PRINCETON, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – In the 1920s and 1930s, thousands of people would visit Glenwood Recreational Park for fiddler’s conventions and music festivals. Residents and guests alike were captivated by the park’s 400 acres of beautiful scenery and multiple annual events.
Superintendent of Glenwood Recreational Park Kevin Dials says the park hasn’t held a concert since the 1980s, leaving the once-booming park to become one of Mercer County’s best-kept secrets.
According to Dials, the park’s original iteration was introduced in the early 1920s. For many years, the park was a stop of the old trolley system that ran between Princeton and Bluefield. 20 years after its opening, the park built its existing 4H buildings, and, in 1968, the park welcomed the dam, subsequent Glenwood Lake and other park facilities.
While the park underwent major improvements during the first few decades of its existence, those advancements dwindled throughout the years, leaving some parts of the park in disrepair.
The old stage that once housed hundreds of bands was forced to be torn down years ago and has yet to be replaced.
Along with boosting park attendance, Dials hopes the park can raise enough money to build a new, permanent stage that will allow them to host musical events like they once did.
The park’s first fundraising effort will take place on Saturday, August 28, when Music in the Mountains: A Celebration of Hope will fill the park with music once again.
Chosen Road, a local Americana, acoustic bluegrass band, is hosting the event and has worked closely with Dials, other park officials and the local county commission to make this weekend a success. Chosen Road, who will be joined by several other bands on Saturday, will serve as the event’s main entertainment.
“It’s a beautiful setting, and just a hidden gem in Mercer County and southern West Virginia in general,” one of the band members said of the park. “Going back years ago, Mercer County and Glenwood Park was a really happening place for country music, bluegrass music, gospel music…we want to bring something really special back to Glenwood Park.”
“We’ve got all of this history, and it’s nothing but history unless you bring it back,” Dials said. “We’d like to get things going on for the community and also try to work toward the goal of making the park more financially solvent.”
Dials believes the park has remained a part of the local community but knows that there are people within the surrounding counties and even Mercer County that have never heard of the park or have but don’t know what it is.
“We know that if we offer these kinds of events, we can get folks out so they can see what we have to offer and get the park’s attendance back to where it once was.”
If successful, the park plans to Music in the Mountains an annual event. The park will also be hosting smaller events throughout the year to help reach its goals.
Dials focused on the event’s name, stating that he hopes this weekend will give everyone a reason to smile.
“We have been through a lot in the last few years and anything that we can do to give people something to be happy about, to celebrate and be hopeful about and maybe create something here in the community, that would be as good a reason as any to call it a celebration of hope.”
Tickets for Music in the Mountains can be purchased here for $25 until Friday, August 27, or at the gate on the day of the event for $30. First responders, teachers, veterans and healthcare workers get a 20 percent discount at the gate. Kids 12 and under may attend for free.
Music in the Mountains will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday.