Mail Pouch Tobacco Barns: America’s Early Outdoor Advertising
The name Mail Pouch usually evokes a visual image of an idyllic barn in a pastoral setting and an automatic sense of familiarity with the product. Perhaps the country’s most well-known outdoor advertising tool, the surviving landmark Mail Pouch barns are important and treasured pieces of Americana. What many people don’t know is that Mail Pouch Chewing Tobacco was a product of West Virginia.
15 Fun Fall Festivals
It’s almost autumn—a time when the leaves change, the air gets crisp and apples and pumpkins come into season. West Virginia is a great location for celebrating the season, and we’re in no short supply of fall fest opportunities. Here, we have selected 15 notable festivals that provide an excuse to get out, see the foliage and maybe even eat some tasty treats.
The Heart and Soul of the Mountain State: Main Street West Virginia
The main streets in the Mountain State are alive and well, due in large part to Main Street West Virginia, a program that provides technical assistance to West Virginia’s nationally certified main street communities: Charleston East End, Charleston West Side, Fairmont, Kingwood, Mannington, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Philippi, Point Pleasant, Ripley, Ronceverte and White Sulphur Springs. These communities are learning how to make their revitalization efforts more effective with Main Street services and training customized to meet their local needs with the help of Main Street West Virginia State Coordinator Jennifer Ferrell. West Virginia’s main streets help showcase the best of the state and are a powerful force to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
15 Stunning Scenes from the Mountain State
For the Summer 2013 issue of West Virginia Executive, we asked our readers for their best scenic photos of the Mountain State, and we were not disappointed! With more than 500 images of wildlife, wild flowers and wild adventures epitomizing our Wild and Wonderful state, our staff had a difficult time selecting their top 15 for the print version. We had so many incredible images, we decided to take to the Web to share more of the submissions we received.
15 Fabulous Food Finds
If you’ve been looking for new dining experiences to explore around the state, your search is over. From organic and local-grown ingredients to international cuisine, our fabulous food finds have something for every taste bud.
Green Living
Although the Mountain State is primarily known for the use of coal and natural gas to heat and light houses, some West Virginians are taking a different route by using solar, geothermal and other green energy technologies to run their homes. The homes of Chip and Jan Pickering in Williamstown and Jason and Halcyon Moses in Huntington are two in particular that stand out. The Pickering home is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum-certified home in the state, and the Moses home is a zero net energy home.