Dear Friends,

The Opera House serves many purposes for members of our community and visitors from near and far. People have celebrated their unions in marriage, honored those who have passed away, attended performances, eaten soup in handmade bowls to support our local food pantry and gathered to support our veterans in our beautifully and lovingly restored historic theater. To say that the Opera House is a cornerstone of community in our region is an understatement; it is a gathering place for every aspect of community life.

The experience of community in Pocahontas County is different than in many other places. Neighbors look after neighbors. We stop at the side of the road to help someone with car trouble. We till the gardens of elderly friends, bring soup to those who are sick, and cut firewood for our neighbors, sharing the bounty of our beautiful natural surroundings. Community is not just an idea in this region, it is a way of life and one we protect fiercely.

The Opera House is a physical manifestation of this way of life. It represents a shared understanding of the importance of being stewards of our mountain culture, the beautiful nature that surrounds us, and our long held tradition of volunteerism. The Opera House exists because of a vision that community members brought to fruition for all of us. Those who were involved in the restoration effort were planting a tree that would provide shade and bounty for future generations. While there are differences in the ways friends approach life, there is an understanding that we are all in this together. This is a team, with aligned goals of bettering, supporting, protecting, growing, and respecting the knowledge that past stewards of our community learned and passed on to us.

To provide a snapshot for those less familiar with all that happens at the Opera House, we kicked off our 2025-2026 Performance Series with a full house for West Virginia’s only traveling Shakespeare troupe’s production of Macbeth. In late July, sixty students attended a one-week theater camp resulting in two full houses for their presentation of Blackbeard the Pirate. At the end of August, the Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys, WV’s longest running Bluegrass band took the stage, followed by three performances by Pocahontas Drama Workshop’s production of a local playwright's award-winning play, Deara’s Country Funeral. The Opera House partnered with the Autumn Harvest Festival to host the third annual Hammons Family Fiddle and Banjo Contest which brought over a hundred musicians into our hall to compete for the highest cash prizes in WV. As the performance series continued, audiences enjoyed more contemporary musicians including the Hackensaw Boys, Cristina Vane and Driftwood which lured fans from neighboring states and other countries, including Ireland and Australia. In October, the Opera House hosted a wedding, two celebrations of life, the 250th Birthday of the Marines, a benefit for our local food pantry and a Farm Bureau dinner. In November, Miramar showcased music from Latin America and included a lecture to enhance the audience’s experience and understanding of the musical style they presented. On the following Tuesday, friends and neighbors came together to serve those who have served our nation at our annual Veterans Day Dinner.

Your support brought us this far. Please help us carry the Opera House forward—come to a show, volunteer, or make a contribution to keep the lights on and our doors open.

Sincerely,

The Pocahontas Opera House Foundation Board Memebers & Staff