Helvetia invites West Virginia to its 2024 community fair

HELVETIA, W.Va. (WBOY) — If you missed Fasnacht earlier this year , the Swiss village of Helvetia is inviting visitors to its annual fair on Sept. 14.

Founded by Swiss immigrants in 1869, Helvetia is one of West Virginia’s most unique communities, and its residents still hold onto their European heritage more than 150 years later through events like the Helvetia Community Fair .

Fair president Thrayron Morgan said visitors will have a lot to look forward to at this year’s fair; here are some of the highlights:

• Swiss-Alpine parade with homemade floats, Swiss costumes and animals
• Helvetia vendors selling locally made food and crafts like cheeses, honey and maple syrup
• Dance party featuring traditional Swiss dancers, alphorn players and yodellers

“You’re in for a treat. All the Swiss traditions, we bring ’em out of the closet and we perform ’em that day,” Morgan said. “It’s been in my family for all those years, and I love history and I love the traditions of the Swiss and we just like to keep that.”

Unlike Fasnacht , which is more of a Marti Gras-style celebration, the Helvetia Community Fair serves as a homecoming and harvest festival for residents who have moved away from the village to reconnect with friends and family.

“When [settlers] came from Switzerland, they wanted to find a place that reminded them of Switzerland,” Morgan said. “When they got here, the mountains and the scenery reminded them of Switzerland and they decided this was the place to be.”

To learn more about the Helvetia Community Fair, you can visit Helvetia’s website . Festivities for the fair kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

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