04/19/2026
Our first ever music and arts festival was truly incredible, and I can’t thank everyone in our community enough for helping to make it so special.
We had over 13 hours of amazing, diverse music; a university choir, singer-songwriters, a community marching band, improvised progressive rock, an entire family singing together in perfect harmony, country, folk, rock, jazz, and more. People participated in two public art projects, shopped incredible Appalachian artists, ate together, sang together, and learned together with filmmaking workshops.
There were people here of all ages, from all backgrounds, all brought together in solidarity, all through art and music. Yesterday was a testament to how powerful Appalachian creativity really is.
There are so many people who worked so hard behind the scenes to make this happen and you are all appreciated more than you know. I want to give a special thank you to Justin Luke Huffman, who has been dreaming about this kind of event for years, and working tirelessly to see it through. Thanks to Max Nibert for dreaming up “West Fest” when you were just sixteen years old. Gina Milum has been working overtime right alongside me to keep all the pieces together. You are the best partner in crime. So many members of our Coalfield Development family volunteered their time to help us yesterday-thank you! Thanks to Barb Lavalley-Benton for helping facilitate the title piece of our SOLIDARITY mural. You are irreplaceable. Thank you to Leslie Petteys for funding that work, and to the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum for your wealth of knowledge and support. Huntington Addiction Wellness Center sent us an entire team to set up and tear down, and we appreciate you so much.
Thank you to all of the musicians and artists who showed up and shared your talent with us, as well as Brian Hensley and Kyle Baldridge for the impeccable sound. And a big thank you to our CEO, Jacob Israel Hannah, for believing in and supporting our vision for ReCreate Appalachia. You are the absolute best example of leadership, and I am so grateful for you.
There are so many others. We could not have done this without all of you.
This past year has been a doozy. Nothing is easy, and funding is scarce. Without community support, we wouldn’t be here. Without partners like Healing Appalachia and ReStage Appalachia sponsoring us, this event would have stayed a dream for now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If you’d like to donate to keep us going, or volunteer, or collaborate, let me know! We are just getting started!
In Solidarity,
Sassa
