Dunmore Daze festivities start Friday

Dunmore, W.Va. –

This weekend is the ninth annual Dunmore Daze and it would be hard to find a more fun and relaxing small town experience anywhere in the world. That’s Dunmore Daze – D-A-Z-E. If you find yourself in a daze in Dunmore, it’s probably from eating too much good food.

“We have, on Friday, we have our spaghetti dinner and everything’s homemade,” said event organizer Kathy Garber. “It’s just good. And then Saturday, we have our community dinner and it’s just good food. Dunmore women know how to cook.”

“You can find about anything,” said event organizer Doug Galford. “If you want it and it’s homemade, it’ll be here. Cause, I mean, it’s really good food.”

That was event organizers Kathy Garber and Doug Galford.

Organizer Martha McCray says the village extends a warm welcome.

“Everybody’s welcome to come to Dunmore Daze,” she said. “I think like we would want to make them feel like they’re wanted and welcome here and try to do our best to make them feel comfortable.”
“They come down on Friday night, they can eat with us on four to six, have the spaghetti dinner and stay around for the crowning of the king and queen. We have a cake contest, the prettiest cake, the yummiest cake and the most original cake. We pay an award or prize for that. And then we have a cakewalk and, at times, this building is full of people walking with cakes. When we don’t hardly have an extra number for anybody.”

Saturday starts off with homemade pancakes.

“And then, here we go, we get that day in and here comes Saturday,” McCray continued. “We start off with breakfast on Saturday morning. We have a flea market and craft sales – different people bring homemade things. Here we go, we have a little bit of hard card bingo and then we line up for the parade and we have a parade at 12 o’clock. Then we have our covered dish community dinner at one.

“I think people will really enjoy that. Just get out to meet old friends and new friends and find out who somebody else is. And then we have to shift around and get things under control for the square dance. And that’s really – it used to be a big highlight for this Dunmore Community Center.”

A recent New York Times article said square dancing has made a comeback in parts of West Virginia. But, it never really went away in Dunmore.

Garber says everybody’s family during Dunmore Daze.

“Well, I think it’s just people coming and it’s like one big, happy family,” she said. “Big reunion. Everybody and anyone from out of town can come and just have fun. Just down home fun.”

Two competitions will be held Saturday, but you didn’t see these events in the Olympics.

“Last year, we had a fry pan throwing contest for the women,” Garber said. “And then we didn’t want the men to be left out, so, they’re going to have a toilet paper toss this year. They’re going to toss a roll of toilet paper in the commode and see if they can make a basket.”

Galford says Dunmore Daze helps preserve an historic building.

“The community center here itself was a school and a lot of these kids – people from Dunmore went to school together. It’s just like a class reunion, somewhat. But, this event, you know, the more people we have, it helps us keep this old school looking like it does today. Because most of them around here in the upper end of the county have been torn down. As you can see, this one’s looking better and better every year.”

Garber tells why the community center is important.

“It holds the community together,” she said. “It just draws them together and say, ‘hey, we need to help each other.”

For information on this weekend’s Dunmore Daze, call Doug Galford at 304-456-3046.