WV Molasses Festival

The 59th Annual West Virginia Molasses Festival will take place September 24-26, 2026 (Thursday through Saturday) at West Fork Park in Arnoldsburg, Calhoun County, confirming September timing rather than October. This three-day celebration of Appalachian sorghum-making traditions has anchored the small valley community since 1967, drawing visitors from across the region for live molasses demonstrations, bluegrass music, and authentic country cooking. General admission is free, with camping available for $8-10 per day at the park.

Founded by the West Fork Community Action organization nearly 60 years ago, this festival preserves a heritage craft that once sweetened every household in the valley when families couldn’t afford store-bought sugar. The event experienced a significant revival in 2015 after going two consecutive years without any molasses due to poor sorghum harvests, prompting local farmer Gary May and Calhoun County High School FFA students to restore the tradition.

Festival location and daily schedule

West Fork Park serves as the permanent festival home at 1280 S. Calhoun Highway, Arnoldsburg Road, Arnoldsburg, WV 25234. The park sits at the junction of US-33, US-119, and WV-16 in southern Calhoun County, approximately 15 miles south of Grantsville and 14 miles east of Spencer. Facilities include a main community building, livestock barn, camping areas, and vendor fields spread across the grounds.

The daily schedule begins early with the kitchen opening at 8:00 AM for breakfast. The Country Store, games, and vendors open at 9:00 AM, followed by entertainment beginning at 10:00 AM. The festival’s signature chicken BBQ lunch, 350 chicken halves served with baked beans, coleslaw, lemonade, and fresh rolls, is served at 11:00 AM from the main building. WVRC radio broadcasts live from noon to 4:00 PM throughout the event.

Saturday features the Grand Parade at 1:00 PM, processing from Arnoldsburg Elementary School to the park with queens, horse-drawn carriages, politicians, and candy for children. The 4-H Livestock Sale takes place at 4:00 PM, followed by square dancing at 6:30 PM. Thursday evening traditionally features a gospel concert showcasing local and regional musicians.

Traditional molasses-making demonstrations anchor the festival

The heart of the festival remains the live sorghum molasses production that visitors can watch unfold over three days. Local growers plant sorghum cane varieties like Honeydew, Orange, and Tracy in late May, then harvest in September when stalks are cut and stripped of leaves, a process called blading. At the festival, stalks are fed through a mill press that extracts the green juice, which then flows into a long, flat evaporating pan divided into controlled sections.

Workers maintain a fire of soft wood beneath the pan while volunteers methodically move the juice through each section. As the liquid heats, proteins and non-sugars rise to the surface as a greenish foam called skimmings, which must be continuously removed with long-handled paddles. Experienced molasses makers like Kenny Arnold and Rick Hall, known locally as The Molasses Man, test readiness by watching the amber syrup drip from paddles. When it forms long, thick strings, the batch is complete. A good acre of sorghum yields 60-100 gallons of finished molasses.

The festival’s Country Store sells the fresh molasses alongside homemade goods, though supplies typically sell out quickly. In the festival’s heyday, visitors reportedly stood in line for molasses all the way down the hill to purchase gallons that once sold for about $3 each.

Attendance and parking logistics

The WV Molasses Festival operates as a community-focused regional event rather than a large-scale tourism draw. While specific attendance figures are not publicly tracked, the festival primarily serves Calhoun County residents alongside visitors from neighboring communities throughout central West Virginia. Many locals describe it as a homecoming to reconnect with neighbors they haven’t seen all year.

Attendance had dwindled in recent decades until the 2015 revitalization effort by local students and farmers. Today, active involvement from Calhoun Middle High School, Arnoldsburg Elementary, and the local 4-H chapter has reinvigorated participation among younger generations.

Parking is available at West Fork Park grounds, with overflow directing to areas along Arnoldsburg Road. The Saturday parade temporarily closes the route between Arnoldsburg Elementary and the park entrance. Camping sites on the festival grounds offer the most convenient option for multi-day visitors, available at $8 per day or $10 with electrical hookup.

Summing Up What You Need To Know

The 2026 WV Molasses Festival continues a nearly six-decade tradition of preserving Appalachian sorghum heritage through hands-on demonstrations, traditional music, and community gathering. Visitors should plan for September 24-26, 2026 at West Fork Park, arriving early for the best molasses selection and securing lodging in Spencer or Grantsville given limited options in rural Calhoun County.

The combination of free admission, authentic cultural programming, and surrounding water recreation opportunities makes this an accessible weekend destination for experiencing genuine West Virginia mountain culture, the kind increasingly rare in an era when many regional traditions have faded.