Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Sunday, April 2
Did you know you can camp for free within the New River Gorge National Park?...a new airline at Yeager will offer budget flights to Orlando and “the other” Charleston…and an African-American arts academy hosts summer camp for teens…on today’s daily304.
#1 – From THE GAZETTE-MAIL – “It’s a pretty place,” said first-time New River Gorge National Park and Preserve camper Sharon Simpson as she relaxed on a chair at her campsite in the park’s Glade Creek Campground.
“The only sounds you hear are from the river or a passing train,” Simpson said. “When I walked to the creek to take some pictures, a deer walked right past me.”
Unlike most campgrounds in other national parks, where campers are charged fees averaging about $20 per night, all eight campgrounds found within the New River National Park and Preserve are free and open year round.
They’re rated primitive--meaning they lack drinking water, bathhouses, or hookups for power and other utilities--but what they lack in amenities are more than made up for with the area’s natural beauty and proximity to recreation like fishing and hiking.
Read more:
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/new-river-gorges-no-fee-campgrounds-a-rarity-among-national-parks/article_39387025-9380-5371-a9db-46fa91db3cc2.html
#2 – From GOVERNOR.WV.GOV – Gov. Jim Justice has announced a partnership with the successful new low cost carrier Breeze Airways to connect West Virginia International Yeager Airport (CRW) with at least five cities over the next two years.
New nonstop flights to Orlando, Florida (MCO) and Charleston, South Carolina (CHS) will begin May 31, 2023. The new routes are now on sale at introductory fares of $59 and $49, respectively, one way. At least three more destinations, including New York City, are slated to be added over the next 24 months.
This innovative partnership between the state, Kanawha County, and the City of Charleston comes after years of decline in available destinations from smaller airports around the country, including West Virginia International Yeager Airport. The new flights will more than double air connectivity to West Virginia’s capital.
Breeze was launched in 2021 by JetBlue founder and former CEO David Neeleman with a mission to fill a key gap in America’s air-travel offerings: efficient, affordable, direct flights between secondary airports, bypassing hubs for shorter travel times. It was recently named one of the best domestic airlines in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure.
Read more:
https://governor.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2023/Pages/Gov.-Justice-announces-historic-airline-partnership.aspx
#3 – From BLACK BY GOD – The Norman Jordan African American Arts & Heritage Academy is planning its 2023 Summer Youth Arts & Heritage Academy.
NJAAAHA is an annual summer arts program that offers teenagers between the ages of 12-18 concentrated study in their chosen artistic discipline. The program provides classes in instrumental and vocal music, theater, dance, visual arts, creative writing (including hip-hop and basic songwriting), and arts technology. The workshops are supplemented with historical and cultural knowledge associated with the students' chosen art form, with guest performers, field trips and more.
Norman Jordan of Ansted, WV was the president and chief financial officer of the NJAAA&HA until his passing in 2015. Jordan was one of the leading African-American poets of West Virginia and the Black Arts Movement.
This year’s academy will meet at West Virginia State University the week of July 10-15. Applications are open at https://normanjordanaaaha.com/
Read more:
https://blackbygod.org/articles/community/the-norman-jordan-african-american-arts-heritage-academy-returns-for-2023-summer-youth-program-at-west-virginia-state-university
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
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That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.