By Stephen Smoot
Don’t know why/There’s no sun up in the sky/Stormy weather . . . keeps raining all of the time.
West Virginia Trout Fest took place this year under a seemingly unending ceiling of steel gray clouds and fog that hung like draperies on the sides of the valleys. That all said, the rain held off during the most important and key event of the weekend – the trout rodeo.
The festival, which has entertained visitors and residents of Franklin for two decades, started off on a wet note. Some of those coming into town Friday night for live music and the trout dinner ran into storms that briefly pounded the area with heavy rain before passing through.
Dinner featured the food of Twisted Pig, Petersburg’s Cajun influenced barbeque spot. Stephen Wilson and his daughter, Savannah, backed their food truck up to the community building in Franklin and braved the rain to provide a superlative supper to those who purchased tickets ahead of time or dropped in.
Amanda Wilson, wife and mother of the family, stayed behind in Petersburg to run the Keyser Avenue barbeque stand.
“We did Treasure Mountain Festival here last year,” said Stephen Wilson. He added that “since we fried fish while we were here, they asked us to fry their fish for Trout Fest.”
The Wilsons fried up trout, catfish, and chicken for the main course, then added crinkle cut French fries, hush puppies, and coleslaw as sides.
The Wilsons hail originally from Louisiana, which is represented on their logo. It features a pig with a steak on one skewer and the Pelican state on the other. After years of perfecting their home cooked barbeque, they took on competitions in Arkansas, Mississippi, and even Texas.
Since starting their Petersburg based business in 2021, they have earned accolades which include a second place selection in West Virginia Living as the best barbeque in the state.
But being from the South, they also bring years of experience to the expert frying of fish.
As volunteers started serving food at the community building, Spencer Hatcher and the Ol’ Son Gang took the stage to share their family friendly brand of classic country hits. A mostly full tent with fans from clapping toddlers to octogenarians enjoyed the show.
Hatcher then brought up a name that only true old time country fans will remember, Keith Whitley. He told the crowd, “I’m a major fan of his. If you all know this song, sing it along with me!”
Then he broke into a rousing version of “Miami, My Amy.”
Later, Hatcher told the crowd that the band appreciated “the level of support to get us out here “and that they enjoyed performing “to give you all some love.”
Also available for attendees was both the Treasure Mountain Festival Flea Market building and the vendor building.
Bob Horan, among many others, manned his booth in the flea market venue. As a craftsman, Horan fashions furniture and other items out of different types of wood, creating sturdy and functional pieces, often for a lower price than comparable items manufactured in a factory.
First time vendor, but long time attendee Roxanne Arbaugh laid out a large table full of home baked goodies. They came from her Circleville based Bettye’s Backyard Breads.
Arbaugh shared that contracting diabetes served as part of her inspiration for starting her business. She learned that sourdough bread has a beneficial effect on many who fight the daily blood sugar battles, due to its lower glycemic index and the production of beneficial gut bacteria.
“After I started,” Arbaugh said, “I didn’t want to quit.”
After encouragement from friends, she started her business in the family kitchen and has not looked back. “It’s turned into quite an adventure,” Arbaugh stated.
Trout Fest’s Saturday adventures started bright and early. The unofficial kickoff came on statewide radio at 7:06 when West Virginia Metro News’s Chris Lawrence opened his radio broadcast “Woods and Waters.” Every year, Lawrence makes the trek to the South Branch River in Franklin to perform his show and to get in some good fishing himself.
At about the same time, Pendleton Senior and Family Services started serving a cafeteria style breakfast with favorites from sausage gravy and biscuits to bacon and eggs. Lawrence came by after his radio program to speak with others planning to enjoy a big day at the river.
The main event, however, came by the riverside. All morning long, the gray clouds and fog hovered overhead, giving a gloomy cast to the day. That said, the rodeo site saw no rain from the opening at 8 a.m. to its close at noon.
One of the greatest attractions of Trout Fest lies in how it brings families together. All along the river, both in the general fishing zone and the spillway marked off for ages 10 and under, children of all ages focused on fishing.
In countless little nooks and crannies of the banks, or in the water wearing waders, fathers, grandfathers, mothers, and others helped to teach their children how to hook, cast, and reel in fish.
Sure, many of the trout carried tags worth different amounts of cash as a prize. The “reel” win, however, lay in seeing families make memories together
