Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.  

Today is Tuesday, June 11, 2024. 

It’s the sweetest tour in the state: Set out on the West Virginia Honey Trail to sample fine honey and shop for bee-related goodies…Charleston sets the stage for a festival choir performance of young vocalists and musicians…and history meets modern technology when Marshall Advanced Manufacturing helps Blenko produce a tool used in glass blowing…on today’s daily304.

#1 – From WV TOURISM – Looking for a fun and unique activity? Set out on the West Virginia Honey Trail! Meet passionate beekeepers and learn more about the roles bees have in our natural environment while sampling sweet and authentic local honey along the way. 

The West Virginia Honey Trail is a one-of-a-kind initiative brought to you by Visit Mountaineer Country, the Mon County Beekeepers Association, and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. This remarkable trail is all about celebrating the wonders of local honey and the incredible pollinators that make it all possible.

Along the Honey Trail, you’ll have the chance to savor the finest and purest local honey that West Virginia has to offer. From luscious wildflower honey to rich and aromatic buckwheat honey, each stop promises a unique and delectable experience. Don’t forget to bring home some jars of local honey and other bee-related goodies to share with friends and family, spreading the sweetness even further.

Read more:

https://wvtourism.com/a-sweet-activity-the-west-virginia-honey-trail/

#2 – From WCHS-TV – The Capital City is set to host young vocalists from across the country later this month with the gathering culminating in a free festival choir performance.

The Appalachian Festival of Young Voices is set for June 14-19 in Charleston. The Appalachian Children's Chorus will be joined by ensembles from as far away as California for this free event at the Charleston Coliseum.

The festival will feature a traditional string band and orchestra, dancing, storytelling and workshops.

Read more:

https://wchstv.com/news/local/appalachian-festival-of-young-voices#

#3 – From MFG.MARSHALL – Perhaps nothing says Blenko Glass Company like the iconic 384 Water Bottle, a favorite of collectors since production began during The Great Depression. With its dimpled sides and double spouts, the bottle is one of the most recognizable and desirable pieces of handblown glassware on the market.

Blenko artisans continue to produce the bottles the old-fashioned way: placing globs of molten glass in iron molds, hand blowing the glass to fit the molds then using a tool called the Clapper to hold the flat-bottom bottles as workers trim away the excess glass and reheat the top portion to carefully shape the spouts.

Like a lot of tools at Blenko’s Milton factory, the Clapper is an improvised device invented out of necessity through what company officials jovially refer to as our “redneck engineering.” That’s when history merges with modern engineering.

Blenko recently partnered with the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center to re-engineer the Clapper, working with MAMC Design Engineer Morgan Smith to tweak the design and create computer-aided files to manufacture the device.

Read more:

https://www.mfg.marshall.edu/mamc-helps-blenko-preserve-handcrafted-legacy/

Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.

The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo. 

That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.