Contestants in Hundred’s 2011 Liberty Pageant, part of the town’s celebration, are pictured. Front row from left: 2010 Little Miss Liberty Ellie Wise, 2010 Little Mister Liberty Nathan Perkins, Ashlynn Peters, Jolie Hayes, Summer Morris, 2010 Miss Liberty Addie Tuttle. Second row: Kyler Peters, Hannah Hostutler, Kathleen Cork, Shelly Cork, Trevor Kuhn.

Nearly two dozen local artists and craftsmen will be on hand Monday to demonstrate their skills to all who attend the annual Arts in the Park celebration at Bruce Park in New Martinsville. This event, sponsored by ArtsLink, the Monroe Artists Guild, and the New Martinsville Parks and Recreation Department, will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. Visitors can expect to see painting, engraving, quilting, fiber arts, marbleizing, jewelry and basket making, and a variety of needlework projects exhibited. Many artists who have participated previously will be returning and several new individuals may share their skills this year as well.

Musical entertainment will be provided throughout the afternoon and Uncle Sam will be on hand to greet one and all. Games and face painting will be available for the young and the young at heart. Complimentary ice cream and soft drinks will be furnished by the New Martinsville Parks and Recreation Department and the New Martinsville Lions Club will be selling food and beverages. All residents are encouraged to include a stop by the park as part of their celebration of America’s birthday.

Following Arts in the park, The River City Brass Band from Pittsburgh will be performing at the Lincoln Theater. The festive concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for ArtsLink members and $15 for non members.

From California to New York (as well as everywhere in between), River City Brass has delighted audiences with its signature style. The band has been a featured performer at the Adelaide Festival of the Arts (Australia), Musikfest (Pennsylvania), Chautauqua Institution (New York), New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, Interlochen Center for the Arts, (Michigan), and Thalian Hall (North Carolina), among many other venues.

Each year, as many as 100,000 people thrill to the signature sound of the River City Brass. From Pasadena to Pensacola to Pittsburgh, River City Brass provides high quality entertainment that is fun and meaningful to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Contestants in Hundred’s 2011 Liberty Pageant, part of the town’s celebration, are pictured. Left, first row from left: Aidan Daniels, Hailey Shackelford, Kaitlynn Eastham, June Rine. Second row: Jaylene Daniels, Kayla Matthews, Hannah Shackleford, Mahalah Britton, Ayden Britton. Last row: Taylor Lind.

The sponsor of this concert is McDonald’s Restaurant, owned and operated by Nelson and Sandy Hachem. The refreshments are sponsored by the New Martinsville Campus of West Virginia Northern Community College.

Funding made possible with financial assistance from ArtsLink, West Virginia Northern Community College, WETZ/WYMJ Radio, and Ohio Valley Online. Additional support received from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; and the Pew Charitable Trusts; and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Grant funding application has been made to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts. ArtsLink is committed to providing universal accessibility wherever possible. Persons with special needs may contact us at 304-455-2278 to request assistance.

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Hundred’s Fourth of July Celebration will be held Saturday, beginning with the impressive parade at 10 a.m. Line up is at 9:30 at Hundred High School, then the parade proceeds up U.S. Route 250 and out Route 69 to Cosgray Field where the celebration is held every year.

The flag raising and opening ceremonies are slated to be held at 10:45 a.m., followed by Virgil’s Games at 11 a.m., the same time the 2011 Liberty Pageant will take place. The emcee for that event, in its second year, is Amy Casdorph, former Miss West Virginia contestant and Paw Paw Fair Queen. Coordinator and founder of the event is Christina Hostutler, who holds the title Miss Hundred Centennial, the first pageant that was ever held during the Fourth of July celebration. All Liberty Pageant contestants are local children.

The River City Brass will perform at the Lincoln Theater in New Martinsville on Monday to celebrate America’s birthday. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for ArtsLink members and $15 for non members.

Contestants are as follows.

Little Miss Liberty, ages three to five: Jaylene Daniels, Kaitlynn Eastham, Jolie Hayes, Summer Morris, Ashlynn Peters, and Hailey Shackleford

Little Mister Liberty, ages three to five: Ayden Britton, Aidan Daniels, and Casey Minor

Little Miss Firecracker, ages six to eight: Mahalah Britton, Kayla Matthews, June Rune, and Hannah Shackleford.

Little Mister Firecracker, ages six to eight: Trevor Kuhn and Kyler Peters

Miss Independence, ages nine to 13: Kathleen Cork, Hannah Hostutler, and Cara Minor

Miss 4th of July, ages 14-17: Shelly Cork, Mercedez Goff; Taylor Lind, and Oshana Topp

Other awards will be given out for the best hair, best eyes, best smile, most photogenic, best personality, and most patriotic. Each queen and king will receive a complete portrait package from JWB Photography a local portrait studio, owned by Jennifer Williams Britton. JWB Photography is responsible for all the contestants’ individual photos for publicity and judging purposes as well as the accompanying group photos. For more information about the Liberty pageant contact Christina Hostutler, coordinator, at 304-775-4049.

After the pageant, on-stage entertainment will include KK Miller (aka Kaela Kuhn) at noon, various local talent at 1 p.m., and Hundred Miles From Nowhere at 3 p.m. The talent show originally scheduled for 1 p.m. was cancelled because of lack of interest, but those who were going to be in the show will be performing, without the competition aspect, at 1 p.m.

There will be a hot dog eating contest at 11:45 a.m. and horseshoe tournament at 12:30 p.m. Also, Kurt James Fun and Games on the Midway will be in operation from noon to 4 p.m. Also, various community groups will have booths with games to play and items to purchase.

The entire day will be capped off by fireworks at 10 p.m. In the event of rain, the fireworks will be enjoyed Sunday at 10 p.m.

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The Town of Pine Grove will hold a Fourth of July celebration at the Legion Park on state Route 20 Sunday beginning at 5 p.m.

The park will host a variety of vendors and games, and guests will be entertained by live bands. The celebration will conclude with a fantastic fireworks display at 10 p.m.

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St. Joseph’s Settlement will hold its annual fourth July celebration. As always the chicken and ham dinner will be served for $10, adults; $4, children three to 12 years old; and free for children under three years old. Bingo, kids games, country store, trash and treasure, and pony rides will be available. Finally, there will be a raffle with prizes of $500 with second and third place prizes. For more information or directions please call 304-447-3999.

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Summer Fest will be held Saturday in Woodsfield in front of the Monroe County Courthouse. From 5-8 p.m. there will be various activities including a carnival with bounce house and games for kids, arts and crafts, food, drinks, ice cream, sno cones, baked goods, and entertainment. Then at dusk fireworks will originate from the football field. The event is organized by a non-profit group called the Summer Fest Committee.