Blue Ridge Country May/June 2020 - 20

COUNTRY ROADS

West Virginia Festival Celebrates Native Son Illustrator

iny Piedmont, West Virginia, (pop.
865) in the state's eastern panhandle
claims more than its share of creative
celebrities. Harvard author Henry Louis
Gates, jazz musician Don Redman, rock
star Steve Whiteman and noted illustrator
Leslie Thrasher all lived here within the
past century.
Thrasher's art and even his face were
especially well known in the early 1900s
because he crafted the covers of popular
Liberty magazine weekly for almost a decade. His work was often mistaken for that
of Norman Rockwell.
Thrasher created a continuing storyline
for Liberty, based humorously on his marriage, and served as his own model for the
husband. The series, "For the Love o' Lil,"
became so popular it was made into a Columbia Pictures movie.
On May 16 and 17, Thrasher will be
celebrated in nearby Keyser, at the Mineral County Music & Arts Heritage Festival.

Downtown window displays in the realistic style of Thrasher's art will grace Keyser
storefronts and Mineral County Museum
will feature a Thrasher exhibit.
A juried exhibit of regional art inspired
by Thrasher's style will be displayed at the
Indie on Main theater during the month.
The festival also includes music, car shows,
games and competitions and more.
Thrasher completed 23 covers for the
Saturday Evening Post, as well as 360
covers for Collier's, Redbook, Popular
Magazine, and many other publications.
Norman Rockwell, a friend of Thrasher,
wrote in his autobiography that Thrasher

South Branch Riverfest
Saturday May 23, 2020

"painted one of the most famous Saturday
Evening Post covers ever published." It depicted a lady and a butcher standing on either side of a scale holding a chicken. The
lady was surreptitiously pushing up on
the scale; the butcher was pushing down.
Thrasher's career came to a tragic end in
1936 when his home on Long Island, New
York, burned. After his rescue, Thrasher
developed pneumonia from smoke inhalation and died. The fire destroyed much
of Thrasher's original work, although his
magazine covers live on with collectors.
-SU CLAUSON-WICKER

Visit Clay County in
the Mountains of WNC
FESTIVAL ON THE SQUARE

* Fun Run
* Live Music
* Local Food & Crafts
* River Activities

Sponsor: Clay County Historical & Arts Council
Saturday July 11, 10-5pm Sunday July 12, 10-4pm
clayhistoryarts.org

CHEROKEE HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Sponsor: Clay County Communities Revitalization Assoc.
Saturday September 19, 11-4pm
cccra-nc.org

11:00am - 5:00pm Rain or Shine
Brighton Park - Moorefield, WV
southbranchriverfest.com

STEINS & WINE AROUND THE SQUARE
Sponsor: Historic Hayesville Inc.
Saturday October 3, 4-7:30pm
historichayesvilleinc.com

VISITHARDYWV.COM
#HARDYCOUNTY
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PUNKIN' CHUNKIN

Sponsor: Clay County Chamber of Commerce
Saturday & Sunday October 17, 18, 10-5pm
claychambernc.com

http://www.clayhistoryarts.org http://www.cccra-nc.org http://www.southbranchriverfest.com http://www.historichayesvilleinc.com http://www.VISITHARDYWV.COM http://www.claychambernc.com http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

Blue Ridge Country May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country May/June 2020