10 a.m. parade and live music.

Patty Logan, chairperson of the Mount Hope Jubilee Committee for about the last 15 years, says the event offers Mustangs and their friends the opportunity to come home to visit and reminisce for a weekend.

"The streets are packed," she said. "One year we had torrential rains, and the streets stayed packed. People didn't leave. People stayed and enjoyed themselves.

"It's just a way (to reconnect) for not just people in this community, but for people who have been here that have moved away but they come back. It's also for people who have friends that went to Mount Hope and have talked about Mount Hope.

"It's for everybody, it's something for everybody."

"The alumni that went to school here that still live in the area, that gives them an opportunity to get together," said fellow committee member Brenda Troitino. "Everybody's life is just crazy any more.

"It also brings a whole lot of our faithful alumni in here no matter where they live. We've had people come from California for Jubilee."

"They look forward to this. They start calling and asking and texting and Facebook messaging the first of the year" about details for the jubilee, said Troitino.

"It's a lot of work," Troitino added. "We have a good crew that works on this.

"Mountain of Hope Organization sets up with alumni. It's just a great time for everybody. Unfortunately, we've lost a lot of our alumni members due to age, and Covid took some of them.

"But we still push forward and try to have something good here in town for the townspeople and the surrounding area, and especially for people who want to come home.

"It's something we cherish as alumni since we don't have any schools any more."

Logan said vendors will be accepted until Thursday.

Logan said the musical lineup will feature a couple of new entertainers, including Kelcey Wolf, who has also opened up a business in town.

Bob Dorado's Doo Wop will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday. "Bobby's a great deejay and he gets the crowd really into it," Logan said.

The Mount Hope Fire Department pays for and will put off the fireworks at dark on Friday.

----Grand marshal for the 2023 Jubilee parade will be Polly Obugene, who serves as the Mount Hope city manager. "She has worked for the city for almost 40 years," Logan said. "She's went way above her position. Still doing a tremendous job, and we just wanted to recognize her."

Obugene was born in Sun to parents Kathryn and Angelo Lancianese and graduated from Mount Hope High School in 1971. She married John Obugene in 1972 and they had two children, Jonathan and Ashleigh.

Polly worked for C&P for 15 years to begin her work career. In city government, she has served under mayors Floyd Bonifacio, George Smith, Michael Martin and Michael Kessinger. She began as a billing clerk in 1988 and currently serves as city manager.

----The 2023 Mount Hope Jubilee will be held on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15-16. Schedule is as follows:

Friday, Sept. 15

—Alumni gathering — Begins at 5 p.m. at Mount Hope Community Building, sponsored by Mount Hope Alumni Association and Mount Hope Jubilee Committee

—Kelcey Wolf, live music — 6 to 6:45 p.m.

—"Doo Wop" music provided by Bob Dorado — 7 to 9 p.m.

—Fireworks immediately following Doo Wop — Provided by the Mount Hope Fire Department. Bring your lawn chair, set up on the school lawn across from the Methodist Church and enjoy.

Saturday, Sept. 16

—Mount Hope Jubilee — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Live music, food vendors and craft vendors. Call 304-673-3984 for setups. Vendors will be accepted until Thursday.

—Car Show — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Top 40+ trophies plus four specialty trophies. Call 304-573-6467 to enter.

—Parade — Begins at 10 a.m.

—Karen James Buckland, gospel music — 11 a.m.

—Jimmy Pino & Friends, music — 12 to 3 p.m.

—Rubber Duck Race — 3 p.m.

----At least two other festivals are planned in the area in the upcoming days.

The Lions Club of Ansted will host the 48th annual Country Roads Festival Sept. 16-17 at Hawks Nest State Park.

There will be craft vendors, food trucks, live music and entertainment and prize drawings.

The tentative entertainment schedule will be as follows: Sept. 16 — 10 a.m.: Midland Trail Marching Band; 10:30 a.m.: Oak Hill Middle School Marching Band; 11 a.m.: Mike Kincaid; 1 p.m., 2 Broke Band; 3 p.m.: Chasity Dye; and 4 p.m.: Band-a-Gold; and Sept. 17 — 1 p.m: Community Choir; 2 p.m.: Gary and Chrystal McGuire; and 3:30 p.m.: Kincaid Family.

Other activities for which information was available is a tractor show at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, sponsored by Michael Gwinn Insurance Agency.

The Gauley Bridge Town Celebration will be held on Sept. 22-23.

Friday's events will include children's games and fun, adult Bingo and a family movie. Saturday's events will feature a variety of activities, including vendors, a noon parade, a car show, introduction of the Gauley Bridge pageant queens, cake walks, live music and 10 p.m. fireworks.

There will be several food trucks on hand.

For more information, call town hall at 304-632-2505.

Email: skeenan@register-herald.com;

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